Some shrewd punters are sitting on 8-1 ante post vouchers for Cliffs Of Moher for today’s Coral-Eclipse (3.35pm) at Sandown, having listened to Cashel conjuror Aidan O’Brien’s plans to drop his Derby runner-up back to 10 furlongs after his Epsom defeat.

If someone were to offer 8-1 now about this progressive animal, they’d get their hand bitten off, but the 7-4 on offer is too short.

Instead I’m opting for Wiltshire wizard Richard Hannon’s St James’s Palace Stakes hero Barney Roy (11/4) to deliver another big race success.

Some pundits have crabbed the form of his victory at Royal Ascot because Churchill, who he was reversing 2,000 Guineas form with, couldn’t even muster second and they believe the latter must have had an off day with Lancaster Bomber and Thunder Snow separating the pair.

But a horse can do no more than win and it’s not as if connections didn’t think the selection had a chance of turning the form around with Churchill citing their charge getting unbalanced in the notorious dip at Newmarket as a legitimate reason for his defeat in the Guineas.

It’s clearly a very interesting contest with ‘Barney’ stepping up to the 10 furlongs, which doesn’t look to be any problem at all as he was firmly in control at the end of the Ascot heat.

In truth you can make a case for the selection and Cliffs of Moher but at the prices Barney looks the one to be siding with.

They’ll go a furious gallop in the Group 3 Coral Charge (1.50pm) and Six Mile Bottom trainer Robert Cowell, who is such a dab hand with sprinters, could just prevail courtesy of Goldream (9/2).

The fancy wasn’t good enough for the top-class King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot last time, but this is a significant drop in class and he’s still really competitive as he proved when third to Marsha in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket in May.

The glory days of his two Group 1 wins in 2015 might be gone now, but Cowell will fancy his chances of landing a couple more nice prizes with the eight-year-old before he draws stumps.

Hopefully all eight fillies will turn up for the Listed Coral Distaff (3pm) for the each-way thieves, and Tisbutadream is an interesting combatant for Newmarket trainer David Elsworth.

There was a lot of talk at Royal Ascot about where it was best to be drawn, but in the selection’s race, the Sandringham Handicap, the first six home all emerged from double figure stalls while Tisbutadream (7/1) probably ran a fine race to finish ninth from berth two.

She doesn’t look too badly treated in this event according to official ratings, and her third to Laugh Aloud at Epsom in June reads well.