ITV horse racing tips for Sandown and Beverley on Saturday 2 September

By Andrew Asquith

Horse Racing

Sat September 02, 2023 · 1y ago

Andrew Asquith casts his eye over the action on ITV on Saturday and has three recommended bets.

ITV Racing Tips: Saturday September 2

1pt win Tough Enough in 1.50 Sandown at 4/1 (General)

1pt win Perfect Play in 2.05 Beverley at 5/1 (General)

1pt win Gaassee in 3.00 Sandown at 13/2 (General)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

The main action on ITV4 this Saturday comes from Sandown where the Atalanta Stakes and Solario Stakes are the two pattern races on the card.

The latter looks a particularly interesting renewal with several exciting prospects on show, notably Mortlake and Starlore, who are currently vying for favouritism. My preference would be for the former, who broke the juvenile course record when bolting up at Leicester last time and has plenty about him physically. I personally find juvenile races at this time of year very hard to call, however, young horses progressing at different rates, so I am more than happy to sit back and enjoy.

There is more form to go on in the Atalanta Stakes but it again looks a trappy contest, the Richard Hannon-trained Heredia setting a good standard on form – she is 4 lb clear on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings – but you can make a case for plenty more.

I still think there is a bigger performance in Queen For You, a well-bred filly who I have been following since her impressive debut win. She hasn't quite progressed as expected, but her inexperience was evident when narrowly losing out in listed company at York and she found the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot too much on her third start. She wasn't seen to best effect over a mile and a quarter last time, but it is far too soon to write her off and I'm hoping to see her take a step back in the right direction.

Staying at Sandown and there is one horse I'm keen to keep on the right side of and that is TOUGH ENOUGH in the opening seven furlong handicap.

He went the right way last season and showed improved form to win a well-contested three-year-old handicap over six furlongs at Windsor on his return in June, given a confident ride and bursting through the pack once getting the gaps to win with a bit up his sleeve.

Tough Enough wasn’t disgraced in a much stronger race at Newmarket next time, the only horse to make any inroads from the rear at a track where hold-up horses tend to be at a disadvantage over sprint trips, and that form has worked out well.

He quickly resumed winning ways taking on his elders for the first time when winning a course and distance handicap last month, looking very comfortable on his first try at seven furlongs and doing well to run down a well-handicapped rival who went around two lengths clear in the final furlong.

Tough Enough was again ridden with plenty of confidence, cutting through rivals in the straight and showing a determined attitude to prevail. He is 4 lb higher now, but there should be plenty more to come from him at this trip, and his turn of foot will continue to stand him in good stead.

Elsewhere on Sandown’s card I’m willing to give one last chance to GAASSEE to prove himself well handicapped.

He hasn’t progressed as expected so far this season, though he didn’t get the rub of the green when hitting the frame in the Old Newton Cup at Haydock, moving through the race in stylish fashion but meeting trouble on more than one occasion.

Gaassee again travelled like a horse ahead of his mark at Ascot last time, still moving powerfully entering the straight and looking the likeliest winner when hitting the front entering the final furlong – he traded at 1.33 in-running on Betfair.

He shaped that day as though well worth another try at a mile and a quarter and this relatively lightly-raced, well-made five-year-old is available to back at a much bigger price now, albeit in a race which does have a bit more depth than his latest start at Ascot.

The Beverley Bullet is the feature at Beverley on Saturday and it features a couple of previous winners in 11-year-old Judicial and Tis Marvellous, who has taken the last two renewals. Apollo One looks the solid option, however, having finished runner-up on his last three outings, notably in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot and the Stewards’ Cup at Glorious Goodwood last time.

He moves into listed company now and is back at five furlongs for just the second time in his career, but he doesn’t lack pace and he is drawn to attack, so hopefully he can gain reward for his consistency.

There is a better betting opportunity in the mile and a half handicap that opens the card, though, and that comes in the shape of the Charlie Johnston-trained PERFECT PLAY.

It is hard to knock his form this season, winning a mile and a quarter handicap at Chester in May and performing well from higher marks on his last three starts. He was beaten only by a handicap debutant at Redcar in June, who has since won a competitive race at Newbury, and he bumped into another progressive sort who was completing a four-timer at Ripon on his next start.

Perfect Play lost little in defeat when third to a handicap blot at Newmarket last time, too, while the runner-up, who just got on top of him at the line, was another well-regarded colt from the John & Thady Gosden yard.

Perfect Play has plenty of stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree, so he looks particularly interesting now trying a mile and a half for the first time, while he is usually ridden up with the pace, which can be a positive round here. He appeals as still being on a good mark, especially as this trip could eke out a bit more improvement, and he seems sure to go close up against mostly more exposed rivals.

Published at 1500 BST on 01/09/23

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