We have a busy day’s racing on Saturday with flat action from Deauville, Doncaster, Lingfield, Newbury and Ripon, live on Sky Sports Racing... Never So Brave and Coppull head a very competitive feature Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes at Newbury this afternoon. Never So Brave holds the strongest form, having enjoyed a fruitful campaign last year, with wins in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Summer Mile and then topped off his season with success in the City Of York.
Andrew Balding's gelding is nought from four this year but has been keeping good company and far from disgraced himself in the Sussex Stakes last time out. Coppull is still lightly raced and produced a career best last time out in the July Cup where he came home strongly to finish a narrowly beaten fourth of 11. He steps up to seven-furlongs for the first time today and there could yet be more to come.
Like Coppull, Symbol Of Honour is stepping up in trip and hasn't been seen over this trip since his first start as a three-year-old. He has a fine record at Newbury, winning here on both starts and most notably last time out in the Group Three Hackwood Stakes. William Haggas sends Extremely Zain went into the International Handicap at Ascot unbeaten and was a short-priced favourite to continue his winning sequence, however he could only manage fourth.
He remains very unexposed and could take another step forward here. Dubai Honour takes on five rivals as he returns in our opening race at Newbury today, the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Geoffrey Freer Stakes. This gelding is a credit to William Haggas and connections having won 12 races from 37 starts, winning four Group Ones and accruing over £5 million in earnings.
We last saw him back in April when he finished a credible fourth in the Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick. Mount Atlas and Tabletalk represent worthy adversaries and are set to clash for a fourth time. Mount Atlas, has got the better of his old foe on two of the three occasions that they've bumped heads but is three pounds worse off at the weights here having outbattled Tabletalk in a gripping finish to the John Smith's Silver Cup.
Gamrai remains unexposed after being pipped to the Copper Horse Stakes at Royal Ascot. He has since been bought by Victorious Forever, duly switching yards to George Scott from John and Thady Gosden and there could be plenty of improvement left in the tank. Rebel Rocket is the only three-year-old in the field and takes the step up in trip on his fourth start after last being seen finishing sixth in the Derby.
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