Weekend racing tips: The big questions ahead of Sandown, Beverley and Chester on Saturday

Publish is a short price for the Solario – are you for or against at the odds?

Matt Brocklebank: It’s obviously a bit hasty to be anointing Publish as the next Field Of Gold but you couldn’t help but be impressed by his maiden win over Catullus (himself an easy winner since), the front pair coming four and a quarter lengths clear. Having said that, he doesn’t look a push-button ride and he’s obviously quite a scopey individual and you never quite know when these sizeable two-year-olds are going to go through another major growth-spurt which can affect performance on the track. Catullus’ trainer Charlie Appleby knows what he’s up against and has elected to pitch Pacific Avenue in here after his debut win at the July Course and I actually think he might be a little underestimated, for all that they’re both plenty short enough for my tastes. There could even be a surprise package lurking elsewhere in the field.

Ben Linfoot: There’s obviously plenty to like about him, I thought he dug deep to see off the Godolphin horse Catullus here last time and John Gosden has a very good record in this race including winning it with Field Of Gold 12 months ago for Publish’s owners Juddmonte. Every horse has a price point, though, and he looks short enough to me against horses that have achieved just as much as him in their brief careers.

Tony McFadden: It's notable that John Gosden has used this race as a stepping stone for the likes of Raven's Pass, Kingman, Too Darn Hot and Field Of Gold. It's a race Gosden targets with one of his best prospects and Publish looks just that. Others in this line-up have achieved more on form but Publish looked unlucky not to make a winning debut over this course and distance last month and confirmed that abundant promise by beating another nice type at Sandown last time with the pair clear.

Tamfana won last year’s Group 3 Atalanta Stakes before winning a G1 – is there a future top-level filly lurking in this year’s renewal?

Matt Brocklebank: Well, we’re not short on numbers which isn’t unusual for this race as it’s nearly always a double-figure turnout and that can’t be said for a lot of filles and mares’ races in the domestic season. Timeform have Alobayyah down as an ‘exciting prospect’ so you’ve got to respect William Haggas’ once-raced filly on her belated reappearance but I could be tempted to roll the dice with something at a much bigger price here. Fair Point will appreciate any rain around and seemed to be back on track on her second start of the campaign when runner-up at Chelmsford last month. She’s not a Group 1 horse but she’ll appreciate the return to a mile and looks a big price at 20/1.

Ben Linfoot: There could be more than one as this looks a very strong renewal. There might not be the proven form of Tamfana in here but there is serious potential amongst the three-year-olds with both Blue Bolt and Alobayyah likely to have higher aspirations than this level given time and they would be the two who might have what it takes to compete at the very highest level. Cathedral has good form as well and is interesting on her first start for new Amo trainer Kevin Phillipart de Foy, while Spiritual and Bright Thunder head the older fillies. It looks a cracking race and in a big field around Sandown’s mile plenty will come down to tactics and jockeyship, I would imagine.

Tony McFadden: It might be asking a bit much for her to win races at the top level, but I wouldn't be surprised were the progressive Blue Bolt to at least earn a crack at a Group 1. She was too green to do herself justice on debut at Southwell but has won all three subsequent starts, including a listed event over the same course and distance she tackles on Saturday. She was able to secure an uncontested lead there but still impressed with how she went about things, and she always looked to be doing enough to win.

Regional is dropped markedly in class in the Listed Beverley Bullet – can that see him back in the winner’s enclosure?

Matt Brocklebank: He’s an absolute standout at this level on his best form but once sprinters get out of the habit of winning it can be quite a struggle to break the cycle as there’s always some new blood coming through to keep them honest. I could see the three-year-olds all giving him something to worry about and, on what could be another good weekend for that man Haggas, First Instinct takes the eye dropping back to five furlongs with a bit of rain around being a positive for her.

Ben Linfoot: It really does look an excellent opportunity. He’s very adaptable between a stiff five furlongs and six and he’s only been slightly below his very best form in three starts this season. Here he takes on a significantly lower-class and he’s landed a cracking draw in three. He’s been a bit unlucky and last time his noseband even went over his eyes in France, while Ed Bethell has reached for first-time blinkers in a bid to sharpen him up. His biggest threat could be the three-year-olds getting a bit of weight but all things considered he should be up to winning this.

Tony McFadden: It has been nearly a couple of years since Regional last won, but that victory was in the Group 1 Sprint Cup. He has run some crackers in defeat in top company since, notably finishing placed in the last two editions of the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot, and it's easy enough to overlook his latest effort in the Prix Maurice de Gheest - in which he was by no means disgraced in fourth - as the six-and-a-half-furlong trip looked unsuitable for such an exuberant sort. His big day in the sun may have come over six furlongs, but he's as good at five furlongs and should be capable of taking advantage of the drop in class, providing the application of blinkers don't have a negative impact. He has a 4 lb advantage at the head of Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings.

Tabletalk has been in good form this season without winning – can he break his duck for the campaign in the Listed Virgin Bet Chester Stakes on the Roodee?

Matt Brocklebank: I’m far from convinced Chester is the place to break the losing run and he looks one to be opposing in first-time cheekpieces despite being eased in grade this weekend. Alsakib looks the likely winner to me as you can excuse the last run on genuinely quick ground at York. His previous effort in the Yorkshire Cup (see free video replay, below) gives him outstanding claims at this level and his strike-rate of 5-15 is pretty impressive. The weather forecast looks in his favour too.

Ben Linfoot: He’s got the best form from this season but there was something about his finishing effort at York last time that set alarm bells ringing. He travelled the best and looked the likely winner two out but he found very little and didn’t even manage second in the end, looking a difficult horse to win with. Tom Clover has unsurprisingly applied the cheekpieces which might help, but I’d be inclined to take him on here with a few interesting rivals pitched in against him.

Tony McFadden: Tabletalk looks to hold the most solid credentials but I'd imagine he'll be a short-price favourite, so I doubt it's a race I'll dwell on for long.

Finally, have you a handicapper to get onside this weekend?

Matt Brocklebank: I like Sailthisshipalone for Richard Fahey and Ethan Tindall in the apprentice handicap that closes the card at Beverley. Like so many from the yard, this horse will be much happier if the forecast rain arrives this weekend, as he’s got plenty of form with ease underfoot, and he’s slipped to a mark below 80 for the first time in his handicapping life. A career record of one win from 16 starts hardly inspires a great deal of confidence, admittedly, but he shaped quite well on good to firm going at Ripon last time and this looks a very winnable contest.

Ben Linfoot: Well, Two Tempting might just live up to his name when it comes to my Saturday bets in the extended seven-furlong handicap at Chester (3.15). A strong gallop over this course and distance is exactly what he needs as he showed at the May meeting where he won nicely off a mark of 96. He’s back down to that rating now after some indifferent efforts since then, but he’s been running in some tough races and I don’t think Ascot is his track these days. If Rob Hornby can slot in behind the leaders from stall 10 he could well bag his third course and distance win.

Tony McFadden: State Actor was only narrowly denied in the Irish Cambridgeshire last season and can go one better in a numerically less competitive edition this time around. State Actor is only 2 lb higher for this year's Irish Cambridgeshire, which has drawn a field of only 15, and arrives on the back of a couple of promising efforts. He was beaten less than a length in third here on his penultimate start and then caught the eye at Leopardstown last month when making some late headway having ended up further back than ideal.

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