ITV Racing Tips: Opportunity knocks for Mutasaabeq in Celebration Mile
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Goodwood has the impossible task of following another fabulous four-day Ebor Festival at York as the main focus of this weekend’s Saturday TV action.
The Celebration Mile is the feature race but only five runners are set to turn up and the standard falls short of previous levels for the Group 2 contest.
Nevertheless, there is a £70,000 first prize up for grabs and hot favourite Mutasaabeq seems the most likely benefactor.
The Celebration Mile is one of three Group races being shown from Goodwood, the Prestige and March Stakes being the others.
Coverage is shared with Beverley and Newmarket, which stages the Listed Hopeful Stakes.
There will be eight televised races, four from Goodwood, three from Beverley and one from Newmarket, which will be shown by ITV from 13:10. We have previewed three of the day’s significant races in our ITV Racing Tips.
Billesdon Brook won this prize before producing a shock win in the 2018 1,000 Guineas and there are nine fillies bidding to showcase their Classic potential in this renewal.
The all-conquering Charlie Appleby stable excel in these races, so it is no surprise that Fairy Cross is the likely favourite. She was only narrowly beaten by Dance In The Grass, now a live Classic hope, at Sandown where the first two pulled six lengths clear of the rest.
Better value is the maiden Ivory Madonna who has gone well in both the Sweet Solera Stakes last time and the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot. A set of cheek pieces could help her get her head in front this time.
Last year’s winner Summerghand bounced back to form at York seven days ago just in time for his return to Newmarket. He defeated Tabdeed to win 12 months ago but has not shown the same level of form since with his latest win coming in a handicap off his lowest rating for three years.
On that basis he has much to do to beat Tabdeed at level weights this time. Tabdeed ran in the same race at York conceding 8lb to the winner.
Like Summerghand, he is turned out quickly, possibly because he could never get a run at York. Every time Hollie Doyle tried to make her move, she found traffic ahead of her so Tabdeed deserves a second chance having gone down by a short head in the Stewards Cup on his previous start.
Not a vintage renewal with only five runners and just one horse with Group-winning form.
That horse Stormy Antarctic will have the soft ground he loves and has much the best form, but his best was three years, and he is not the force he was.
The standout runner is Mutasaabeq, a son of the 1,000 Guineas winner Ghanaati, who also has winning form in the ground conditions. Last time out he was only beaten a head by Chindit in the Summer Mile at Ascot. There is nothing of Chindit’s calibre in this contest and trainer Charlie Hills may have found a juicy Group race opening for the colt.
ITV Racing Schedule, Saturday 27th August
13:30 Beverley – 7f Handicap
13:50 Goodwood – Prestige Fillies’ Stakes
14:05 Beverley – 1m2f Handicap
14:25 Goodwood – 7f Handicap
14:40 Beverley – Beverley Bullet
15:00 Goodwood – March Stakes
15:15 Newmarket – Hopeful Stakes
15:35 Goodwood – Celebration Mile
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
