Our ambassador previews a busy Saturday of clashes which features the Listed August Stakes at Windsor – live on Sky Sports Racing from 4.30pm.
Tenability can take Windsor feature
The feature race on Sky Sports Racing on Saturday evening is the Listed Weatherbys August Stakes (6.30) which can go to my husband Tom Marquand and trainer William Haggas.
They combine with the reliable Tenability who has winning form at the track and won’t mind any rain, as he proved at Ascot last autumn when he chased home Al Qareem in the Cumberland Lodge.
Tenability has been kept fresh since beating popular stable companion Hamish at Goodwood in June and then finishing third in a Group Three in Deauville over further than this trip.
He brings more compelling recent form to the race than the intriguing Silawi, who has been disappointing given what he achieved in winning the Group One International in Canada last October and then chasing home Opera Ballo in the Jebel Hatta in Dubai in January.
Ease in Grade can spark a Celebration
The most prestigious race of the day on Saturday is the Group Two Virgin Bet Celebration Mile Stakes (3.10) at Goodwood and I won’t be forsaking the likeable Zavateri, who has a great chance to gain his first win of the year.
Eve Johnson Houghton’s three-year-old, who is eased in grade, ran respectably behind Bow Echo in the Sussex Stakes at this track and wasn’t disgraced in Notable Speech’s Group One at York last weekend.
This is a quick turnaround for a colt who has winning Pattern form at this track in the Vintage Stakes but I take him to win an ordinary renewal at the probable expense of Qirat, last year’s shock Sussex Stakes winner who will be a danger to all if he gets loose on the front end.
Scott filly can exploit appealing mark
George Scott must have been tempted to pitch Forty Years On into Stakes company so it’s interesting he sets out to exploit an appealing mark in the Virgin Bet Every Saturday Money Back Handicap (2.00) at Goodwood.
This progressive filly, who has been raised 8lb to a rating of 96, made it four from five with a winning reappearance in easy ground at Newbury in early June so any further rain on the South Coast will be a positive.
She’s up against Andrew Balding’s Ghost Mode, who won at the Goodwood Festival despite hanging badly. He’s up four-pound for that and looks her biggest threat, though The Fingal Raven has the form in the book to go well at a much bigger price.
High Degree to turn up the heat
William Haggas’s Too Darn Hot gelding High Degree looks capable of giving his rivals weight in the Virgin Bet A Good Bet Handicap (2.35) at Goodwood.
Cieren Fallon’s mount was galvanised by first-time cheekpieces at Pontefract a couple of weeks ago and remains lightly enough raced to cope with a four-pound rise.
I do think Gary and Josh Moore’s Too Soon looks well handicapped despite winning at Epsom back in early summer and he can give young Warren Fentiman a good ride if he’s fully wound up for this return from a three-month break.
O’Meara holds key to sprint finale
I love to see Welsh trainer Chris Mason’s All Ways Glamorous run well, just as he did in the Shergar Cup, but he may have to settle for a share of the minor money in the Virgin Bet Supports Safe Gambling Handicap (4.55) at Goodwood.
My preference is for David O’Meara’s Toca Madera who ran a big race in defeat at York last week before struggling to make an impact in softer ground there four days later.
He is better judged on his staying on fifth in the Stewards’ Cup at this track – a performance that suggests he can take the measure of some battle-hardened rivals in the capable hands of Danny Tudhope in this tough finale.
Beckett holds secret in Atalanta
I’m expecting Secret Of Life to keep her unbeaten record intact in the Group Three BetMGM Atalanta Stakes (2.50) at Sandown on Saturday.
Ralph Beckett’s daughter of Pinatubo took the Listed Coral Distaff on Eclipse Day and looks ready for this step up in class in receipt of weight from some classy older fillies.
I’m also keen on Calendar Girl who was a Listed winner on her reappearance at Haydock Park three weeks ago. Like Secret Of Life, she’s got an entry in the Group One Sun Chariot so Owen Burrows will be hoping for another step forward.
Sonic set to boom in Solario
Both of Sonic Angel‘s wins have been achieved ion the All-Weather but Simon and Ed Crisford’s colt has the credentials to make a successful turf debut in the Group Three BetMGM Solario Stakes (3.30) at Sandown on Saturday.
I liked the way Oisin Murphy’s mount drew clear of the 90-rated Siouxperb on debut at Newcastle before following up under a penalty at Kempton Park this month.
Of course, this demands much more but entries in the Group Two Champagne Stakes and the Group One Dewhurst suggest this son of Dark Angel has a bright future. He can take the measure of Godolphin’s promising Yarmouth debut winner Rock Montreal.
Hollie Doyle was speaking to Sky Sports Racing’s Simon Mapletoft.