Andrew Asquith returns with his ante-post column and has two selections at Sandown and York on Saturday.
Weekend View: Saturday June 13
1pt e.w. High Degree in the Read Meg Nicholls Blog BetMGM Handicap at Sandown at 8/1 (bet365, 7/1 Unibet 1/4 1,2,3,4)
1pt e.w. Thunder Call in the Macmillan Sprint Handicap at York at 8/1 (bet365, William Hill, Unibet 1/4 1,2,3,4)
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The ground at Sandown on Saturday is currently on the soft side of good and with further rain in the forecast it has the potential to deteriorate further still.
The Read Meg Nicholls’ Blog At betmgm.co.uk Handicap is perhaps not the race it once was nowadays, the return of the Buckingham Palace Handicap as well as the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot potential factors, but there is a healthy number of entries this year which will hopefully hold up.
The main horse on my radar is the William Haggas-trained HIGH DEGREE. It just takes a quick look at his starting prices in his short career so far to measure the regard in which he’s seemingly held and, though he’s only won once, he does have some solid pieces of form to his name.
He started even-money favourite for his debut where he found a useful type too strong and bumped into smart King’s Charter next time who won his next start in a handicap from a mark of 92 and ran well at Meydan earlier in the year.
High Degree scrambled home to open his account at Ffos Las just under a year ago, but he and the runner-up pulled over eight lengths clear in a decent time and that form hasn’t worked out badly at all, while the second won next time.
He did too much too soon on occasions or failed to settle in his next three starts all in useful handicaps, but continued to leave the impression he was on a good mark, and there wasn’t much not to like about his performance back at a mile and a quarter on his recent return at Newbury.
The market once again spoke strongly in his favour but he didn’t help his chances back up in trip by again doing too much in the early stages of the race, but he stuck to his task well and was beaten by a well-handicapped Hand of God, who had caught the eye on his return, and is a horse I still think can develop into a pattern-class performer.
That was his first start since being gelded and you have to think he’ll come on a fair bit for that run, while the return to a mile should only see him to better effect – I actually wouldn’t be surprised if he went in a first-time hood.
High Degree won’t be inconvenienced by the ground, remains the type physically who can only do better as a four-year-old and he represents a stable who can do little wrong at present. A win would mean he'd get a penalty which would probably see him get in the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot next week should connections want to turn him out quickly.
I think Haggas has another live chance at York and that is with THUNDER CALL in the Churchill Tyres Supporting Macmillan Sprint Handicap.
He’s closely related to Skardu – also trained by Haggas for the same owner – who won the Craven Stakes before finishing third in the 2000 Guineas as a three-year-old and also went on to hit the frame in the Irish version and the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Thunder Call has some way to go to scale similar heights but he also made an excellent start to his three-year-old season with a dominant win of a six-furlong maiden at Kempton last month.
He was all at sea on his debut last year, but he showed marked improvement at Doncaster on his second start, and did so again on his reappearance, looking potentially smart as he easily dispatched of his rivals in a fair time.
The final furlong of that race was easily his most impressive, finding another gear around 100 yards out with the remainder floundering in behind, and hitting the line really strong.
There’s no doubt he’ll stay seven furlongs when asked again, but he doesn’t look short of speed, and there are some speedy types among the entries who will hopefully stand their ground to assure this is run at a true gallop.
Thunder Call was declared a non-runner at Doncaster last weekend on account of unsuitable ground (good to firm), so hopefully the forecast rain arrives at York this week which will obviously be in his favour.
Interestingly, young Australian jockey, Zac Lloyd, has been pencilled in for the ride, and he made a good impression on his first rides in Britain at Doncaster last week where he rode a double on Saturday.
There is a chance that the handicapper has underestimated Thunder Call’s performance at Kempton, allotting him an opening mark of just 85 and, while he lacks the experience of some, you’d be hard pressed to say there’s a horse with a more progressive profile, and he’s one to keep on the right side.
Preview posted at 15:30 BST on 09/06/2026
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