Portcullis Southwell Handicap will take centre stage at Southwell Racecourse on Saturday, October 31, 2026, as unbeaten three-year-old Portcullis prepares for his return to action in the mile contest at 6:15pm. Owned by His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen, the John and Thady Gosden-trained colt will face a competitive field featuring several established performers.
Portcullis will return after an unbeaten start to his career. He made an impressive debut at Newmarket’s Craven meeting in April, winning the Wood Ditton Maiden by five and a half lengths. He followed that performance with another victory in a mile novice contest at York’s Dante Festival in May, showing a strong attitude to win under a penalty. A minor setback subsequently interrupted his campaign and ruled him out of his planned summer targets.
Jockey Robert Havlin reported that the colt had worked well ahead of his comeback. He said Portcullis had completed a breeze on Wednesday morning and appeared in good order, although he expected the three-year-old to improve further from the outing. Havlin also acknowledged that stepping into handicap company against more experienced opposition would present a new challenge.
The Gosdens will also draw on a successful record in this contest, having won the same race in 2024 with Sardinian Warrior. Rated 97 at the time, the colt later won the Listed Paradise Stakes at Ascot and finished second in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan.
Among the other three-year-olds in Saturday’s field will be William Haggas-trained Princling, who finished third in a classified stakes at Ascot on his latest appearance. The performance came on his first start following a gelding operation. George Boughey’s McMurray will also line up after completing a hat-trick of handicap victories on his return at Chester’s May Festival, although he finished down the field on his subsequent outing at Ayr.
Chantilly Lace will carry the highest rating in the field at 103. Trained by Ralph Beckett, she is a half-sister to July Cup winner Ten Sovereigns. She finished fifth behind Desert Flower in the 2025 Group 1 1,000 Guineas and occupied the same position in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes on her only start so far this year.
Murashah will bring an unbeaten record from his two starts since joining Ed Bethell from Charlie Hills. The five-year-old will arrive following handicap victories over seven furlongs at Thirsk and a mile at Ripon.
Two Tempting will return to a race he finished second in 12 months earlier. Jonathan Portman’s seven-year-old subsequently won a similar contest at Kempton Park and finished third in the Listed Tandridge Stakes during a consistent winter campaign.
Twisting Physics will make his first appearance for Oli Cole after finishing fifth in the Chesterfield Cup Handicap at Glorious Goodwood. The former course-and-distance novice winner will also bring previous experience of Southwell to the contest.
Ian Williams will saddle Ozat, who will arrive with useful French form, including a conditions race victory on the Chantilly all-weather surface. He will also bring two encouraging performances at Ascot this year.
Harry Charlton-trained Tremolo will enter the contest with two victories from three starts at Southwell, while Keiran Burke’s Whitcombe Rockstar will complete the field. The seven-time all-weather winner will add further experience to a competitive line-up.
The Portcullis Southwell Handicap will feature the unbeaten Gosden-trained colt’s return to action against a competitive field led by top-rated Chantilly Lace, recent dual winner Murashah and experienced performer Two Tempting.
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