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A KIND of intermediate weekend before the intense Irish Champion Stakes action in seven days time along with the Group One Sprint Cup at Haydock Park, but there are still some good prizes up for offer and purely from a betting perspective the 10 furlong handicap at Sandown Park (3.00) very much caught the eye with 14 runners set to go to post.

The likely favourite is Gaassee as he drops down to a stiff mile and a quarter, and I was tempted by him especially as he still remains open to a modicum of improvement, with this being just his ninth start on turf and his fourth over this distance. He could be worth a saver bet behind my each-way play DUAL IDENTITY.

The William Knight-trained runner is a course and distance winner off a mark of 80, followed up by being placed off 86, he then couldn’t hack running off a rating in the 90s since.

However, beaten only a shade over five lengths in the Goodwood Golden Mile Handicap last time out on unsuitable soft ground off 89 when an unconsidered 50/1 shot was a fair effort, as he had no chance in behind a wall of horses off a moderate pace and along with Al Mubhir and Lattam, he was the one I took out of that contest.

Apart from the likely favourite here, the other danger I considered was Stay Well, who ran a cracking race last time out at Windsor and may also be nicely suited to a fast run race over a mile and a quarter on a stiffer course. Last a winner off 87 (placed off 96 thereafter) the Hughie Morrison trained charge now gets the chance to run off 93, not a gimme I admit, but playable none the less. Educator is another that could be well suited to this drop in distance off a viable mark of 91 under Ryan Moore.

The feature race at the track is the Group Three Atalanta Stakes (2.25) for fillies and mares over a mile. A mile and a quarter was a shade too far for the Kingman filly QUEEN FOR YOU last time out at York, and she will be far more at home down in trip. The fact that John Gosden thought her good enough to run in the Coronation Stakes on just her third start tells you how highly she is thought of, and with this being just her fifth career start there should be more to come in her improvement locker. The three-year-old is taken to see off the likes of fellow classic generation filly, Midnight Mile, who won that aforementioned York event, and the best of the older fillies and last year’s winner Potapova.

The Group Three Solario Stakes (3.38) has been won by some cracking juveniles in the past, with many of them simply not going on to greater things in their second season, Raven’s Pass and Kingman being the obvious exceptions to that rule.

I was really taken by AABLAN when he won on his career debut at Newmarket, a shade cosily from Whiskey Pete. The second has since been beaten at Haydock (race didn’t go his way), but the third has won nicely and he could be near the top of the Charlie Appleby juvenile pecking order. Of his five rivals, I have upgraded the course and distance win of Starlore as he ran green and idled in front, and surely has more to come than the likes of Mortlake and Devil’s Point.

Finally at the Esher track, have a second look at the Brian Meehan-trained filly RATING in the seven furlong nursery at 4.45. She had no chance with little pace on last time out on her first venture over a seventh furlong, and a mark of just 74 surely underestimates her talent.

As usual there are some tricky handicaps on show at Chester this afternoon and the pick of them from a betting perspective could well be the extended seven furlong event that opens the card at 1.35. Revich and Percy’s Lad are likely players, two of five course and distance winners in the line up, but it is another C&D winner, FOOLS RUSH IN, that could well be the call here.

A winner of a class three off a mark of 90 last year, but unplaced in 14 outings since then, the handicapper has duly dropped him down to 84 here and the outside stall of 12 shouldn’t be a problem as he has to be dropped in behind his rivals. His last six races simply haven’t panned out in his favour with little or no pace on, but this field has the look of an end-to-end gallop and he is taken to outrun his double-figure odds under David Egan. Here’s hoping Egan doesn’t have a rush of blood early on as Andrew Breslin did at Chepstow two outings back, and has balls of steel to ride him for luck instead.

Later on at the Roodeye, I have a strong fancy in the name of ZARZYNI in the feature sprint handicap due off at 4.30. Rated as high as 104 when third to Mountain Peak in a cracking Ascot handicap last season, the Barron charge has the chance to run off just 89 here, and based on his close up fourth in the Dash Handicap at Epsom in June, he has cracking each-way claims against veterans Spoof and Lihou.

The Listed Chester Stakes at 3.20 should see LONG EAGLE finally return to winning form after being given some tough tasks by Ralph Beckett. A repeat of his second to Hamish in the Ormonde Stakes earlier this season would suffice to see off likely favourite Military Order.