Our form expert is +69.7pts up for August after tipping winners at 6/1, 13/2, 12/1, 14/1, 16/1 and 33/1 and he has four bets for Sandown on Saturday.
The Verdict: Saturday August 30
0.5pts e.w. Kindest Nation in 1.50 Sandown at 50/1 (Sky Bet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5, 40/1 General 4 places)
1pt win Alpha Crucis in 3.00 Sandown at 10/1 (bet365, 9/1 General)
1pt win A Bit Of Spirit in 3.35 Sandown at 20/1 (General)
1pt win Cathedral in 2.25 Sandown at 13/2 (NON RUNNER)
Get into the Spirit in Solario
After a prolonged dry spell for the majority of British racetracks sustained Friday morning rain saw Sandown’s going change to ‘Soft’ which changes the dynamic for punters heading into Saturday’s card.
The feature Group 3 BetMGM Solario Stakes over seven furlongs has a hot even-money favourite in Publish for the Gosdens and Juddmonte as he takes in his third run at Sandown after making a promising start to his career.
His odds are perfectly understandable with both Gosden’s record in this race and his own potential in mind, but the ground will ask a different question of him and with an unknown factor added to the mix he looks short enough to me.
Seven furlongs on softer ground at Sandown is a pretty tough mix for any two-year-old at this level and all things considered I think the 20/1 about the most experienced horse in the race in A BIT OF SPIRIT underestimates him by a fair bit.
He’s priced up like it’s a foregone conclusion these rivals will progress past him but I really don’t think that’s the case and his form stacks up well in this context.
Certainly, his form with Time To Turn looks good and I thought he was a bit unlucky not to confirm Newbury novice form with that rival at Ascot, the Godolphin horse challenging away from him as a head separated the pair at the line.
That was in the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes, a race that has very good recent history in regards to producing nice horses and I wouldn’t mind betting that this year’s renewal was a decent one, too.
Last time, when sent off 5/6 for the three-runner Listed Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury, A Bit Of Spirit was too keen on his first go at a mile, but he ran well for a long way and it didn’t look a step backwards to me.
It’s no surprise Cox drops him back to seven after that, though, and I reckon he’ll be just fine on the ground being out of a Dubawi mare.
Cox’s juveniles are often underestimated at pattern level, but he’s a superb trainer of two-year-olds and this one will likely be ridden prominently by Rossa Ryan in a bid to get him racing more efficiently than last time.
It’s a pity there are only seven runners as that rules out each-way bets really but, at big prices, I don’t mind taking a win-only swing at him sinking some bigger reputations.
The Verdict: Back A BIT OF SPIRIT in the 3.35 Sandown
Alpha can be first for Moores
It could be a good day for David Egan and I’ll be backing his mount ALPHA CRUCIS in the Read Meg Nicholls’ Blog At betmgm.co.uk Handicap over 10 furlongs.
I’m happy to take on the market leaders here as it’ll be tough for Dangerman to make all again up another 9lb while Saddadd might be a bit rusty having been off for over three months.
Castle Cove could well go off favourite and is probably the one to fear most but Alpha Crucis will be primed to go well and he’ll love the cut in the ground.
It was around this time last year he came to himself and he rattled off a couple of heavy ground wins at Goodwood in September and October, beating course specialist Rhoscolyn in one of them, while he has run some good races in defeat this season in the Lincoln and at Epsom.
Gary & Josh Moore were happy to miss the heart of the summer with him unsurprisingly, but he teed up for his autumn campaign with a spin around Goodwood last time and stepping back up to 10 furlongs at a track like Sandown looks ideal.
I’d expect Egan to get out from his wide draw and ride him prominently and with the ground turning in his favour I wouldn’t be surprised to see him progress again.
The Verdict: Back ALPHA CRUCIS in the 3.00 Sandown
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Nation worth a punt
Finally, the opening Download The BetMGM App Handicap over seven furlongs looks trappy but I thought Hugo Palmer’s KINDEST NATION was worth a punt each-way at 50/1 (Sky Bet are going five places at that price).
She has got plenty to prove after being well beaten on her last four starts, but one of them was at Group 3 level, one of them was in a 23-runner Royal Ascot handicap and then last time she missed the break at Chester by over 10 lengths.
She’s dropped 8lb in the weights for those runs, but she’s interesting back in handicap company on softer ground after a very fruitful autumn campaign a year ago.
A winner of handicaps at Haydock and Chester on ground with cut in it, she then got close to 100+ rated horses in a Redcar Listed race which threatened to take her out of the handicap sphere.
However, she’s back on a rating she can be competitive off now and with the ground turning in her favour she might just bounce back to form from a good draw in three under Clifford Lee.
The Verdict: Back KINDEST NATION e.w in the 1.50 Sandown
Giving Cathedral a prayer in Atalanta (NON RUNNER)
Earlier on, Blue Bolt could be another Juddmonte favourite in the Group 3 BetMgM Atalanta Stakes but she’s another one with something to prove on the ground while market rival Alobayyah returns from over 300 days off on her second career start.
Both have vast potential and either could win, but their market rate means we are getting a very fair price about Amo Racing’s CATHEDRAL (NON RUNNER) and she looks worth backing.
Kevin Phillipart de Foy has made a good start to his new job as Amo’s main man and this looks one of his nicer fillies to go to war with in the autumn after a so far light campaign.
She showed up really well on her second start of the season in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes, however, finishing on the heels of the leaders in fourth at Royal Ascot with the promise of more to come, while I’d be inclined to forgive her Chantilly defeat last time where the winner Rosa Salvaje got the run of the race out in front.
Cathedral got caught further back than ideal under David Egan the way things panned out, but she moved into it like she’d win and she was the one I took from the race.
That was over nine furlongs and dropping back to a mile on soft ground at a track like Sandown looks a smart move.
The Verdict: Back CATHEDRAL in the 2.25 Sandown
Preview posted at 1500 BST on 29/08/25
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