Tuesday 15th September 2026
We’re back in action on Tuesday, and it doesn’t get much bigger than Yarmouth’s Eastern Festival, where I’ll be trying my luck for the next few days. Kicking things off on Tuesday is the 2.17, a Class 5 handicap over seven furlongs. I’m with ARCHER’S GRACE here for James Fanshawe and Daniel Muscutt. She’s an unexposed three-year-old who’s opened her account at the third time of asking in comfortable style, following a couple of second-placed efforts. She then finished a very solid fourth on her handicap debut at Salisbury in May, and this is her first outing since. She’s also well bred, being by Magna Grecia, which suggests she won’t mind a bit of cut in the ground, and I think she can go well off a pound-lower mark than her Salisbury run. Toastmaster won a Class 4 event at Doncaster a couple of starts ago, and has run well in defeat since; he’s likely to make his presence felt at this level for Michael Herrington.
Selection: Archer’s Grace – (6/1) (Each-Way)
Shortlist: Toastmaster (11/2)
2.17 Yarmouth
The second race on the card is the 2.47, and a Class 3 fillies’ novice event over seven furlongs. My best bet of the day takes her chance here, and that’s WATCH PARTY for the team of Roger Varian and Ray Dawson. She cost 300,000 as a yearling and is a well-bred filly by Lope De Vega, who was fancied to go well on debut when sent off the 13/8 favourite of a Class 2 event at Newmarket. She could only manage third on that occasion; however, she’ll likely take a considerable step forward coming into her second outing in this assignment, and the form of her debut run is working out well. It would be disappointing should she not get a lot closer on this occasion. It would be no surprise to see newcomer Sea La Roma go well on debut, representing the top yard of William Haggas; she’s also well bred, and any market support would be interesting.
Selection: Watch Party – (5/4) (Win) (NAP)
Shortlist: Sea La Roma (10/3)
2.47 Yarmouth
We move up to Class 2 company at 3.17 with another novice contest, this time over a distance of six furlongs. I’ve got another strong fancy here, and that’s FLICK OF AN EYE, who represents Simon & Ed Crisford and is the mount of Silvestre De Sousa. He’s a Blackbeard colt who cost £150,000 as a two-year-old, and posted a very encouraging effort on debut at Newbury three weeks ago, finishing a length third of ten whilst still clearly learning on the job. Similarly to my previous pick, he should naturally take a big step forward coming into this start, and that should make him tough to beat in this. Richard Hughes’ I Am Royal has shown a decent level of form in his two runs to date, placing in both, and he’s every chance of being involved again here under Billy Loughnane.
Selection: Flick Of An Eye – (6/4) (Win) (NB)
Shortlist: I Am Royal (9/2)
3.17 Yarmouth
My fourth and final bet of the afternoon at Yarmouth comes in the 5.18, the final race on the card, and a Class 4 handicap over five furlongs. I like CREATIVE QUEEN here for the powerhouse combination of William Haggas, James Doyle, and Wathnan Racing. She was a novice winner at this track back in May, with that success also coming on soft ground, and she went close here again on her penultimate start when finishing a nose second of six in a Class 5 handicap off just a pound higher mark, where she was also met trouble in running. She clearly has a liking for this course, given that she was also a neck second of six in a maiden here before her novice win, and I think that she has to be considered a very live player once again. Fiorella Princess is another big player in the race; she was a short-head second of seven on her stable debut for Robert Cowell last time out, and if she’s in the same form, she should be bang there again.
Selection: Creative Queen – (9/4) (Win)
Shortlist: Fiorella Princess (11/4)
5.18 Yarmouth
