Richard Fahey on his weekend team

Richard Fahey weekend runners: Horse-by-horse guide

Horse Racing

Fri September 04, 2026 · 1h ago

Our columnist with a horse-by-horse guide to his weekend team.

The horses have been running well this week and we’ve had plenty of winners which will hopefully set us well for the weekend ahead.

I was delighted with Storm Force at Lingfield when he made it two from two for the season under James Doyle. This is a horse who is progressing fast and we don’t know what he is yet, we’re learning all the time with him, but he’s an interesting one moving forward.

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It was great to see Mussab get his head in front at Newcastle on Friday. He won as he should have, it was a drop in grade, but he’s a nice horse and I do feel five furlongs is his trip for now.

Saturday

Thirsk

15:15 Cotai Belle

I know it’s an easy thing to say but I do think this filly deserves to win a race. She’s been doing nothing wrong all season and her last run at York, when fourth in a better contest than this, was one of her best. She’ll run her race and I’d love to see her get her head in front.

15:50 Musical Touch

This is a track he likes and he is in great form at home. He knocked himself in the horsebox heading over the Ripon for the Great St Wilfrid which is why he missed that race but he’s in great form now. It’s a competitive handicap but I’m very happy with him.

Ascot

16:35 Golden Mind

He’s just been completely out of sorts of late. He has run well at Ascot before so we’ll keep trying but I think he might need to come down a bit more in the handicap before he can more competitive, but we’ll see.

York Sunday

13:30 Pete's Angel

I was a fraction disappointed with him on his debut in the Convivial at York but Barry McHugh was relatively pleased. He’s quite a nice horse and it will be interesting to see how he shapes over seven this time.

13:30 Scenic Route

The trip is the question mark with this colt. he’s one we do like and ran very well on debut at Thirsk. You wouldn’t be certain on pedigree that he’ll get seven furlongs but he’s in the Goffs Million at the Curragh later this month and we thought we’d see if he did stay before considering that race.

14:05 Bonnie's Boy

I wouldn’t have picked 19 for him, that’s not a great draw but he is in good form at the moment and relatively fresh.

14:05 Havana Rum

Ground, track and trip all suit him. He’s as high as he’d want to be in the handicap but that said looks capable of running well.

14:05 Utmost Respect

He didn’t show much on his belated reappearance in the Sky Bet Dash but was entitled to sharpen up for that and I have to say he’s been working really well since. He’s in much better form now and will like the conditions. I genuinely wouldn’t like to pick between my three, I just hope one of them can come out on top.

15:15 Castle Stuart

He loves York and while he’s never won here, he’s run some very good races including when fifth in a warm race at the Sky Bet Ebor Festival. He’s down in grade on Sunday and I’d like to see him run very well.

15:15 Have Secret

He needs to bounce back after dropping completely away on his last start here. We haven’t found anything wrong with him and while he’s as high as he wants to be in the handicap, he’s another who has run well here in the past.

16:25 First Time

He’s been disappointing as he was a horse we liked through the spring. He ran below expectations at Doncaster last time and we don’t know why but he’s down a pound and will like the track and ground.

16:25 Our Havana

He won here in June but ran a stinker back at York the next time and again ran poorly at Thirsk last month. I’ve stuck a visor on him in the hope that can help spark a revival.

17:00 Advance Twentyfive

He let himself down at Ripon last time but some horses just don’t handle the track there. I hope he can bounce back because he won well at Chester the time before in the visor and I was hoping he might build on that.

17:00 Proud Nation

Nothing went right for him at Goodwood last time and I’m happy to draw a line through that. That performance aside he’d been running some OK races and I do feel a mile around here is going to suit him down the ground. I’m expecting a big run.

Richard Fahey weekend runners: Horse-by-horse guide