Best bets for the horse racing this weekend in the UK and Germany

No top-class action this weekend but Sandown has a nice card on Saturday where the Group 3 Betway Solario Stakes is the headline act, is there a potential Classic winner lurking in the entries this year? They also race at Beverley, Chelmsford City, Chester, Lingfield, Newton Abbott and Wolverhampton. Away from the UK there is also a bet to be had in Germany on Sunday.

The Group Three one-mile Betway Atalanta Stakes for fillies and mares at 3.00 can go to the yard of Sir Michael Stoute again, has won this five times in recent years. The 3yo Jubiloso stands out on ratings and her last two runs, though defeats are the best from on show; she probably would have won the G.3 Oak Tree Stakes to my mind with a clear run. Still open to improvement and with Ryan Moore in the saddle I have the 11-10.

In the build-up this week to the 7f Group 3 Betway Solario Stakes, due off at 3.35, Positive and Al Suhail have been vying for favouritism. Positive couldn’t live with Pinatubo at Goodwood in the G.2 Vintage Stakes and I wonder if that result flatters him a little anyway. Charlie Appleby trains Pinatubo and I think he can get the better of Clive Cox again this time with his Al Suhail. Second on debut at Newmarket last month in what is turning out to be a good race he got off the mark at the second attempt at Yarmouth a couple of weeks ago. A half-brother to winners Telecaster and Starcaster he is bred to be decent and I am on at 9-4. Appleby sent his subsequent Derby winner Masar to win this as a 2yo so knows the score.

Chelmsford City actually hosts the richest race in Britain or Ireland this weekend the race being the Chelmsford City Cup Heritage Handicap at 7.15; I give several a chance though so will have to leave the race alone. One I will be backing down in Essex is the Godolphin 2yo Sun Cuisine in the mile Betsi Golden Mile Novice Stakes due off at 8.15. A $1,300,000 yearling he disappointed at odds-on on debut in 7f Yarmouth restricted novice contest but looked a little all at sea at times and will have learnt a lot for the run. His pedigree is as much dirt as anything his sire being outstanding 1m-10f dirt winner Madaglia d’Oro and grandsire on dams side Dubai World Cup winner Curlin! Blinkers go on for the first time and he is fancied to get off the mark on the Polytrack. Grab the best early price you can when they price-up.

As for Sunday to get September underway I am having a bet out in Germany at Baden-Baden. Ghaiyyath looked a colt worth following when making an impressive winning return to action in the 1m2f G.2 Prix de Harcourt at Longchamp back in April, I backed him each-way for the Arc off the back of the performance. He then got turned over at odds-on in the 1m2f G.1 Prix Ganay back at the French track three-weeks later! Not seen since Charlie Appleby appears excited about stepping Ghaiyyath up in trip to 1m4f on his first start in more than four months in the Group One Longines Grosser Preis von Baden due off at 4.10. No-one has chalked-up at the time of writing so I will grab the best price I can when they do. The trainer said earlier this week “Ghaiyyath is on track for Germany at the weekend. His work has been good, and preparation has been well to date. We are looking forward to getting him back on track. We will take a look at the race during the course of the week and make a final decision later on – but I’m very happy with what he has done so far and where he is, and at the moment all systems head towards Germany. This will be his first start over a mile and a half as well, and we have been looking forward to that. Hopefully, he will be an exciting horse in the autumn.”

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