Joe Tuite hoping unexposed Via Sistina can graduate in Prix de Malleret

MOSTAHDAF didn't look a likely runner when around 7/1 in midweek but confirmation of Ascot's track switch to the inner hurdles course for the Champion Stakes, Fillies & Mares and Long Distance Cup changes things considerably. He'll presumably only line up if the ground is deemed suitable on raceday itself but there's no doubt Mostahdaf should be…

Bay Bridge, who shocked the racing world by ending Baaeed's unbeaten record in last season's Champion Stakes, faces eight rivals in defence of his crown at Ascot this weekend. Mostahdaf, the impressive winner of this year's Juddmonte International and Prince Of Wales's Stakes, would appear to be the leading player on ratings but the five-year-old's…

The Sun Chariot Stakes is a Group 1 contest over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket that is open to fillies and mares aged three years and above. A field of eight runners has been declared to run in Saturday's latest renewal, including Inspiral, a filly who is a multiple winner at this level. She will also be joined by Msqe De Sevigne, who makes the trip…

Sixteen contenders remain in the mix for the €5m Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after Monday's forfeit stage. Check out our guide to all the names in contention and check back later in the week after the draw and final declarations for our big-race verdict. Age: 3 Trainer: Jean-Claude Rouget Odds: 3-1 Unbeaten in five starts, he looks top-class…

Highfield Princess comes to York a completely different animal from the one who last year ran away with the Group 1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes. That was something of a statement victory - she belonged at the top table. She had finally progressed from an initial mark of 57 to become a Group 1 winner for the first time on her previous…

If the dangers of being lured into backing short-priced juveniles have escaped punters then Wednesday's Acomb Stakes provided evidence of that, as outsider Indian Run downed form horse Ballymount Boy. These two-year-olds are progressing at different rates and the pecking order is constantly changing. That is rarely built into the market. In the…

Hardly a major meeting passes by without a Wathnan Racing-owned favourite nowadays and the big-spending owners are responsible for another in the Acomb Stakes with Jason Hart sporting the distinctive orange, blue and red silks aboard Ballymount Boy. The operation snapped up Ballymount Boy following his length second to Vandeek in the Richmond…

City of Troy and Bucanero Fuerte have emerged as the top two-year-olds so far but there may well be a third candidate challenging for top spot in the juvenile generation after Sunday's Prix Morny at Deauville. That's because it looks the two-year-old race with the most strength in depth of the season so far as no fewer than seven of the nine…

Well, that's'Glorious Goodwood' over for another year and not a race too soon in all likelihood for those who were present on Saturday and had to endure heavy rain before the meeting was abandoned, controversially, after the Stewards' Cup had been run despite the riders having reportedly raising significant concerns about the state of the surface…

The Spigot Lodge handler will be well represented across the top-class four-day fixture on the Knavesmire and is planning a twin assault at one of the week's Group One features. Novakai is set for a return to the highest level, having put a disappointing run in the French Oaks behind her with a dominant success in the Listed Aphrodite Fillies'…

The Nassau Stakes (15:35) at Goodwood on Thursday is available as a free Race Pass, which means logged-in customers can view all our premium comments and ratings. Thursday's highlight at Goodwood is the Group 1 Nassau Stakes (15:35) for fillies over a mile and a quarter which sees a clash between the last two winners of the Prix de Diane,…

The final Group One contest staged during Glorious Goodwood is the Nassau Stakes. This historic race was first held on day three back in 1840 and has been won by legendary fillies and mares like Pretty Polly, Roussalka and Midday. Let's take a look through the latest Nassau Stakes betting and run through the headline entries. Nashwa returns to…

On the second day of The Boodles July Festival at Newmarket Racecourse, the feature race will be the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes, which is due to take place at 15:35. A Group 1 contest, the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes is open to fillies and mares aged three-years-old and above, and is run over a trip of one mile. At the time of writing, a day out…

William Haggas hopes course-and-distance experience will stand Crack Of Light in good stead when she faces four rivals in the Group 2 Prix Malleret (7.12). Anthony Oppenheimer's homebred daughter of Kingman won the Listed Prix de Thiberville at Longchamp last month, while her third in Newbury's Fillies' Trial on Lockinge day has since been boosted…

Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) produced a career-best performance to win the G2 Howden Dahlia S. at Newmarket in a style that suggested there could be even bigger things to come from the gigantic five-year-old mare. Trainer George Boughey revealed prior to the race that he does not have a bigger horse in his yard and that he had been…

An Oaks of some description awaits Running Lion after the daughter of four-time Group 1 winner Roaring Lion put up arguably the most impressive performance of the Guineas festival in the Howden Pretty Polly Stakes. Joint-trainer John Gosden won the same Listed contest with Taghrooda before she triumphed in the Oaks at Epsom in 2014 and Paddy Power…

Sea Silk Road (left) and Eternal Pearl clash again at Newmarket on Friday The weights favour Sea Silk Road as she aims to confirm Goodwood placings with Eternal Pearl, but Charlie Appleby believes his filly could prove a different proposition in this intriguing rematch. Sea Silk Road beat Eternal Pearl by half a length in a 1m2f Listed race at…

So far, so good for Baaeed, who might not be Frankel yet and probably never will be, but he is not doing a bad impression of the Juddmonte superstar's 2012 campaign. Then, as a four-year-old, the legendary colt swept to victories in the Lockinge and Queen Anne before the midsummer miling highlight, which he won in customary commanding…

Saffron Beach stormed to a three-and-a-half length victory in the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes to give trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam her first Royal Ascot success since 2016. Despite being penalised for her G1 Sun Chariot Stakes win last season, the 5/2 joint-favourite was ideally placed to pounce off steady early fractions. William Buick took full…

Glen Shiel: winner of last year's British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot The Bengough Stakes provides the perfect opportunity for talented handicappers to take the step up to Group 3 level. Recent winners include Tropics (2013), Cape Byron (2019) and Dakota Gold (2020), although the presence of Blue Point and Shalaa in the roll of honour suggests…

Arc weekend kicks off on Saturday at Longchamp, featuring six Group 1 contests across two days. France correspondent Scott Burton picks out four runners overlooked in the betting. With the likes of The Revenant, Victor Ludorum and Coeursamba in the line-up, not to mention the hugely progressive Real World, this will take a Group 1 performance to…

James Fanshawe, trainer of the Nassau Stakes favourite Audarya, believes that the biggest threat to his five-year-old champion's winning prospects at Glorious Goodwood on Thursday is the generous weight allowance enjoyed by three-year-olds. "Older fillies have to give nine pounds to three-year-olds," Fanshawe said of the 1984m contest. "It's…