ITV Racing Tips: Go with Mortlake in Sandown’s Solario highlight
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Sandwiched between the Ebor and St Leger Festivals, it’s a low-key weekend for racing.
The key race, the Solario Stakes at Sandown, is only a Group 3 but a sometimes significant one for two-year-olds and the next year’s Classics.
Kingman, the Derby winner Masar and Too Darn Hot have graduated from this race and there could be another future star among this year’s six runner field.
The race climaxes an eight-race line-up on ITV which has the cameras at Chester and Beverley as well.
It all kicks off at 13:10 on ITV4 and we have previewed three of the day’s significant races in our ITV Racing Tips.
No Frankie Dettori today – he’s in Hungary – so Kieren Shoemark stands in again for the Gosden stable on likely favourite Coppice.
The Royal Ascot winner found Group 1 company and Nashwa a bit too much for her in the Falmouth Stakes last time and should be more at home here.
However, it’s time Potapova put her best put forward again and the race she won 12 months ago may be where she will do it. Ryan Moore’s booking suggests she can.
With just seven runners the infamous draw factor should not be in play here and, provided he is not feeling the effects of a run at Newcastle 48 hours earlier, Silkie Wilkie is the pick.
He finished fourth on Thursday night, running on well at the end, and is a much better performer on turf. He has produced many good efforts this year, the best of which was a second in the Dash at Epsom and deserves to break his duck at Listed level.
Ralph Beckett is enjoying a fantastic season, his best yet, about to hit the century for the year and more than £3 million in prizemoney banked in Britain alone. But he won’t rest on his laurels.
Mortlake fetched a lot of money at the sales for his pedigree and was very green on debut, but he stepped up considerably next time out to win a Leicester novice event by five lengths.
Starlore and Aabian will no doubt get more support in the betting, but if Mortlake is a Classic contender, this is the race to prove it.
ITV Racing Schedule, Saturday, 2nd September
13:35 Chester – 7½f Handicap
13:50 Sandown – 7f Handicap
14:05 Beverley – Silver Cup Handicap
14:25 Sandown – Atalanta Stakes
14:40 Beverley – Beverley Bullet
15:00 Sandown – 1m2f Handicap
15:20 Chester – Chester Stakes
15:38 Sandown – Solario Stakes
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
