The Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury is one of two Group 3s as part of Thursday’s racing. It promises to be a tactical affair with only four declared and we have picked out our 1-2-3 in the contest below.
Sinjaari (Harry & Roger Charlton, Kieran Shoemark)
The Charlton team have done excellently to reinvent SINJAARI as a miler this season, as it has paid off to a profitable extent.
After winning York’s John Smith’s Cup in July 2020 over 1m2½f, he was campaigned over middle distances until May of this year. However, dropping the six-year-old back to 1m almost paid off immediately when he was third, beaten only a length at Newbury and then fifth at Royal Ascot in the Royal Hunt Cup.
A victory was coming and duly arrived at Sandown when he held off former 2000 Guineas hope Checkandchallenge off a mark of 105. Though he was nearly last at Glorious Goodwood after that, he endured a hideous passage up the home straight and never had a chance.
This step up to Group company brings its own challenges, but even for a four-runner race at this level, this is weak and distinctly winnable. Sinjaari is more than capable of springing a surprise.
Modern News (Charlie Appleby, William Buick)
Godolphin’s MODERN NEWS was Charlie Appleby’s big Lincoln hope at the start of the season. Things may not have gone to plan that day at Doncaster, but the chestnut gelding hs gone on to further successes since.
After his seventh-placed finish in the Lincoln, he swiftly made amends at Newbury and followed up with a clear-cut success over Tempus, re-opposing today, in the Listed Royal Windsor Stakes. His first run in a Group 3 swiftly followed, though he was narrowly denied by Megallan at Epsom.
Since then, life has been slightly more challenging as My Oberon got up late to pip him back at Windsor, while he put in arguably his weakest performance of the season when only third at Pontefract back in Listed company last time. That was already his seventh run of 2022.
As such, there may be a risk of him burning out slightly. It is interesting that Appleby runs him just 18 days later, perhaps believing that to be the way forward, but his overall profile suggests a break might be needed. He is therefore an opposable favourite and one you should be keen on taking on.
Tempus (Archie Watson, Hollie Doyle)
TEMPUS may have finished narrowly in front of Sinjaari in the Royal Hunt Cup, but there was less than two lengths between them and a 5lb swing in favour of the Charlton horse makes him the choice today.
Nevertheless, Archie Watson’s charge is a danger to underestimate. His form in beating Bless Him at Newcastle earlier in the season looks very strong now, while he has filled the runner-up spot twice in Listed races as well, one of which was behind Modern News.
That gives him quite a lot of ground to find with the Godolphin horse, though Tempus’ form has been much improved since, with Modern News’ arguably going the other way. Indeed, Hollie Doyle guided this son of Kingman to a clear success at Ascot towards the end of July off a mark of 103.
As a former inmate of Roger Charlton’s it would be ironic if he were to deny our selection, but the suspicion is that he may come up short in Pattern company once again.