ITV Racing Saturday Sandown, Beverley & Chester Preview

The first selection of the afternoon on ITV comes from Sandown in the Class 3 Handicap over 7f and Tough Enough for trainer James Tate looks to have a stand out chance.

Showing some decent juvenile form when getting off the mark of the third time of asking at Wolves over 6f, this season he has looked even better when stepping up to 7f.

Making back to back wins on seasonal debut at Windsor on good to firm ground over 6f when winning on handicap debut off a mark of 83, he then went to Newmarket and ran a credible race finishing sixth in a hot Class 2 event behind the likes of serial winner Quinault and Mill Stream who has franked the form twice in France.

Racing off the same mark of 87 on the step up to 7f he kept on well to the line to get back to winning ways and although 4lb higher having shown he can run well in better company this looks another nice stepping stone for his career.

Beverley's first event of the afternoon on ITV comes in the William Hill Silver Cup Handicap and dropping back in trip Omniscient for Sir Mark Prescott looks overpriced.

A typical Sir Mark Prescott handicapper running over shorter trips earlier on his career but when stepped up in trip in handicaps he showed the real version of himself.

Upped to 1m2f for the first time on his second handicap start at Yarmouth off a mark of 75 he got off the mark in decisive fashion when bolting up by 5.5 lengths.

Sent to Goodwood in July up an extra furlong he ruined his chances of making it 2/2 when hanging left and ultimately he ran no race, however, up to 1m4f on his final start last term he got back to winning ways in nice style at Southwell off a mark of 87.

This term he has been tried three times at longer trips making his seasonal debut when not running a bad race off a mark of 95 in the Northumberland Plate finishing back in seventh, hitting the front 2f out but getting outstayed after that suggesting 2m wasn't his bag.

Dropped to 1m6f at Glorious Goodwood when not handling the torrential conditions in the Coral Cummer Handicap, he underperformed but the card was abandoned not long after that showing just how bad conditions were.

Last seen at Sandown over the same trip he ran a better race but was slightly keen early on and weakened close home.

Having shown that those extreme trips aren't playing to his strengths, he is now dropped back to the trip where he was last seen winning and down a further 1lb, this race presents a big opportunity to get back to winning ways and you are getting a fair price to find out.

Another sweetener is Luke Morris has decided to head to Beverley for this ride instead of Sandown where he could have ridden the favourite Eagle's Way in the Virgin Bet Handicap.

One of the feature events of the afternoon is the Group Three Atalanta Stakes over a mile and although the opposition of Heredia, Midnight Mile and Potapova to name a few all look to have chances, Coppice can bounce back to form.

Coppice is a full sister to the superstar Calyx being a daughter of Kingman and was seen making her debut at Kempton over 7f in a Novice Stakes, she went on to put up a very taking performance when beating highly touted next time out winner Whispering Dream for Godolphin by close to two lengths.

Seen on her three year old debut in the Group Three Nell Gwyn Stakes she was drawn on the wrong side of the track on ground softer than she would have liked and she ran no race at all.

She was upped to a mile when next seen at Newcastle harbouring a penalty in a Novice Stakes and used as a confidence booster she bounced back to form in a big way bolting up by over three lengths.

Given a mark of 97 for her handicap debut in Sandringham Stakes over a mile at Royal Ascot he showed he was a group horse in a handicap to land the 29 runner event in good style.

Last seen at Newmarket stepping up in class to the Group One Falmouth Stakes he bumped into some top talent in Nashwa, Remarquee and Via Sistina to finish back in fifth just being outclassed in the finish.

This event is much more up her street dropping back into a Group Three and getting weight off the older horses makes her a big player.

The final event from Beverley is their feature Listed Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes over 5f and it looks tough to call between the top two in the market.

We are just about siding with the Karl Burke trained Silky Wilkie who is a previous course and distance winner that dropping back into Listed class can get back on track.

Starting this season in fine form when finishing second in back to back handicaps at Lingfield over five and six furlongs, he then went to Kempton and bolted up by three lengths off a mark of 94.

He was below par at Wolves next time out off a mark of 100, but bounced back in a big way at Musselburgh when bolting up by 4.75 lengths in the Scottish Sprint Cup.

Chucking in another less than impressive performance at Newmarket when stepped up into the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket, he then ran a better race over the same C&D in the Group Three Palace House Stakes finishing under four lengths behind mud lover Vadream on soft ground, with Nunthorpe Stakes winner Live In The Dream back in second.

Seen three more times this term he finished a short head second at Epsom in the Dash Handicap off a mark of 107 and then backed that up at York in the Listed City Walls Stakes over the same trip when second again to Nymphadora.

Upped massively in grade when last seen at Glorious Goodwood in the Group Two King George Qatar Stakes when only beating two home, this is a much easier event and having already won over this C&D he is a leading contender.

Next up at Sandown is the Class 2 Virgin Bet Handicap over 1m2f and having been a late withdrawal at York's Ebor meeting in a similar event, Gaassee makes big appeal dropping to this trip.

As a three year old he notched up a hat-trick of wins at Newcastle and Kempton between 1m2f and 1m4f showing that he was a very smart prospect.

Returning as a four year old last term he made it four wins on the bounce at York over 1m4f off a mark of 94 when landing the Race To Ebor Jorvik Stakes by a length.

Seen twice more that season he was upped to a mark of 101 when a good third in the Old Newton Cup but when stepped up to 1m6f in the Ebor last year ran no race at all finishing lame.

Given a gelding operation ahead of this season he needed his first two runs at Newbury in the Group Three Al Rayyan Stakes and when upped to 1m6f at Ascot in the Copper Horse Handicap at the Royal meeting.

However, he has been much more like himself when dropped to a mark of 99 and back into a handicap when a close fourth of 13 in the Old Newton Cup at Haydock.

Last seen at Ascot in a good Class 2 Handicap off 100, he travelled into the race like a dream but could not find the desired finish to finish fourth once more.

The trainer has decided to drop him back in trip off the back of that race and it looks ideal and off a mark of 99 can go close.

If the ground was to stay good to firm he would likely be a non-runner but with rain forecast on Thursday it should give him the ease in the surface he desires.

Chester show off one race on ITV Racing on Saturday and it is their feature event the Listed Chester Stakes and having not been seen for 91 days, Military Order a once Godolphin Epsom Derby hope steps up in trip.

Seen five times to date, the full brother to Derby winner Adayar who won this event in 2021, Military Order was fourth of 10 on debut at Newmarket learning plenty for the experience.

Stepped up to a mile for his second event as a juvenile he got off the mark in good style beating stable mate Ancient Rules by just under a length.

Stepped up again in trip for his seasonal debut this term over 1m2f at Newbury, he looked a class apart when bolting up by four lengths under a penalty.

He went up again to 1m4f when last seen at Lingfield in the Listed Derby Trial and from his pedigree the trip was always going to suit and the further he went the better he became winning stylishly in the end to take the race.

Last seen in the Epsom Derby when running a race that was too bad to be true he finished last of the 14 runners almost being pulled up.

He has obviously been giving time since that run and returns up in trip here which from the way he has raced prior to his Derby run suggests it will suit.

Being ground versatile he will be happy whatever the ground turns out like on Saturday and with the opposing field looking very satisfactory and also getting 6lb from his nearest rivals, this looks a good starting point to get back on track.

The final event of the afternoon on ITV is the big event of the afternoon from Sandown with the Group Three Solario Stakes seeing a hot field of juveniles take to post.

The horse we are siding with is the Ralph Beckett trained Mortlake who was a very impressive winner last time out and can build on that performance in this event.

Starting his career on soft ground when needing the experience having ran extremely green, he was then turned out in mid August on better ground at Leicester and improved massively from his first run to bolt up by five lengths.

He did not need much encouragement to stretch away that day and although this is warmer company if improving again, the way he hit the line at Leicester suggested there was more to come.

Beckett has been in flying form of late and for the last two weeks has a strike rate of 31% with his horses, managing to win 15 races from his last 48 runners.