This weekend offers plenty of variety, with the Shergar Cup at Ascot, four Grade 1 races at Saratoga and the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh among the main attractions.
Friday gets the weekend started with meetings at Musselburgh, Brighton, Thirsk, Haydock and Newmarket, while Ireland has evening cards at Gowran Park and Wexford. The pick of the action comes at Gowran with the Listed Coolmore Stud Churchill Stakes, a mile contest for two-year-olds.
Saturday is much busier. Haydock stages the Rose of Lancaster Stakes and Listed Dick Hern Stakes, while racing also comes from Newmarket, Redcar and Ayr. Over in Ireland there is action at Kilbeggan and Wexford.
At Ascot, the Shergar Cup provides something a little different. Named after the great 1981 Derby winner, the meeting turns the usual individual nature of racing into a team event, with international jockeys competing in team colours across a series of races.
Saturday's international action is headed by Saratoga, where a superb card includes four Grade 1 contests. The Whitney Stakes at 11:37pm UK time is one of the highlights, bringing together some of America's leading dirt horses over nine furlongs.
Sunday is unusually quiet in Britain and Ireland. There is jumps racing at Downpatrick alongside Flat meetings at Leicester and Chepstow, but the main attraction is at the Curragh. The Keeneland Phoenix Stakes provides the weekend's big Irish Group 1, with the two-year-olds tackling six furlongs.
There is also major action in Germany, where Hoppegarten stages the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin over a mile and a half.
The programme becomes much quieter heading into the new week. Salisbury on Wednesday looks one of the more interesting midweek fixtures, with a pair of Listed races adding some quality to the card.
Big races this week
FRIDAY
7:20pm Gowran Park (Racing TV)
Coolmore Stud Churchill Stakes (Listed Race)
1m, Flat Turf
SATURDAY
2:25pm Haydock (ITV)
Rose of Lancaster Stakes (Group 3)
1m2f, Flat Turf
3:00pm Haydock (ITV)
Dick Hern Stakes (Listed Race)
1m, Flat Turf
3:20pm Ascot (ITV)
Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint (Handicap)
6f, Flat Turf
11:37pm Saratoga (Sky Sports Racing)
Whitney Stakes (Grade 1)
1m1f, Dirt
SUNDAY
2:40pm Hoppegarten
Grosser Preis von Berlin (Group 1)
1m4f, Flat Turf
4:00pm Curragh (TG4)
Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (Group 1)
6f, Flat Turf
*All races above are listed in UK time.
Race Notes
11:37pm (Saturday 8th August) Whitney Stakes - Saratoga
The Whitney Stakes at Saratoga is one of the strongest races of the weekend, with eight runners competing for a $1 million purse and an automatic place in the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland.
Magnitude is the 9/5 favourite and clearly arrives in strong form. Steve Asmussen's runner has won four consecutive races, including the Dubai World Cup and most recently the Stephen Foster, where he made all. He looks the one the others have to beat.
Sovereignty is a fascinating rival at 3/1. The 2025 Kentucky Derby, Belmont and Travers winner has yet to win in two appearances this year, finishing second in the Oaklawn Handicap before taking third in the Stephen Foster. However, he has never finished outside the first three in 11 career starts.
The mare Nitrogen adds further interest at 4/1. She won the Ogden Phipps by an emphatic 12¾ lengths in June and has finished in the first three on all 16 of her career starts. Victory would make her the first female winner of the Whitney since Personal Ensign in 1988.
Baeza is another leading contender at 7/2. His record of two victories from 11 starts does not tell the whole story, with four seconds and three thirds. Slow starts have regularly left him with ground to recover, but his strong finishing ability makes him dangerous if he can get away cleanly.
At bigger prices, former Whitney winner White Abarrio is particularly interesting at 8/1. He won this race in 2023 and also landed the Oaklawn Handicap earlier this year, although he needs to bounce back from a fourth in the Stephen Foster.
Antiquarian, Forged Steel and Tiztastic complete a deep field. Magnitude sets a strong standard, but with Sovereignty, Nitrogen, Baeza and White Abarrio all bringing proven high-level form, this looks anything but straightforward.
Selection: Magnitude
Main danger: Nitrogen
Each-way contender: White Abarrio
Antepost Watch
One horse attracting steady support for the 2026 St Leger at Doncaster on 12 September is Enceladus, whose price has shortened from an early 25/1 into 12/1.
The latest move follows his victory in the Maison Perrier Gordon Stakes at Goodwood on 30 July. That continued a strong run of form for Joseph O'Brien's colt.
His St Leger participation is not certain yet, with Joseph O'Brien keeping his options open, but bookmakers are clearly taking no chances after Goodwood. If Doncaster is confirmed as the target, that 12/1 could shorten further.
Racing Syndicates
This week we’re highlighting Hambleton Racing, a Yorkshire-based syndicate that has been offering racehorse ownership for more than two decades.
Hambleton offers equal one-twelfth shares in individual Flat horses, working with leading trainers including Kevin Ryan, Archie Watson, Karl Burke, Tom Clover and David O’Meara. The focus is on a more personal ownership experience, with regular communication, race-day access and owner events.
And members can certainly find themselves involved on some of racing’s biggest days.
This Saturday, Spartan Arrow returns to action for Hambleton Racing in the Shergar Dash Cup at Ascot. For the syndicate members, a runner at a meeting such as the Shergar Cup is exactly the sort of occasion that makes ownership special.
You can view the horses currently available for shares with Hambleton Racing here.
Betting Offers
Betfred is one of the best-known names in British betting, covering horse racing alongside a wide range of other sports.
For racing fans, Betfred offers markets across major UK, Irish and international meetings, from everyday cards through to the biggest races of the season. You can find win and each-way betting, ante-post markets and a range of other racing options.
Betfred also has a long association with British horse racing and currently sponsors several major races and meetings.
If you’re looking for another bookmaker to compare prices and racing markets, Betfred is well worth a look. New customers can also take advantage of a welcome offer when opening an account. T&Cs apply.
18+ Please gamble responsibly. #ad Need help? contact GambleAware.org
Racing News
Here are a few racing updates that caught the eye this week.
Racing Legends - Sir Barton
Sir Barton holds one of the most important places in American horse racing history. Yet when he arrived at Churchill Downs for the 1919 Kentucky Derby, he had never won a race.
He was not even regarded as the main hope from his own stable.
Within 32 days, the difficult chestnut colt had won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Withers Stakes and Belmont Stakes. In doing so, he became the first horse to complete what would later become known as the American Triple Crown.
Thanks for reading! Let’s catch up again next week.
Regards
The Newsletter Team
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