Andrew Asquith provides an overview of the key things to note on Saturday.
Three points of interest
Sacred Ground potentially smart
The European Bloodstock News EBF Montrose Fillies’ Stakes (13:07) at Newmarket is usually packed full of potential, and this year’s renewal is no different.
The John & Thady Gosden-trained Sacred Ground in particular stands out following her highly-promising winning debut at Yarmouth a few weeks ago.
This 550,000 guineas purchase, who is bred in the purple – she’s out of the yard’s Oaks winner Anapurna – was strong in the betting and overcame notable inexperience to land short odds, making progress to challenge entering the final furlong where she ran green under pressure.
The penny began to drop soon after and she readily asserted in the closing stages to beat her main market rival with more in hand than the official margin suggests. This looks an obvious next step for Sacred Ground, whose stable won this race two years ago, and the ‘Timeform Large P’ attached to her rating denotes she’s open to significant improvement.
Envoi Allen looking for third win in Down Royal Grade 1
Envoi Allen isn’t getting any younger, now closing in on his twelfth birthday, but he is chasing a third win in the Betvictor Champion Chase (14:40) at Down Royal, and his record at this fixture means he commands maximum respect.
Indeed, he has won at this meeting, winning a maiden hurdle in 2019, a maiden chase in 2020, the Grade 2 chase on this card in 2021, and this race in 2022 and 12 months ago.
All of those wins came on his seasonal reappearance, too, highlighting his excellent record when fresh, and he looked as good as ever when beating Hewick by half a length last season.
Envoi Allen wasn’t at his best in the King George next time, but he bounced back to form when third to impressive Fact To File in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham, maintaining his record of having never finished worse than third when completing across a seven-year span of Festival appearances.
Henry de Bromhead has his team in good order at present and, with some of these having questions to answer, Envoi Allen should prove a force to be reckoned with attempting to become the first three-time winner of this Grade 1.
Gethin most interesting on return
It looks a good renewal of the German Group One Racecourses James Seymour Stakes (15:25) at Newmarket, but the most interesting runner amongst the 10 is the Owen Burrows-trained Gethin.
He didn’t make his debut until October of his two-year-old season, but he made a striking impression, looking well above average as he stretched six lengths clear of the favourite in the final furlong.
The form of his return win over a mile and a quarter at Newbury could hardly have worked out any better, beating subsequent two-time winner – including the London Gold Cup – Saddadd easily by three and a half lengths off level weights.
Gethin was still in the Derby at that point, but a setback resulted in him not being seen for another five months, and he was beaten only a neck by another smart type in a listed event at Saint-Cloud in September.
That was a very encouraging run after a lay-off and he’s sure to have come on plenty for that. Gethin is a horse who possesses bags of scope, and he can set himself up for an exciting four-year-old campaign with a victory here.
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