The horse racing broadcaster has five selections on offer for this weekend at Sandown, Beverley, Chester and Chelmsford.
Very few races have punched above their weight as consistently as Sandown’s Group 3 Solario Stakes, the finale of eight races on ITV on Saturday.
Its recent Roll of Honour includes such lofty names as Kingman, Masar, Too Darn Hot and last year’s winner Field of Gold. Three of those four winners came from the Gosden yard and they again have a strong candidate in Publish, who caught the eye with a luckless run on debut at the track before gaining compensation by winning a maiden there last month. He was quoted as low as 10-1 for the 2000 Guineas straight after that race and whilst that has drifted out to a general 16-1, he clearly is a high-class prospect. At the odds for Saturday, PACIFIC AVENUE / (15:35 Sandown) appeals more and could emulate Masar in taking the race for Godolphin. He was the lesser fancied of the Appleby duo when turning over Wild Desert at Newmarket in a five-runner race, where the horses that filled the last three places all came out and won next time. He displayed a good attitude that day and looked to have a lot of potential improvement and can another good quality name to the list of Solario winners.
Earlier on at Sandown, BRIONI / (15:00 Sandown) looks significantly over the odds in the 10f handicap. She won over course and distance in June, overcoming trouble in running and has a good record at the track with her form figures from four starts reading 3271. The horse she beat that day Miss Justice has won her next two including a Listed Race at Salisbury and is now rated 100, so the fact Brioni was capable of giving her 9lbs still makes a mark of 95 look ok. She handles soft ground and stall 14 may not prove a negative if the ground is chewed up after racing on Friday – as several now like to take a wide course on the long run to the only turn from the 10f start. Alan King’s horses are in good form and deserves a much more respect than she is given, at the time of writing generally available at 20-1, but still worthy of support if she remains at double figures.
The action at Sandown is on ITV and supported by cards from Beverley and Chester where two class droppers look capable of taking advantage of the easier company.
First of them is REGIONAL / (14:05 Beverley) who lines up in the Listed Beverley Bullet. He comes here off the back of a Group 1, fourth place in France and had chased too strong a pace at Newbury in the Hackwood the time before. I had expected him to head to Haydock next Saturday for the Group 1 Sprint Cup, a race he won in 2023, but it seems connections want to get a confidence boost into him, as despite several good runs in defeat he has not won since that Haydock victory now nearly two years ago. Many of the horses that feature in his form lines over that period would be long odds on in this field.
Over on the Roodee it is TABLETALK / (14:40 Chester) who is also looking to gain a welcome victory at a lower level after competing in Group races all season. He runs in the Listed Chester Stakes, and whilst the heavens have opened in the South the rain has not arrived to any great degree in Cheshire which is in Tabletalk’s favour. He ran really well at Royal Ascot in the Hardwicke before a lack lustre run at York against the admirable Al Qareem, but like Regional appears to have found a good spot to get an overdue win against his name.
Away from the main meetings my tracker has thrown up ARTISTA / (19:10 Chelmsford) who I have been waiting to run in a 5f nursery. She has been highly tried including tilting at a Group 2 windmill in Ireland, where fortunately she was beaten far enough to leave her mark unaffected. She looked not to last the 6f that day and connections opted to again chance their arm in the Super Sprint last time with a similar outcome. But making the running over 5f off a mark of just 72 in this nursery looks a much easier assignment and she can make all.
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