Racing has no busier weekends than Super Saturday. With 11 races from York, Newmarket and Ascot, ITV have a bumper schedule on their hands, and we have selections in every single race for your viewing.
Eilean Dubh (1.45 York)
Isla Kai arrives off the back of a bold front-running sixth at Royal Ascot, but preference is for a piece of course and distance form to be confirmed.
When EILEAN DUBH won here at the end of May, Karl Burke’s four-year-old kicked away really well to score by 2¼ lengths. In second that day was Lion Tower, who had not only been third over track and trip just two weeks prior to that, but then won off the same mark a few weeks later. Others further down the field have run substantially better since as well.
Having had five starts in a row at 1m, with no runs for his stable at below 7f, it must be considered an experiment that he was tried at 6f last time. That proved unsuccessful when he was down the field at Pontefract, but he can be forgiven that for being outside his comfort zone.
He is only 6lb above the winning mark on his penultimate start. Given that form is working out fairly well, he could easily have it within him to win again.
Kidwah (2.05 Newmarket)
It is possible that Miss Carol Ann will enjoy a drop back to handicap company, but it is difficult to get away from the claims of KIDWAH.
The superlatives run dry for the form of the Haggas stable, which has remarkably picked up again of late. His filly here has only had two starts in her career so far, but both have been winning ones and her limitations certainly have not been found.
A 220,000gns purchase as a foal, she won at Doncaster on her debut last November. Despite 208 days off, she was made a 2/9 favourite to follow up in a low-key Redcar novice event, but she duly brushed her rivals aside by 4½ lengths despite not fully applying herself.
The fourth from that race has got off the mark since, but this is more about potential than form and she could easily prove a Group race performer in a handicap. A mark of 88 could be made to look very generous.
Thunderous (2.20 York)
There are only three runners in this Group 3 contest which could turn it into a tactical affair.
Franny Norton will have to have the fractions in his head a THUNDEROUS is almost certain to set the pace. Both Without A Fight and John Leeper will track and look to pounce, with the former seemingly holding the latter on 3lb better terms than when beating him last time out.
However, Charlie & Mark Johnston’s charge has not only won at this track, but also arguably has the best form on offer this season. He is winless in two years, which is slightly problematic, but he has been campaigned purely in Group races in that time.
That superior piece of form was behind Stradivarius in the Yorkshire Cup, when beaten only a length by the great horse. That was over course and distance and any replication of that would surely make him hard to beat.
Jimi Hendrix (2.40 Newmarket)
Godolphin’s Bay Of Honour could easily prove too good for these on his handicap debut, but he has not been wildly impressive in either of his victories.
He got off the mark at the second attempt last season, while he clung on at Thirsk on his reappearance. He was conceding 7lb to a potentially useful horse, but that rival was winning at odds of 1/66 most recently which cannot exactly be described as franking the form!
Moreover, the third and fourth have both been well-beaten in weaker races since, so he is passed over in favour of JIMI HENDRIX. Ralph Beckett’s team have also been enjoying a good spell of form while this three-year-old ran a cracker at Royal Ascot in the Britannia Stakes.
He was a winner at Haydock in May and then made a great fist of things from the front at Ascot in a 30-runner field. The handicapper has not been that kind putting him up 5lb, but he still beat 27 horses and looks progressive.
Get Ahead (3.00 Ascot)
This is wide open and a chance is taken on handicap debutant GET AHEAD who has been extremely consistent in her short career so far.
She gets 5lb in weight for age as a three-year-old here, but it is more that she is yet to run a bad race which tempts us in to backing her each-way. Clive Cox’s charge has form figures of 163334, four races within which have been in Pattern races.
She won on debut over course and distance last season before finishing a very creditable sixth in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes. It was possible slightly disappointing when she could only finish third in a Kempton novice on return, but she subsequently placed in back-to-back Listed contests over 5f at Bath and York.
A close-up fourth in the Listed Scurry Stakes at Sandown soon followed and still only has a mark of 93. She could have a chance of being right in this with it being such an open race.
Lion Of War (3.15 Newmarket)
The form of Dark Thirty’s maiden success on debut is excellent and his fifth in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot was far from awful form. It is tempting to think he is overpriced here.
However, it is expected that one of the three ahead of him in the market will prove up to the task. Victory Dance is bred to be useful as a juvenile and won over course and distance on debut, but preference is for LION OF WAR who has made a very taking impression in two starts so far.
The son of the immensely popular grey Roaring Lion was a comfortable winner on debut at Leicester and then defied a penalty to storm home by ten lengths from the front in a Newcastle novice event. There is a chance his opposition were completely clueless, though the fourth and fifth had run decent races prior to that contest.
That success may have been won in too sensational a manner to be true. Nevertheless, he clearly has a lot of potential and a very likeable profile, so he could easily step up to the plate.
Chindit (3.35 Ascot)
By far the standout form in this race is held by CHINDIT and Richard Hannon’s colt can gain a belated third Group success.
Though Modern News holds some collateral form over him, having won a Listed race over Tempus by a greater margin than the selection, Chindit is still a confident choice. Since his victory on reappearance at Doncaster, he has raced in a pair of Group 1s.
It just so happens that those races have also been contested by Baaeed. However, in the first of those, the son of Wootton Bassett ran an excellent race to be third, beating a two-time Group 1 winner in Alcohol Free, while he was less than two lengths behind Real World in second.
He was only fourth in the Queen Anne Stakes at the royal meeting, but he won a Listed race at the track at two and also ran well enough in last season’s St James’s Palace Stakes on the round course on which this race is run. A resumption of winning ways looks likely.
Montassib (3.50 Newmarket)
Ready preference here is for MONTASSIB who was possibly slightly unlucky at Royal Ascot and can gain swift compensation here.
William Haggas’ four-year-old arrived at that meeting unbeaten and very unexposed for his age. He had won all three career starts, including a very stylish handicap win at Goodwood where Tom Marquand simply nursed him past the line.
Though he was up 10lb for that win, he still went off as a 7/2 favourite in the 29-runner Buckingham Palace. However, he was almost last for the majority of the race and Marquand failed to find a route through quick enough. Ultimately, a late challenge could only see him into fifth.
He remains on a mark of 97, but that should still underestimate him. Even without considering that he could still be improving, he should have a massive chance.
First View (4.05 York)
Saeed bin Suroor ad Godolphin may have a more leading chance in Brilliant Light according to the market, but FIRST VIEW is taken to challenge from the bottom of the weights.
Stall 22 could leave him in a Yorkshire equivalent of Noman’s Land, but there is time to get across over 1m2½f at York, especially if they come down the near-side rail. Even if not, this five-year-old is lightly-raced and has an excellent record in this country.
He won both starts as a juvenile at Kempton, but then endured a disappointing spell in Dubai in 2020. The racing world would have been forgiven for forgetting all about him, but a return after 811 days off came in May.
Despite the layoff, he was a close-up second, again at Kempton. Then, on his first turf start in the country, First View came clear to win by 2½ lengths at Leicester, doing all his best work at the finish. Up 5lb, he could still be in contention with a decent run of the race.
Artorius (4.25 Newmarket)
Nature Strip proved that Australian sprinters are currently in a different league to the Brits. ARTORIUS was probably unlucky not to back that up in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at the end of Royal Ascot week.
While his compatriot bossed the 5f King’s Stand Stakes in sensational style, Anthony & Sam Freedman’s three-year-old (who runs as a four-year-old in the UK due to being born towards the end of 2018) nearly won in completely contrasting fashion in the 6f Group 1. In typical Jamie Spencer style, he was held up, but only found significant room to challenge late on.
When that appeared, the Godolphin pair of Creative Force and Naval Crown had flown, but he still got within a length. Remarkably, he has only ever won two of his 12 races, but his ability rates even higher over here.
Though Perfect Power arrives off the back of a Commonwealth Cup success at Ascot and receives 6lb, Artorius may well get a better run here. If he does, he might take some stopping.
Korker (4.40 York)
Last year’s Nunthorpe heroine Winter Power returns to York, the only track at which she has won in the last two seasons. That said, she is also unbeaten here in three starts, so it is reasonable to expect that she can rescue herself from this current slump.
Nevertheless, her form this term has been alarmingly shy of what would be required even for this race. As such, she is a favourite worth taking on, as it is also possible that she simply has not progressed between three and four.
Recent course and distance winner KORKER may be the one to upset her. Karl Burke’s son of Dandy Man has form of 721 at this track, with the seventh coming on his only start at 6f, which may well have proven unsuitable.
He won here in May in quite cosy fashion off a mark of 95 despite dwelling at the start. Worse was to come at Royal Ascot, where he lost at least five lengths at the start, only to run on into 11th, beaten only 3½ lengths. If he is in touch after leaving the stalls, he will be very dangerous.