Hot To Trot: Stormy success forecast for Appleby

Flat trainer: Charlie Appleby

Charlie Appleby unleashed a couple of exciting prospects on Friday, with Pretty Asset and the juvenile Stage Magic getting off the mark in good style at Newmarket and Newbury, respectively, and it would be no surprise should Adjacent or Stormy Blues do likewise at Windsor on Monday evening. Stormy Blues is the chosen mount of William Buick and should prove extremely difficult to beat if building on the promise of his second at Nottingham last time, though his well-bred stablemate Adjacent (half-brother to three winners, including the smart Al Saham) is also worth a market check on his racecourse debut. Appleby also looks set to be double-handed in the King George at Ascot on Saturday, with Princess of Wales's Stakes 1-2 Hawkbill and Frontiersman under consideration at this stage. They were separated by just three quarters of a length at Newmarket's July Festival, Hawkbill digging deep under pressure and outbattling his stablemate in the finish, and both hold claims of sorts now back up in grade, though they do have a bit to find with the likes of Highland Reel and Ulysses on form.

Jumps trainer: Peter Bowen

Peter Bowen has been hitting the crossbar a bit of late with five placed from his last nine runners, but the horses are in good form at least and the trainer can be expected to resume winning ways in the not too distant future. Get Home Now provided Bowen with the second leg of a double at Worcester earlier in the month and could attempt to follow up at Uttoxeter on Friday. The nine-year-old may no longer be the force of old, but drew clear to record his first victory for nearly three years back down in trip and retried in headgear last time, and he remains on a good mark judged on previous exploits. Universal Soldier, on the other hand, ran no sort of race when pulled-up on his most recent outing at Ffos Las, jumping ponderously and quickly losing touch on the final circuit. He has been given plenty of time to recover from those exertions since, however, and remains potentially well treated for his reappearance at Cartmel on Monday, having run out a dominant winner of his penultimate outing at Haydock.

Under the radar: Jedd O'Keeffe

Jedd O'Keeffe enjoyed the first and second listed victories of his training career recently - courtesy of More Mischief and the improving Lord Yeats - and his horses have continued in good form since, with seven winners from his last 20 runners overall. O'Keeffe will be looking to add to his tally next week and is likely to have particularly high hopes for Injam at Ascot on Friday. The four-year-old has won two of his last three outings, including a 14f handicap at Doncaster (by two lengths from Braes of Lochalsh) last time, and is becoming a very useful staying handicapper with a bit of cut in the ground. Indeed, it would be no surprise if he can keep pulling out a bit more under his favoured conditions. Meanwhile, Sovereign Bounty remains on a mark just 1 lb higher than when second at Doncaster last month and may have found the race coming too soon when disappointing at Haydock just six days later. He holds entries at Beverley (Monday) and Nottingham (Tuesday) in the coming days and deserves a chance to bounce back.