Neil Morrice shares all of his best bets and tips for Saturday’s racing coming your way from Sandown Park, Goodwood, Beverley, Chepstow and Windsor on 29 August 2026.
SANDOWN PARK
Race 2 No10 MY LOVE IS KING (Nap)
Trainer: John Gosden – Jockey: Rab Havlin
A first time visor can do the trick for MY LOVE IS KING in this interesting prelude to two Group races. In the colours of the Normandie Stud, the selection has been crying out for this longer trip in which he’s the least exposed runner. He has very good form, and when out of the money in the Hampton Court at Royal Ascot was caught a bit flat footed as the pace lifted, before staying on. He’s the type of individual his trainer can do well with in the remaining months of the season.
Race 3 BET MGM ATALANTA STAKES (Group 3)
No9 SECRET OF LIFE
Trainer: Ralph Beckett – Jockey: Rossa Ryan
SECRET OF LIFE made the necessary improvement to take out a Listed contest and remain unbeaten here last time. It clinched a fine hat-trick for the Pinatubo filly who if overcoming a wide draw can cope with another step up in class. She’s proven on the ground and gets the trip well. MOON TARGET goes into all permutations after troubling the judge in back-to-back Group 1s. She’s just preferred to KON TIKI for the flip side of the exacta.
Prediction: 1st SECRET OF LIFE, 2nd Moon Target, 3rd Kon Tiki
Race 4 BET MGM SOLARIO STAKES (Group 3)
No10 SONIC ANGEL
Trainer: Simon Crisford – Jockey: Oisin Murphy
Cracksman colt BREACHER overcame greenness to gain an in the end convincing debut triumph at Salisbury and should cross the divide into Pattern company with a podium finish. ROCK MONTREAL was backed as if defeat was out of the question when scoring at Yarmouth where the Blue Point colt forged clear in impressive fashion. In a tight knit affair I just prefer SONIC ANGEL, who has twice shown the ability to travel and battle, as was the case on his Newcastle introduction. He’d clearly learned a lot from that when going to Kempton where after leading throughout he found an electric gear in the final 200 metres. His stable is enjoying a bountiful summer with its juveniles, of whom he can show he’s the best of its colts by remaining unbeaten.
Prediction: 1st SONIC ANGEL, 2nd Rock Montreal, 3rd Breacher
GOODWOOD
Race 2 No5 FORTY YEARS ON (Nap)
Trainer: George Scott – Jockey: Hector Crouch
On her return from a mid season break FORTY YEARS ON can deliver as one of the bets of the day. The Mayson filly brings an impressive four race unbeaten record on turf to the table over her optimum trip of 1400 metres on a first outing since June. On her favoured easy ground she literally blitzed her field in that race at Newbury, and Scott makes no secret that he thinks she’s a future Stakes filly running in handicaps. The trainer will have his eye focussed on the weather, because although thunderstorms are forecast she needs them to materialise in order to be green lighted to run.
Race 4 VIRGIN BET CELEBRATION MILE (Group 2)
No9 ZAVATERI
Trainer: Eve Johnson Houghton – Jockey: Charles Bishop
Course specialist and 2025 Sussex Stakes winner QIRAT is respected but should he arrive in good order after a creditable effort in the City Of York Stakes just a week ago, ZAVATERI should take plenty of beating. A Group 1 winning two-year-old, he ran well when in need of the race in the Greenham but was then prevented by a minor setback from taking his chance in the 2000 Guineas. His fifth placing behind Bow Echo in last month’s Group 1 Sussex Stakes was better than it looked as he was denied a clear run and got bumped. Occupying the same position in the City Of York, he deserves to take advantage of a class drop. This is a good contest, but not the strongest of Group 2s. BOILING POINT is a Listed scorer here but over a mile and a quarter, and hasn’t run over the 1600 metres distance for over a year. Nevertheless he has the overall profile of a horse that’s not coming down from North Yorkshire just for the goodness of his health, and he enters calculations.
Prediction: 1st ZAVATERI, 2nd Qirat, 3rd Boiling Point
Race 6 No9 MR FREEDOM (Each Way)
Trainer: Sheena West – Jockey: Kieren O’Neill
A speculative choice in this stayers’ handicap is MR FREEDOM. The six race winner should be worth following when returning to hurdling in the winter, but in the meantime I can’t rule him out of this at a massive price. He ran a stormer when returning from a lay off at Salisbury, wasn’t disgraced in a Class4 here in June and failed to handle the track when underwhelming at Epsom.
Race 7 No3 TOCA MADERA
Trainer: David O’Meara – Jockey: Danny Tudhope
TOCA MADERA finished with a flourish to just miss out on a place in the Stewards’ Cup before grabbing a podium finish in a very competitive sprint at York. The ploy to run him again there three days later didn’t bear fruit but he can bounce back in this smaller field, which might suit him.
BEVERLEY
Race 2 No6 NORTHERN BRAVE (Each Way)
Trainer: Michael Dods – Jockey: Connor Beasley
NORTHERN BRAVE commands attention from a stable whose horses have hit form. He’s progressed from race to race this season, showing with a near miss over this trip at Thirsk that he’s on the cusp of a breakthrough. This is just a seventh career start for the Gleneagles gelding who is carded for another podium finish.
Race 4 No13 NECROMANCER (Nap)
Trainer: Ralph Beckett – Jockey: Jason Hart
Although NECROMANCER failed to menace on a second start at Newmarket she came away with genuine excuses, having been carried left inside the final furlong. She was staying on again in the final few strides and is worth backing to set the record straight.
Race 6 No10 MOUNT KING (Each Way)
Trainer: Tim Easterby- Jockey: David Allan
MOUNT KING reserves his best for Pontefract but he’s also shown a liking for this course. When fourth here last time he didn’t get the smoothest of passages when making his run, and if getting a clean trip can again trouble the judge, whilst also holding a solid winning chance.
CHEPSTOW
Race 6 No6 HEAD GIRL (Nap)
Trainer: Jonny Portman – Jockey: Edward Greatrex
On a card lacking in quality HEAD GIRL is the only advice. The daughter of Time Test landed some good bets in a Beverley seller in which she made all and came home unchallenged. Tonight’s race is only marginally stronger, and she can follow-up.
WINDSOR
Race 5 No7 WARRANT HOLDER (Nap)
Trainer: John Gosden – Jockey: Billy Loughnane
The featured August Stakes is without Constitution Hill but has nevertheless attracted a quality field, offering the only bet on Windsor’s final evening meeting of the season. Making the jump from handicaps to Listed company, WARRANT HOLDER can prove the answer. His second to Opportunity in the Duke Of Edinburgh at Ascot has worked out, while he can be forgiven his below par effort in the John Smith’s Cup at York where he was eased after getting hampered. This tight track will lend itself to his attacking style.
