Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
There are no fewer than twelve races from three courses being shown on ITV Racing on Saturday, in a hectic three hours where the presenters will have their work cut out for them to link everything together from Newmarket, York, and Ascot.
The top meeting is on the July course at Newmarket, from where six races are being televised. The highlight of the day is the July Cup, where last year’s 2000 Gns winner, Notable Speech, seeks to reinvent himself as a sprinter after a couple of defeats over a mile in all-aged contests. But he’s up against established sprinters, and I prefer Kevin Ryan’s Inisherin.
Away from Newmarket, there are four races being shown from a fine York meeting where the day’s highlight is the John Smith’s Cup, and finally, there are a couple of contests from Ascot.
So plenty to get our teeth into this week, and here are my thoughts along with this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.50 Newmarket. Aalto
3.25 Newmarket. Fifth Column
2.00 York..Remmooz
3.10 York. Fox Legacy / Auld Toon Loon (e/w)
Bet this lucky 15 on Bet365
Beginning at Newmarket with the 2.50, the bet365 Bunbury Cup is a Class 2 Heritage Handicap run over 7 furlongs. The top weight here is Harry Charlton’s Ten Pounds, who was a winner here at Newmarket in April. Since then, he has run a fine third in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot, but his weight looks a drawback.
William Haggas’s More Thunder was second in the Wokingham, and prior to that excellent effort, he had won twice over the Rowley mile course here at Newmarket. He looks a worthy favourite, but his price is very short.
David O’Meara’s Akkadian Thunder won at Doncaster in early June and was a fast-finishing second at Royal Ascot. Another bold run is expected.
Richard Hannon’s Dark Thirty won a Class 3 race at Salisbury last month but finds himself with a 6lbs penalty after that win.
Myal from Steph Hollinshead’s stable has won twice this year, at Haydock and Chester, and was a fine fourth in a handicap at Royal Ascot. He can be placed here.
But I prefer Ian Williams’s Aalto, who won this last year and has obviously been aiming at it again. He has had just one run this season, which was last month on this course and over a furlong further. He returns to his optimum distance and is on a low handicap mark.
The 3.25 is the bet365 Mile Handicap, a Class 2 race for 3-year-olds run over, of course, one mile. At the top of the handicap is Charlie Appleby’s Bedouin Prince, who has won on both his outings this season at Doncaster and here at Newmarket. However, he is stepping up in class here and will find this tougher off top weight.
Appleby also runs Secret Theory, who won at Nottingham in April, then flopped at Goodwood the following month when going off favourite.
Charlie Johnson’s Thunder Wonder won at Musselburgh in early June, then disappointed at Royal Ascot. Since then, he’s been over to the Curragh but was beaten 5 lengths into 6th place.
Andrew Balding’s Mister Winston won at Chester two weeks ago after a couple of seconds the previous month, this is tougher and I can’t see him springing a surprise off bottom weight.
I like John & Thady Gosden’s Fifth Column, who won at Sandown and Kempton before running 7th in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was drawn on the ‘wrong’ side, but won the group he was drawn in. The booking of Ryan Moore is noted.
Moving north to York and the 2.00 is the John Smith’s Racing Handicap, a Class 2 race run over one mile. The top weight here is Karl Burke’s Flight Plan, who won cosily at Thirsk in May. He then tried to make it all at Epsom the following month, but didn’t handle the bend. He gets another chance here.
David O’Meara’s Bopedro always runs a genuine race and has been placed three times this season. He seems to find one or two good.
Edward Bethell’s Old Cock looks interesting. He won three small races last season, then ran stone last of 22 runners on his seasonal reappearance at Doncaster in March. He came to York in May and won a Class 2, and has since gone up in the weights.
Bethell said he prefers good to firm ground. Blue For You won this last year for trainer David O’Meara, but this York specialist’s form has been poor since.
Owen Burrows’s 3-year-old, Remmooz, comes here with bottom weight after two victories at Doncaster in April and June. He then ran a fine race in Group 3 at Royal Ascot, finishing 4th of 15, and that form gives him a good chance of taking this.
The John Smith’s Cup Handicap is run at 3.10, and this Class 2 Heritage Handicap is run over 1m 2 1/2f. I would normally look at the low numbers in the draw in this race and concentrate on them, but this year those drawn in 1 to 5 are quite big outsiders. So watch the betting.
Karl Burke’s Thunder Run has top weight. He won here at York in May. It was his second win at the track, but he is drawn out wide in Stall 17.
Andrew Balding’s Fox Legacy was a fine winner at Newmarket in May and then ran an eye-catching 6th at Royal Ascot, but he will be needing some luck from Stall 19.
Alan King’s Brioni won a Class 3 at Sandown last month, but this is much tougher, drawn in Stall 18.
So three of the most fancied horses are drawn wide, depending on how the race pans out, and they get a lead, anything can happen, and the outside could be the place to be.
William Haggas’s Archivist won at Leicester and here at York last month, but he is upped in both class and distance, drawn in Stall 6.
Edward Bethell’s See That Storm is a Redcar specialist and won there in May. His latest run was here at York last month, when he finished a well-beaten second. This is tougher from Stall 10.
I will give a mention to Tom Dascombe’s Auld Toon Loon, who was last seen running down the field at Royal Ascot after previously running second at Chester. He comes out of Stall 1.
So, that is the conundrum that is the John Smith’s Cup. My preference is for Fox Legacy with Auld Toon Loon as an each-way outsider.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.50 Newmarket. Aalto
3.25 Newmarket. Fifth Column
2.00 York..Remmooz
3.10 York. Fox Legacy / Auld Toon Loon (e/w)
Bet this lucky 15 on Bet365
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