A competitive Class 6 handicap closes the Epsom card, with several lightly raced three-year-olds still searching for their first handicap success and a race shape that could prove just as important as raw ability.

The market is headed by Ice Cube, who looks the most solid option on recent evidence. Richard Spencer’s gelding remains a maiden after eight starts but produced one of his best efforts when sixth at Newmarket last week. Held up rather than ridden aggressively as on previous starts, he finished his race strongly and was only beaten two lengths in a contest that may prove stronger than this. A further 2lb drop in the weights, the booking of Oisin Murphy, and conditions that appear ideal make him the horse they all have to beat.

The chief threat may come from Piazza, representing the in-form Ollie Sangster yard. The filly returned from a lengthy absence with an encouraging fifth at Kempton, where she met some traffic problems before staying on late. She remains relatively unexposed compared with most of her rivals and could take a sizeable step forward from that seasonal reappearance. If handling the quicker ground better than she did on debut, she looks capable of mounting a serious challenge.

Eyes Front is another with claims after showing signs of revival at Doncaster last month. Formerly rated much higher, he has slipped down the handicap and shaped as though a return to winning form may not be far away when leading inside the final furlong before fading late. A repeat of that effort would put him firmly in the mix.

Those looking beyond the obvious contenders may find Sun Of Dolly interesting. His handicap debut fourth at Windsor on good-to-firm ground reads well in the context of this race, and softer conditions may have contributed to his disappointing run at Haydock next time. Returning to faster ground could help him bounce back.

The remainder all have questions to answer. Madman has been running respectably without looking particularly well treated and has yet to convince over this trip. Twilight Glow continues to slide down the weights but has become difficult to trust after a string of moderate efforts. Credit Forgedd It needs to show much more than on his stable debut at Brighton, while Karisma’s Angel returns from a five-month absence and still has plenty to prove on turf.

With no obvious standout pace angle and several runners likely to race prominently, the contest could be decided by which horse is able to settle and finish strongest up Epsom’s demanding home straight. On balance, Ice Cube brings the strongest current form, but Piazza appeals as the runner with the most improvement still to come.

Prediction:

1. Ice Cube
2. Piazza
3. Eyes Front
4. Sun Of Dolly