Saturday 10th August

Very Sweet On The Chances Of Ananya For The Solera At 14/1

NAP – Ananya 3:45 Newmarket 14/1

My NAP for this weekend comes in the german-throughbred.com Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket. This group 3 race for two year old fillies has often thrown up a good horse over the years, including the likes of Soviet Song and more recently Main Edition. For this years renewal I am very keen on the chances of Peter Chapple-Hyams Sepoy Filly Ananya at the prices. She has made both of her starts at the July Couse so far, with the first being over 6f and the second over 7f where she relished the step up in trip and the benefit of experience to score by a convincing 4.5 lengths. Ananya did plenty wrong on her latest start, being held up and caught on heels behind leaders she had plenty of ground to make up in the final two furlongs, but when brought wide by Brett Doyle for a clear run the penny dropped and the further she went the better she looked.

There is question marks about the form of that race however and she’ll need to step up markedly on that performance, but I feel an opening show of 14/1 does not reflect her chances. Ed Vaughan’s filly Ultra Violet looked ultra impressive on her debut but she also needs to prove that was no fluke going forward as it was possibly she was flattered by the race panned out that day. So it is probably Godolphin’s Light Blush that sets the standard on her listed second place on her latest start and she is a danger to all if putting her experience to good use.

Anyway, If Ananya can build on her victory over course and distance last time, 14/1 looks a bet to me for her to upset the market principals.

NB (Next Best) – Melting Dew 2:15 Ascot 8/1

My NB for this weekend comes in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge in Melting Dew. Sir Michael Stoute’s gelding by Cacique has taken a little bit of time to come to hand this season, but showed a much improved performance last time in the Old Newton cup last time. I think this horse seems to be coming to himself now and looks primed for a tilt at this valuable pot on Shergar Cup day. He seems favourably weighted off a mark of 94 as he had a career high mark of 102 this time last year, the handicapper is beginning to give him a chance and he could be ready to strike just 1lb above his latest winning mark.

Ladies team captain Hayley Turner gets the ride and with Melting Dew looking likely to have his conditions of good to firm ground and a trip of 1m4f (a distance he stays well) everything looks set for a big run. An opening show of 8/1 looks very fair to me.