4 Top Racing Previews & Picks for Free: Saturday Selections.
We kept the ball rolling nicely on Friday, sharing two more winners from our four picks. Hopefully, you managed to get something out of Blue Bolt and Ciarrai Abu hitting the target. To keep this winning momentum firmly on our side, I’ve decided to share another four premium selections for Saturday’s top cards. Hopefully, a few of these will deliver the goods once again!
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4 Top Racing Previews & Picks for Free: Saturday Selections
Newmarket 14:15 — The Well-Handicapped Grey
Song N Dance ran a perfectly feasible race last time out and will certainly appreciate both this track and the fast ground. My only real reservation against the four-year-old is dropping back to a seven-furlong trip today—she strictly needs a mile to be at her best.
Meanwhile, Machadadorp should continue to improve, but she still lacks deep racing experience, and an opening mark of 86 is certainly no gimme in this company. Shallow and Tarot are both capable types who could easily get close to the places, but I readily prefer the claims of TRUE TEST.
In fact, I believe the William Knight-trained three-year-old ticks absolutely all the right boxes for this assignment. She looks very well-handicapped indeed and will thoroughly appreciate dropping back slightly in distance. Both the fast ground and the track layout should suit this grey down to the ground. At a healthy 7/2, he stands out as a very solid wager.
The Verdict: TRUE TEST (7/2) has the perfect setup with the drop in trip and fast ground to strike today.
Newmarket 16:35 — The July Cup Big-Price Value
This year’s renewal of the Group 1 July Cup is an incredibly interesting puzzle, and a valid case can be made for plenty in the lineup. Let’s start with a few of the highly fancied runners that I am keen to take on, including the Japanese-trained market leader, Satono Reve. While the seven-year-old was only just touched off by Almareaq in his latest outing, I thought he was ultimately out-battled when the chips were down. Given he has only tasted victory once in his last seven starts, his position at the head of the betting is highly questionable.
While he is undeniably more prolific, another favorite I am happy to pass on is Mission Central. Yes, Aidan O’Brien’s son of No Nay Never just keeps on winning, but he is stepping up to face the absolute crème de la crème of the sprinting division today.
Venetian Sun boasts a flawless 5-from-5 record over the six-furlong trip, but she heavily disappointed on her only previous visit to Newmarket, and that track phobia could easily be a factor again. Double Rush is going from strength to strength, but this might just prove to be a class too high.
Following his recent 25/1 surprise victory, I’m not entirely convinced about Almareaq backing that up. On the flip side, Copull is vastly better than a 40/1 shot, and I would comfortably prefer his each-way chances over the likes of Prince of India, Quinault, and Commanche Brave.
Division is another who represents value in the market, but for the actual winner, my money is firmly on BIG MOJO. While he technically has a bit to find on recent efforts, returning to six furlongs is the absolute key to his chances. The four-year-old stayed on incredibly strongly toward the finish of his last race, and his last two career victories came over this exact trip. With the in-form William Buick booked for the ride, those double-figure odds are well worth snapping up.
The Verdict: Take a chance on BIG MOJO (11/1) to thrive on the return to 6F under a premier jockey booking.
York 14:39 — The Front-Running Outsider
Cerulean Bay is a thoroughly reliable type who loves it here on the Knavesmire. My only issue with the five-year-old is his current price of 3/1—there is simply no betting value to be had there. Cosi Bello is another good type, but once again, I’m simply not interested in his short odds.
The Lost King was bitterly disappointing at Royal Ascot, suggesting he has a fair bit to prove at the moment. Apiarist is arguably a better proposition on an all-weather surface, while the patient racing style of Checkandchallenge rarely suits the tactical nature of this particular track.
Instead, I want to chance one at much bigger odds, namely MR SWIVELL. The Kevin Philippart De Foy-trained five-year-old has won 5 of his 20 career starts and arrives here on the back of a vastly improved performance at Newcastle. An official mark of 90 looks very fair indeed, and his prominent style of racing should perfectly suit this notorious front-runners’ track. While he has been handed a wide draw, his early gate speed means that is unlikely to be a problem.
The Verdict: MR SWIVELL (11/1) is well-treated and possesses the perfect front-running style to dominate from the vanguard.
Ascot 14:27 — Return To Top Form Expected
It is absolutely no surprise to see the majority of the racing tipsters siding with More Thunder. The William Haggas-trained five-year-old has been mighty progressive over the past couple of seasons, climbing from a mark of 87 in handicaps all the way to a lofty official rating of 121. Since he has finished a close second in two competitive Group 2 contests already this term, his clear chance back in this grade is obvious.
On his latest appearance, Zeus Olympiacos finished two and a half lengths behind More Thunder, suggesting he will need a massive career best to reverse that form on today’s fast ground. In that very same race, DOCKLANDS was a further two and three-quarter lengths back in seventh.
To say that was a below-par effort from him would be a massive understatement. However, let’s not forget that this horse shocked the racing world to land last year’s Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes over this exact course and distance. The seven-year-old is at his absolute finest when getting his top of the ground, and George Wood should be able to get a massive tune out of this talented son of Massaat back on his favorite hunting ground.
The Verdict: DOCKLANDS (11/2) is a completely different animal on fast ground at Ascot and can upstage the progressive favorite.
I’m doing a new horse racing video next week – In the meantime, go and watch this video!
