After a queit spell in June, the Mark Johnston stable has hit top form. He will be a force at Ascot's King George meeting this weekend and at his beloved Glorious Goodwood next week. Meanwhile at Sandown today, the Middleham trainer looks set for a double. Hunting Country (4.30) can set the ball rolling. When Johnston's three-year-olds start to improve they must be followed. They can also take their races quickly and Hunting Country comes here after an emphatic win at Newbury on Saturday. That looked a better race than Presvis won, albeit impressively, at Sandown last week.
Johnston has booked Frankie Dettori for both Hunting Country and Detonator (5.00), who also makes a quick reappearance after finishing second to Laterly at Ripon on Saturday. Lightly-raced, Detonator is clearly going the right way, with this step up in trip unlikely to be a problem.
In the beginners' chase at Uttoxeter, La Estrella (2.35) can prove too good for some modest opponents. Don Cantillon has had this race in mind for his five-year-old for a while now, and La Estrella was best of these over hurdles. His shrewd trainer reports La Estrella jumps really well.
