The Atalanta Stakes takes place on Saturday at Sandown and the race is scheduled to start at 3:00 UK time. Those at home in the UK will be able to watch the race live on TV as it is part of the ITV4 racing coverage this weekend.
The race is for fillies and mares, who are 3+ and it is a Group 3 race meaning these fillies have a great chance to pick up some black type, which will boost their breeding value. The race is a mile in distance and you will often find a good mix of up and coming horses, as well as horses who are dropping down from top class races if they are not quite good enough to win those. That usually means we have a strong field and a fascinating line-up and this season is no different looking through the card.
The horse I like in this race is a big price and one that I am excited about for the rest of this season. That horse is On Her Toes, and she is available at 10/1 with Ladbrokes, Skybet and Stan James.
On Her Toes is a very consistent and progressive horse, she has raced nine times so far in her career and has finished in the first three in all of her races except one, a remarkable effort. She has won four of those races, including last time when she picked up her second listed win of her career with a win at Ascot. Her other three victories all came last year when she was a two year old, but I am sure she is still improving and there is more to come from this filly.
She does have to contend with a step up in class for this race at it will be the best race she has contested so far in her career, but she has done nothing wrong and deserves a shot. As a three year old she gets a small weight allowance in this race so will be carrying a little less weight than her older rivals. That may be the difference maker and at such a big price she has a chance of causing an upset against horses who have been running at a much higher level than she has.
The biggest danger in the race looks to be Aljazzi, a horse who is dropping down in class after running in two Group 2 races on her last two starts. She ran a great race last time out to come second at Royal Ascot behind Qemah and a reproduction of that run would certainly see her win this race. However, my doubt about her is because she disappointed the time before, coming just 5th behind Somehow at Newmarket. She strikes me as an up and down type, on her day she wins but I can’t trust that this will be her day.
Intimation looks to be the other danger, a horse who will be running in the same colours as On Her Toes. She has ran twice this season in a listed race and a Group 3 race, coming twice on both occasions. She was beaten easily by Laugh Aloud in a listed race on her seasonal debut, and improved to come second behind Rain Goddess at the Curragh last Sunday. My doubt with her is that this race may come too soon for her, especially because she has travelled back from Ireland after the race, but we will see if that is the case.
I am really looking forward to seeing On Her Toes step up in quality and take on the seasoned horses in this race. She has the ability to compete with them and will certainly give her all in this race. She does have the quality to match up to the field her and deserves her spot, and I think at the quoted 10/1 with some bookmakers, she is certainly worth a bet as she could still be improving, and eventually improve past these rivals.
I am going to side with the horse who is on the up, the one who could still be improving and I am backing On Her Toes to win this race at 10/1, which is available right now with Ladbrokes, Skybet and Stan James. This is a great value price and one that could be much shorter when we get to the day of the race because I think a lot of people will be looking at her.