TimeformBlog

Timeform look ahead to the weekend's best racing...


Sandown is the venue for a heavyweight clash on Saturday as two of the best older horses in training, Workforce and So You Think, are set to do battle in the Eclipse Stakes. The market just favours So You Think, who is out to atone for his narrow defeat in the Prince of Wales's at Royal Ascot though Timeform ratings suggest there is nothing between him and Workforce. Further spice is added to the mix by the presence of the multiple Group 1-winning filly Snow Fairy, though she will need to improve to have a say in the finish against the colts.

The card at Sandown opens with the Group 3 Charge over five furlongs, which looks set to be a hotly contested affair, with just 2 lb separating the top four on Timeform ratings. There are a couple of competitive-looking listed races on the card, namely the Marathon over two miles and the Distaff over a mile for three-year-old fillies. On the handicap front, there is a valuable event set to take place over a mile.

The best of the day's other meetings in Britain takes place at Haydock where the most valuable race on the card is the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks. This year's race looks well up to scratch and the one to beat is Henry Cecil's Vita Nova, who has won three of her four career starts and lost no caste in defeat when beaten a neck into second by Ferdoos is a strong listed race over the same course and distance last time. The big handicap at Haydock is the historic Old Newton Cup over about a mile and a half. The likes of Bourne, Mount Athos and Sirvino all look interesting runners in that race.

There are also British Flat meetings at Beverley and Leicester in the afternoon and Carlisle and Nottingham in the evening, while they go over jumps at Bellewstown in Ireland.

On Sunday it is Ayr on the Flat and Market Rasen over jumps so far as the British action is concerned, while there are also two Irish meetings, set to take place at Bellewstown and Limerick respectively.

The day's Group 1 action takes place on the continent where there will be British and Irish interest in the Deutsches Derby at Hamburg and the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly. The Deutsches Derby is the target for the Tom Dascombe-trained Brown Panther, who was so impressive when winning the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot last time. He has some of the best form on offer in the 18-runner field, alongside the top domestically trained contender Arrigo, who will be the mount of Kieren Fallon.

Over at Chantilly, three of the seven runners for the Prix Jean Prat, which is run over a mile, are trained in either Britain of Ireland. They are the second and third from the St James's Palace Stakes in Zoffany and Neebraas, and the Jersey Stakes winner Strong Suit, who is out to give Richard Hannon a second successive win in the race after Dick Turpin's victory in 2010. Arguably the strongest of the home contingent is the Andre Fabre-trained Mutual Trust, who has an unbeaten record to defend.



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