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THIS afternoon is what I call an “in between” Saturday with the Ebor meeting firmly behind us and the big autumn meetings on the horizon from the middle of September.

Sandown Park takes centre stage with the chief event being the Group Three Solario Stakes and trying to gauge which youngster is going to follow in the hoof prints of last year’s emphatic winner Field of Gold, the Derby hero of 2017 Masar and of yesteryear that great miler of the early 80s and the 1980 winner, the great To-Agori-Mou.

A healthy field of seven will line-up for this year’s renewal and the Gosden camp will be looking to defend their title with the twice-raced Publish. A son of the great Kingman, this brown colt made his debut over the course and distance when a desperately unlucky second to Pacifica Pier, but then put the record straight when readily beating Candullus here 20 days later. 

On that occasion, he was ridden more prominently and James Doyle gradually ramped up the pace from the bottom of the hill to run out a workmanlike winner. No doubt he will improve being ridden with a bit more restraint here and I make him the biggest danger to the Andrew Balding-trained HUMIDITY (3.35).

Three times this colt has raced prominently, winning the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot on his second start before disappointing in the Vintage Stakes when the sharper track may well have found him out.

Freshened up following that run, I think that this course will suit him much better and as long as he gets a lead into the race, then I suspect his long raking stride could pay dividends again. The second and fifth have both gone on to win the former a Listed contest, and being by Ulysses, a bit of light rain in the forecast should far from inconvenience him.

Of the remainder of the field, Godolphin’s Pacific Avenue turned over long odds-on favourite and Wild Desert at Newmarket having looked in need of the run and he could take a giant step forward here, as he must, and is preferred to the very easy Beverley winner He’s Waliim.

The supporting card looks a cracker at the Esher track and the Group Three Atalanta Stakes has attracted a very healthy field of fillies and mares with 14 set to go to post.

Preference is for SKELLET, each-way (2.25), after she blew out on her belated four-year-old when racing way too freely in the early stages in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at the Epsom Derby meeting. With that run behind her I expect an awful lot more from this bay filly and with much of her best form as a three-year-old having come on softish ground, she looks a solid each-way value at a double figure price.

In the same famous colours of Juddmonte, the three-year-old Blue Bolt has obvious claims following her all the way win the Listed Distaff Stakes and is rightly feared along with the 2024 winner of that race, the John and Thady Gosden-trained Spiritual.

Of the handicaps on show, the best wager is probably an each-way play on GALERON (1.50) in the opening seven furlong handicap. He looked a massive player in the big one-mile handicap on Eclipse Stakes when looming up two and a half furlongs out, only to not find as much as expected up the final climb. 

I suspect he too will benefit from any rain as his best run this season since arriving back from Australia was a cracking fifth in Lincoln back in March. Since then his handicap mark has dropped 6lbs to 96 and this looks an easier task over probably a shorter trip. Best of the rest could well be the outsider Kindest Nation, who has been crying out for some dig in the ground and could easily become a real springer in the market place.

TAKE HEART (3.00) could go well at a huge price having looked in need of the run in the big 10 furlong handicap at Glorious Goodwood, while if WOOLHAMPTON (5.20) gets the breaks in the closing spring handicap, she could well play a huge role at double figure odds off a lovely handicap rating of 83 under Saffie Osborne. The ground was way too quick for the mare despite a fair draw and this track will give her plenty more time to grab the ground and get into top gear.

The nationwide predicted rain should also take the sting out of the ground at Chester and that would help the cause of the well drawn THE WACO KID (3.15). From box number six he should be able to get some cover under Callum Shepherd and take advantage of a mark of 101.

But the best bet on the card is probably the improved hurdler CAVERN CLUB in the two mile finale; the 5.35 Handicap.

Owned by the enthusiastic Good Stock Syndicate, he was delivered to absolute perfection by Gavin Sheehan to land the valuable Summer Handicap Hurdle at Market Rasen and still looks well treated on the level to chase down the pace here.

The Beverley Bullet (2.05) is the feature race at the pear shaped track and is a lovely prize for those sprinters to aim at that are simply stuck between classy handicappers and a black type race. The 2023 winner KERDOS takes his chance here and will surely prove very hard to beat after running with distinction in some better class races throughout 2025. The likes of Adrestia and Regional are likely to give the most to do.

Finally, at Chelmsford in the evening have a second look at the top weight JACKSON STREET (8.40). The bay gelding has been plying his trade in class five events of late, but this drop in grade should help him off a 10lbs lower mark than he started this campaign on.