SATURDAY HORSE RACING PREVIEW & FOUR TOP BETTING PICKS. I wanted to put together a quick horse racing blog covering Saturday’s high-profile cards across Doncaster and Leopardstown. While I’d love to produce these big-race rundowns more regularly, site traffic dictates where my time is best spent—so enjoy these selections for the weekend!
SATURDAY HORSE RACING PREVIEW & FOUR TOP BETTING PICKS
DONCASTER 14:55 — QIRAT (9/1)
On official ratings, More Thunder stands clear of the opposition. William Haggas’ 5-year-old holds a 5lb-plus advantage on the book over this field. However, despite dropping back in grade today, he remains winless this season and has let down odds-on backers on more than one occasion.
Never So Brave is a proven 7-furlong specialist who acts on any ground. That said, his form this term has been sub-par, and he was comfortably handled by Qirat at York.
Preference is firmly for Qirat. Ralph Beckett’s 5-year-old will be tailor-made for this drop back in trip, and the booking of Silvestre De Sousa in the saddle is a massive positive. At generous double-figure odds, he represents fantastic value to turn over the market leaders.
DONCASTER 15:35 — CHRISTMAS DAY (9/4)
The St Leger is always a fascinating tactical puzzle with the majority of the field stepping up in trip for the first time. However, the top three in the market all look like genuine stayers, and there is little need to look beyond them for the winner.
Enceladus boasts a flawless 3-for-3 record this season, with Joseph O’Brien’s colt scoring at Cork, Ascot, and Goodwood. The progressive son of Sea The Stars gets first-time cheekpieces today, and with conditions in his favor, he should be right in the mix for place money.
At York, Aidan O’Brien’s Pierre Bonnard (second) finished ahead of Christmas Day (third), but he was receiving 5lb from his stablemate that day. While Wayne Lordan’s mount pulled 2.25 lengths clear of the third, Christmas Day was the heavily supported market fancy for a reason.
Derby winner Christmas Day is a thorough stayer, and today’s easing ground will play right into his stamina reserves. Back on level weights, expect the son of Camelot to complete a famous English Classic double.
LEOPARDSTOWN 16:25 — POWER BLUE (9/1)
Returning from a break shouldn’t hinder Quddwah, but the 6-year-old has highlighted his ceiling in this grade and may ultimately require further to be seen at his best. Faiyum needs to settle far better in his races; his official mark has tumbled 6lb across his last four outings, and he arrives with plenty to prove.
Three-time winner Isaac Newton represents the formidable Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore combination, showing steady progress. However, he is far from unbeatable, making Power Blue the compelling value play at much bigger odds. Robson De Aguiar’s 3-year-old is already a Group 2 winner, and dropping back to a mile in a slightly easier contest gives him every chance to strike.
LEOPARDSTOWN 17:00 — ITEM (9/4)
This contest serves as a direct rematch of the Juddmonte International at York. In that race, despite suffering traffic and failing to get a clear run, Item still came out on top by a head from Almaqam. There was a further 3.5 lengths back to Constitution River in third, with Europe’s top-rated horse Ombudsman further behind.
While that race was run at a ferocious end-to-end gallop, both Almaqam and Constitution River enjoyed standard, smooth trips. Conversely, Item had to be snatched up, switched out wide around the entire field, and still managed to mow down Ed Walker’s runner late on. Had he enjoyed a clean passage, he wins comfortably. With further improvement to come, Andrew Balding’s colt is the standout bet of the day.
