General / Andrew Hughes / 08 August 2009 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet View Market

Andrew Hughes picks out the best racing in the week to come.

Sunday August 9

Deauville

3:30 Prix Maurice de Gheest
Run over an idiosyncratic six-and-a-half furlongs, this race has been criticised in some quarters as not being worthy of its Group One tag. Nevertheless, some talented sprinters will go to post for this including last year's runner up African Rose and the Wokingham second Asset. Grand Criterium winner Naqoos is the current market favourite at [4.4]

Tipperary

4:05 Coolmore Hurricane Run Stakes
A Listed event over seven-and-a-half furlongs, there are only five horses entered and Aidan O'Brien saddles three of them. The pick of the Ballymore entries is probably Giant's Causeway colt Viscount Nelson, a half-brother to Horatio Nelson.

Wednesday August 12

Gowran Park

7:20 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Hurry Harriet Stakes
A nine-and-a-half furlong race for fillies and mares and the high number of entries for this Listed contest indicate that it will be a competitive one. If she lines up, Jim Bolger's dual Listed winner Shreyas will have plenty of supporters.

Salisbury

4:05 EBF Upavon Fillies' Stakes
The first day of Salisbury's Summer Festival and this Listed ten-furlong contest is the highlight of the card. It invariably goes to a contender from one of the top stables although an intriguing entry is Wymering File, a horse from Cyprus and winner of the Cyprus Oaks, having her first run in this country for her trainer.

Thursday August 13

Leopardstown

7:25 Ballyroan Stakes
A classy looking evening fixture over the Irish Sea, this 12 furlong Group Three is likely to feature the winner of Tattersalls Gold Cup and last year's Irish Derby runner-up, Casual Conquest.

Salisbury

4:15 Sovereign Stakes
This Group Three is the highlight of Salisbury's racing year; a valuable and usually well supported race that features some of the country's better milers battling up the straight course with its demanding uphill finish. Highest rated of the entries is Sir Michael Stoute's Summer Mile runner-up Confront.

Friday August 14

Newbury

3:30 Bathwick Tyres St Hugh's Stakes
A Listed contest for the speedier two-year-old fillies, run at a touch over five furlongs. There are some interesting entries, though a lack of out and out stars, with most of them stepping up from ordinary maidens. Punters should be aware that there is a tendency in this race for the field to split or to spread out across the wide track, so pay close attention to the draw.

Saturday August 15

Bangor-on-Dee

3:35 Dee Hurdle
This solid and always competitive Class Two Handicap Hurdle is a tantalising reminder of the exciting National Hunt racing we can look forward to this winter. This sharp, almost triangular track will invariably suit those racing up with the pace.

Newbury

2:05 Usk Valley Stud Stakes
A Listed seven-furlong event for two year olds that was won by Haafhd back in 2004. There will be nowhere to hide for these young horses on the wide and galloping Newbury straight.

2:35 CGA Geoffrey Freer Stakes
A race with a rich tradition and at its best a fascinating clash between out and out stayers and speedier middle distance types. Although it has lost something of its lustre in recent years, reflected in its demotion to Group Three a few years back, it still takes a classy horse to win it.

3:10 CGA Hungerford Stakes
A Group Two that attracts a mix of milers and seven-furlong specialists. Some of the horses here will have been involved in the Betfair Cup, although this straight and galloping track prevents a rather different challenge to the Goodwood undulations.

Newmarket

3:25 National Stud Stakes
A Heritage Handicap for three-year-olds runs over six furlongs on the July course. As ever, this kind of race presents a challenge to punters and you will need to be able to read between the lines of some progressive form.

Ripon

3:20 Great St Wilfrid Stakes
A valuable race with a long and proud tradition, this is one of the highlights of the northern racing year and a much sought after prize for Yorkshire trainers. This highly competitive dash down the Ripon straight is bound to feature a large field and there will be the usual speculation over the effect of the draw.

Tags: Aidan O'Brien, Great St Wilfrid, Horseracing betting briefing, Ripon, Sir Michael Stoute