Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
ITV are covering seven races from three meetings this Saturday. The prominent one is Goodwood from where four races are being covered. Three of these are Group races, including the Group 2 Celebration Mile and it’s nice to see the Group 3 March Stakes being run in the memory of the great trainer John Dunlop.
It’s lovely to see the very pretty course at Beverley being featured once again for its yearly viewing on ITV with two televised races. It is the East Yorkshire track’s busiest day of the year and it features the £47,000 Listed race, the Beverley Bullet which I have covered below.
To complete the coverage, there is a Listed contest being shown from Newmarket. So, I have trawled through these races to find the best value for tor this week’s Lucky Fifteen and here are my thoughts.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.25 Goodwood. Al Rufaa
3.35 Goodwood. Perotto
3.15 Beverley. Hurricane Ivor
2.45 Newmarket. Khaadem
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
I will begin at Goodwood with the 2.25- the tote Quadpot Starts Here Handicap over 7 furlongs. Clive Cox has the very warm favourite with Aratus who has won both of his races this season, the latest was at Newbury a fortnight ago when he was always doing enough but he is stepping up in class here and also has a 4 lb penalty so he can be caught. Cox also has Dance Fever in the lineup who was only beaten in the last 110yds last time in this class of contest at Doncaster.
Al Rufaa looks very interesting as he comes out for his seasonal reappearance. He rattled up a hat-trick of victories last season before going off the boil towards the end of the year when tailed off at Newmarket. The Gosden’s will have him ready for this.
Richard Hannon’s Oh This Is Us has top weight and that is unsurprising given his record and with a Listed race and a Group 3 under his belt this year. It shows this 8-year-old has what it takes but the weight is a worry. So, although I think Oh This Is Us will put up a good performance, I will side with Al Rufaa to return to racing with a victory.
The tote Celebration Mile is at 3.25 and this sees the return of Benbatl to the racecourse after almost twelve months off. Saeed Bin Suroor’s 7-year-old won twice in the Middle East in early 2020 but was unable to replicate that form at Newmarket last September. He is a proven Group 1 winner but has won only once in the UK since 2017 so I am unsure about him at his short price.
Paul Cole has Duke Of Hazzard who is a triple Goodwood winner in the lineup and who won this in 2019. He will get the going he likes and may well be placed at a big price.
Richard Hannon’s Chindit started this season well by winning the Greenham at Newbury. He has been highly tried since and drops down in class but the undulations of Goodwood may not help.
Charles Hills’ Mutasaabeq was an easy winner at Haydock last month and steps up in class here but has a lot to do. I am looking at a big outsider here in the shape of Amanda Perrett’s Lavender’s Blue who I tipped up last week but she was a non-runner. She has the perfect going here and should take a place.
But my idea of the winner is Marcus Tregoning’s Perotto who has won here twice before. He also benefits from the 3-year-old allowance. He had a fine win at Royal Ascot in June on good/firm and can add to that victory here.
Moving north to East Yorkshire, we have racing from the beautiful course at Beverley where at 3.15 it is the William Hill Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes. This is a 5-furlong ‘blink and you’ll miss it race’. Both the previous winners of this race turn up to try and win it for a second time.
Last year’s winner Judicial returns after his all the way victory last year. He never saw another horse, but he has 3lbs more than last year after his win at Chester at the beginning of this month where he beat the 2019 winner, Dakota Gold, off level weights.
I think Michael Dods’ Dakota Gold can reverse those placings but may still not get his head in front here.
Kevin Ryan’s Justanotherbottle turns up after his fine win at Ripon a fortnight ago as he tries to step up from handicap company.
Clive Cox is notorious for his sprinters and he has ‘Tis Marvellous in the lineup. He had a fine win at Ascot at the beginning of this month and he is another looking to move from handicaps.
But the stand out horse for me is William Haggas’s Hurricane Ivor who ran disappointingly in the Stewards Cup under a 6lb penalty but ran better last time at York when a close-up third. He can step up to take this Listed race
Moving back South to Newmarket at 2.45, we have the Close Brothers Hopeful Stakes where Owen Burrows has the warm favourite with Tabdeed. He was placed last time at Newbury and steps down in class here to try to get off the mark for the season.
Jane Chappell-Hyam has Extrodinair here who steps up in class after three victories in handicap company, two of which were here at Newmarket, he may grab a place.
David O’Meara’s Summerghand won a Group 3 in April and has since been tried in Group 1 company without success. He was well beaten here last time in the Stewards Cup.
Charles Hills’ Khaadem was a Stewards Cup winner back in 2019 and on his return, he should get the going he relishes. I discount his Chester run also his run on the all-weather at Newcastle where he was only three-quarters of a length behind Tabdeed. Prior to that, he had run a fine second at Salisbury and I expect him to replicate his Stewards Cup victory on the ground he loves.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.25 Goodwood. Al Rufaa
3.35 Goodwood. Perotto
3.15 Beverley. Hurricane Ivor
2.45 Newmarket. Khaadem
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365