Timeform provide an overview of the key things to note on Saturday.
Return to better ground will suit So Regal
Three-year-olds have dominated the BetMGM British EBF October Stakes (13:15) since its inception in 2010 and it looks a very good opportunity for So Regal to resume winning ways.
She has an excellent pedigree – the third foal out of Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Queen’s Trust – and she looked like developing into a smart filly when winning her first two starts this season.
So Regal improved further in defeat when runner-up to a promising filly in a listed event at York in May, going clear in the straight and looking the likeliest winner – she traded at 1.01 in-running on Betfair – before the exciting winner wore her down inside the final furlong.
She was easy to back after four months off in the Atalanta Stakes at Sandown recently, but it was an encouraging return to action in ground which was probably softer than ideal (she didn’t look at ease on it). With that run under her belt, returned to a quicker surface, she has a good chance on form back in listed company now taking on her elders for the first time.
Tuco Salamanca a ratings choice
Tuco Salamanca has been a real success story for connections, improving his Timeform rating upwards of 50lbs in the last 12 months or so, and he has an excellent chance on the figures in the BetMGM Rous Stakes (13:50).
His last win came over this course and distance at the Shergar Cup meeting, proving himself just as effective on turf as the all-weather, and he ran an absolute stormer off a big weight when runner-up in the Ayr Gold Cup last time.
That was another personal best effort in the most testing ground he’s encountered, producing a performance that suggests he’s more than capable of holding his own in listed or pattern company.
Tuco Salamanca goes well at this track and stands out at the weights moving out of handicap company – he’s 5lb clear on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings – and this admirable four-year-old, who is thriving on his racing, seems sure to launch another bold bid.
Division can get a deserved first win of the year
Division was a three-time winner last season, notably a listed event at York around this time last year, and he’s arguably been unlucky not to add to his tally so far this year.
He very much caught the eye on his return over this course and distance in the Pavillion Stakes on his return, falling out of the stalls and coming from the worst position and only narrowly denied.
Division was no match for smart filly Venetian Sun in the Sandy Lane and Commonwealth Cup on his next two starts, but he’s been far from disgraced in open Group 1 company since, producing a career-best effort in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last time.
He came from further back than the winner on that occasion, but was again only beaten narrowly, not getting a run through until it was too late. The return to this track, which is tailormade for his run style, is a big plus, and he can take advantage of this step back into Group 3 company in the John Guest Racing Bengough Stakes (15:00).
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