Andrew Asquith has one selection in his latest ante-post column which comes in the Atalanta Stakes at Sandown on Saturday.
Weekend View: Saturday August 30
1pt win Alobayyah in the Atalanta Stakes at 14/1 (William Hill, 888sport, 12/1 General)
I’ve found it quite hard to narrow down selections this week, as it isn’t the most exciting weekend of racing ahead, and not many bookmakers have priced up the handicaps, while several also have multiple options whether that be in Britain or Ireland.
The William Haggas-trained ALOBAYYAH is one of those who has another option on Saturday at the Curragh, so I hope I don't end up with egg on my face, but she is one in my Sporting Life My Stable that I’ve been waiting to return, and she looks set to in the Atalanta Stakes at Sandown.
She was weak in the betting through the morning ahead of her debut at Yarmouth at the backend of last season, but she was strong on the show, opening at 9/1 and backed into 4/1, and she showed exactly why she came in for such support in the race itself.
Alobayyah was held up in rear for much of the race, but the manner in which she came from last to first, with her jockey hardly asking her to do anything more than she want, was very impressive indeed.
She was produced to lead on the bridle entering the final furlong and she didn’t even need to come off it to go away and win readily by two and a quarter lengths, still full of running crossing the line.
Admittedly, that may not have been the strongest race, and the form hasn’t really worked out, either, but Alobayyah won in the style of a smart filly without even coming out of third gear.
There was talk earlier in the year that she might have been Haggas’ Oaks filly, so she is clearly held in high regard at home, but seemingly must have suffered some sort of setback. She has several entries in the coming weeks, though, so she must be pleasing on the gallops, and Tom Marquand has been jocked up to ride on Saturday.
Her debut win came on ground Timeform described as soft, and she sluiced through it, so hopefully the forecast rain later in the week arrives at Sandown, but she may prove just as effective on a sounder surface anyway.
It looks an open renewal of the Atalanta Stakes and Blue Bolt, an exciting filly in her own right, heads the betting, but if there is one horse among the entries who could progress past all of these it is surely Alobayyah.
I was surprised to see double-figure prices about her chance, especially given who she’s trained by and his record with horses returning from an extended break.
Indeed, Haggas has an excellent 28% strike rate with horses returning from 300 days or more off the track. I think she’s very good and if she is as good as she looks I’m hopeful she can confirm herself a smart filly moving into pattern company.
Preview posted at 1445 BST on 26/08/2025
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