It will be a glorious and lively Saturday on the Westwood if the weather holds and a typically decent Beverley crowd should enjoy one of the track's biggest racedays.
The Hilary Needler Trophy EBF Fillies' Conditions Stakes and the Beverley Two Year Old Trophy EBF Conditions Stakes take centre stage and the two contests have provided their fair share of drama and interest over the years.
In 2016, Prince Of Lir led home The Last Lion in the Two Year Old Trophy and a couple of weeks later they filled the same places in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. The following season Cardsharp followed up in the Woodcote at the Derby meeting, won again at Beverley before filling third in the Norfolk.
Shareholder won the same two races in 2024 but Old Is Gold was only eighth in the Windsor Castle as the 7/2 favourite. Those last two winners are owned by Wathnan Racing and were well backed favourites in Yorkshire but there will be no hat-trick attempt which unfortunately rules out a lazy 'selection'.
Andrew Balding trained Shareholder and the 2022 winner Chateau and has entered The Dancing Pirate, a beaten favourite at Newmarket on debut and the three horses that finished in front of him that day are all engaged as well; at this early stage it looks a key piece of form.
Wathnan Racing do have two runners in the Hilary Needler. Cosmic Mystery is entered for a novice at Lingfield on the same evening and owner-mate Light Of Dawn immediately takes the eye being trained by Karl Burke - who handled Old Is Gold - and fetched a mere €625,000 at the Arqana Breeze-Ups in May.
Wathnan haven't won the Hilary Needler before while Burke's sole success came in 2005 but that could all change on Saturday and, regardless, we're likely to see another smart filly or two in action.
There could be Royal Ascot clues at Haydock as well with the 0-85 handicap (16:20) over a mile featuring a number of those who were engaged in the abandoned Silver Bowl on Saturday. It looks every bit as competitive and the Bowl has, over the years, provided a few pointers for the Britannia Stakes.
There are a couple of runners who would be interesting if making their seasonal returns elsewhere on the card.
Starlust won the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2024 but ran only twice in 2025, finishing a close fourth in the King Charles III Stakes at the Royal meeting on the second of them. He can be expected to need his run in the Achilles Stakes - which has attracted a good entry - but it will be interesting to see if he shows enough to tee up another crack at the same Group 1.
Group 1 races could also be on the agenda for Waardah as Owen Burrows has her in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. She is one of two entries for Burrows in the Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes [formerly the Pinnacle] alongside Azaniya and both are 'jocked up'.
Waardah, described by her trainer, as an 'exciting filly' moved through the ranks last season, winning a listed and Group 2 before signing off with eighth behind Kalpana in the Group 1 Fillies and Mares on Champions Day. The French entry may be speculative at best but the Postponed filly has only had six career starts and was still thought to be learning on the job last term; there could be a lot more to come.
Chester's card should be typically competitive and could make for a great day out in the sun on the Roodee and the locally trained Home Hero may be able to send racegoers home happy if taking his chance in the General Elliott Croft Handicap.
Home Hero is a reminder, if one were needed, that the market doesn't always know having been sent off 2/1 joint-favourite on debut at Newbury where he beat only one home. The other market leader did win and goes by the name of Bow Echo.
That was on the 15th August and Home Hero was out again on the 27th (25/1, a modest fourth) and on the 7th September (28/1, close fourth, promising) which was job done as far as getting a mark goes. He's been gelded since - the price for not beating Bow Echo one imagines - and that may help his handicap mark of 72 to be 'workable' as he steps up to middle distances which should suit.
Home Hero could prove well named.
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