Saturday Horse Racing Preview & Tips – 21st July – Autocratic Can Rule

Seymour Biz looks forward to Saturday’s action and one of Sir Michael Stoute’s charges is among his Lucky 15 selections.

After last weeks wonderful racing it is much quieter this weekend but television is still showing three meetings including jumping from Market Rasen. It’s been a busy month on the July Course at Newmarket and they have yet another meeting there this Saturday with one of their races on ITV3. At Market Rasen there are two Listed races, but it is very difficult to judge form and going at the height of the summer over the sticks so I can only offer Hassle and Alcala. They are both course and distance winners and should put up a decent show for their connections. The main meeting of the day is at Newbury and it looks like being a brilliant day at the Berkshire course. Television is showing four races on a very full card and it’s these contests I look to for this weeks Lucky Fifteen, they are all excellent betting heats so here are my thoughts for the day

We start at 1.50 with the bet365 Stakes, a Class 1 over 10 furlongs, with some classy middle distance performers. Top of the betting seems to be Emotionless from Charlie Appleby’s stable. The gelding hasn’t run since an outing at Medan, Dubai, in January where he was a well beaten second in a Group 3 contest. He hasn’t won since he was a two-year-old and I am not sure about him in this. Spark Plug has been a busy horse this year but has failed to get his head in front and it is hard to see him getting off the mark here. Another busy horse has been Autocratic from Sir Michael Stoute’s yard with five runs, all in top class races. His latest was a good fourth, beaten less than 3 lengths behind Monarchs Glen in the Wolferton at Royal Ascot. He had Spark Plug and Big Country behind him that day and could be the answer to this tricky heat. Desert Encounter will have his supporters after his run in the Prince Of Wales but he hung badly that day suggesting something was amiss. Another worth a mention is Vintager, another who performed well at Ascot behind Hunting Horn, coming home fourth, however he did not quicken under pressure.

The JLT Cup is at 2.25 and here we have a really good 2 mile handicap. Making Miracles and Austrian School ran first and second at Haydock with the former coming home comfortably but the second has a 5lb pull here. Willie Mullins has the favourite in Stratum who was third to his stablemate Lagostovegas in the Ascot Stakes. He ran really well that day and has a race of this nature in him after being placed in that prestigious contest. John Gosden’s Almoghared also put in a good run at Ascot behind Kew Gardens in the Queens Vase, prior to that he had a fine victory at Chepstow. Mancini makes a big step up in class but has three wins under his belt already this season. A big outsider is Stars Over The Sea from Ian Williams’s yard. He was a winner in Ireland last year and has had a nine month lay off, his new trainer improves his recruits from other stables as was seen with Magic Circle and he could go well here at a big price. However I will stick with Mullins to take the prize.

At 3.00 the bet365 Hackwood Stakes has some top 3-year-old sprinters against their older counterparts. Equilateral is a warm favourite for this and his trainer Charlie Hills says “I hope to see him get back on track after his defeat in the Commonwealth Cup”. He could only manage twelfth that day, but Hills said he scoped dirty after the race. It’s reported he has worked well since. Among the other 3-year-olds is Emblazoned, a John Gosden’s horse, who was third to Eqtidaar at Ascot. These two look the best of the younger generation. As to the older horses, Roger Charlton sends Projection, a top class performer who has been running with distinction in Group races behind such horses as The Tin Man and Merchant Navy. But the one I prefer is Bacchus from Brian Meehan’s yard who got up in the last strides to win the Wokingham. Provided those exertions have not taken too much out of him he can take this contest which is after all only his second race of the year. At a bigger price Top Score can run well for Saeed Bin Suroor after not staying up with the pace when needing the run at Newcastle last time.

Finally we have the Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes at 3.35. This is a 5 furlong Sprint for 2-year-olds and is always a great spectacle. Richard Fahey has taken this prize three times in the last five years and has six declarations for this years race, the best of whom may be Red Balloons who was out with the washing in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot but has won a small race at Nottingham on her next outing. The winner of the Queen Mary, Signora Cabello, is a deserved favourite here going for her fourth win on the trot, and she certainly sets a high standard. Little Kim won in France last time out and is not without a chance for Kevin Burke. There are several horses in this having their first run and they could be anything, however no first-time-outer has won this over the last five years. But the one I like in this at a nice price is Tin Hat, Eve Johnson Houghton’s charge ran a very good race in the Windsor Castle at Ascot coming home in fifth place. He raced in the far side Group that day and with a better draw would have been closer to the winner.

Saturday Lucky 15
1.50. Autocratic
2.25. Stratum
3.00. Bacchus
3.35. Tin Hat

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