Sandown Park 02/09/2023 Preview

This weekend’s Solario Stakes meeting at Sandown Park represents the start of the autumn campaign as the champion juveniles step forward. Our team of Racing experts have looked at the feature race, due off at 3:35, along with the remainder of the Sandown card and they have found 3 selections to note.

Sandown Park – 2:25 Virgin Bet Atalanta Stakes

Queen For You

Sir Michael Stoute has won 3 of the last 10 renewals of this race and so last season’s winner, Potapova, needs to be respected. However, she hasn’t looked to be in the same form in 3 runs this season and there has never been a 5-year-old winner of this race so we are quite happy to pass her over this time. Queen For You makes the most appeal. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, she began her season with an impressive win at Ascot and followed that with a close 2nd behind Sounds of Heaven at York in May. She was no match for Tahiyra in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot but returned to form when 5th in a Listed race at York behind Midnight Mile. She was held up at York, presumably to ensure that she stayed the extended 10-furlong trip and did well under the circumstances to finish 5th, beaten 5-lengths. Whilst it was worth a try at that distance, as a daughter of Kingman this return to a mile looks a better fit and she should get a strong pace to track, which will help her cause. If there was any significant rainfall it might go against her, as she has shown a liking for a faster surface, but this race does look like a good fit and if she gets the forecast good ground, she is one of the more likely players.

Sandown Park – 3:00 Virgin Bet Handicap 

Gaassee

Everything in Gaassee’s pedigree would suggest that he needs to run over further than today’s 10-furlong trip. He is a son of Sea the Stars out of a Monsun mare and when he won 4 of his first 5 starts, that is surely where his connections felt that his future would lie. However, since making his seasonal return at Newbury in the Al Rayyan Stakes in May he has run over a longer trip on 5 occasions without looking like getting his head in front. He has had some difficult tasks in that time, running in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot and the Old Newton Cup at Haydock, but this drop to 10-furlongs, for the first time since 2021, does look the right move. On his most recent starts at Haydock and Ascot, he has hit the front on both occasions before failing to finish his race. He can be quite keen in the early stages of a race, so hopefully Tom Marquand will be able to get him some cover from the start, but there is some potential on a mark of 99 as this does represent a drop in class as well as trip. He was withdrawn from his intended engagement at York last week because the ground was too quick, so any rain would be a bonus, especially as we can be sure that he will stay this distance with some ease. The Haggas’ team won this last season with Protagonist, who had a similar profile to Gaassee, and they look good value to repeat the trick 12-months later.

Sandown Park – 3:35 Virgin Bet Solario Stakes

Starlore

Juddmonte have had some wonderful results in the Solario Stakes in recent years, most notably with Kingman (2013) and Too Darn Hot (2018). It is far too early in the career of Starlore to be able to say whether he will reach anywhere near the levels of those 2 horses, but it was hard not to be impressed by his winning debut here in July. Despite being very green and idling badly in the closing stages, he still travelled nicely and produced a good time figure in the process. The 3rd placed Arabian Crown has won twice since to boost the form and given the immature manner that he showed in the closing stages, there is surely a lot of improvement to come now that he has the benefit of that experience. Unusually for a British pattern race, Sir Michael Stoute has never managed to win the Solario, but he looks to have a good opportunity to put that right with Starlore. Ryan Moore takes the ride.