Saturday’s Horse Racing Preview & Tips- 25th June 2022 – Seymour Biz

saturday horse racing tips and previews from expert tipster seymour biz on everytip

Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.

After the heady heights of Royal Ascot last week, we are brought down to earth with less royal fare this week. However, it is Newcastle’s biggest day of the year with the Northumberland Plate, the Pitman’s Derby, and although it doesn’t seem the same now, it is run on a Tapeta surface a huge crowd is still guaranteed.

The big race is backed up by the Northumberland Vase which is a consolation race for those horses that didn’t get into the Plate, the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes and a good 6-furlong handicap on ITV.

The other televised meeting is at Newmarket where three Class 1 races are covered and unless we get some rain before the weekend, which is unlikely, the ground will be like concrete. Perhaps they would like to race on Tapeta! Here are my thoughts on this week’s racing and Saturday’s Lucky Fifteen.

Newcastle Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.50 Tommy De Vito
2.25 Ebro River
3.00 Reverend Hubert
3.30 Rajinsky
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365

For this week’s Lucky Fifteen I shall concentrate on the card at Newcastle and the first televised race is at 1.50 the Pertemps Network Handicap run over 6 furlongs. The top weight here is Michael Appleby’s Ayr Harbour, an all-weather specialist, but he hasn’t won for 18 months and has plenty of weight here.

Joint top weight is Iain Jardine’s Abolish who ran a fair third here at Gosforth Park last December but this is his first run of this year.

Kevin Ryan’s Sound Reason won last month at Haydock and is a previous winner here at Newcastle last year. He is a consistent sort and should hit the frame.

Tipperary Tiger is very low in the handicap and Kevin Burke’s charge was victorious earlier this month at Hamilton but makes a big step up in class.

Charles Hills’ Tommy De Vito makes the most appeal. He was a disappointing favourite in April at Doncaster but goes well on the all-weather having won here back in 2020, he can add to his tally.

At 2.25 it is the Pertemps Network Chipchase Stakes, a Group 3 six-furlong sprint. William Haggas’s Sense of Duty is likely to go off favourite here after winning both her starts this year. She won at Redcar in April and then just got home in a Listed contest at Haydock in May. Added to this, she has her sex and weight-for-age allowance making her the one to beat.

Archie Watson’s Glen Shiel loves it round here having won three times at the course but he disappointed last year and this year hasn’t gone exactly to plan.

Spycatcher is another who has spluttered after winning at Lingfield on the all-weather in February. His run last time at Haydock last month must have been particularly disappointing for trainer Kevin Burke.

Kevin Ryan has a strong hand with Magical Spirit and Bielsa but the pair are basically handicappers.

My preference is for Hugo Palmer’s Ebro River who although only a 3-year-old he has plenty of experience, he was a Group 1 winner last year and has been highly tried this season and been a beaten favourite on both occasions, he can justify Palmer’s faith in him.

The JenningsBet Northumberland Vase is at 3.00 run at just over 2 miles as a consolation race for those who were unable to run in the Plate. The favourite and top weight here is Keith Dalgleish’s Evaluation who has been a revelation this year winning four on the bounce but he steps up in class here and added to that he has a 5lbs penalty.

Ian Williams’s Zealandia is another with a penalty after winning at York a fortnight ago but he may well still be placed.

Adam Nicol’s Wise Eagle latest run at Chester can be forgiven as he lost a shoe in running. He was a course winner in March but steps up in trip here.

Richard Hannon’s Reverend Hubert could be the answer here. He has won at Doncaster and on the all-weather at Chelmsford but disappointed in a hot handicap at Newmarket earlier this month. He is stepping up in class here but the Vase is not as competitive as the plate.

So we come to the big race of the day- the JenningsBet Northumberland Plate Handicap at 3.30 again at just over 2 miles. The big story here is Alan King’s Trueshan being asked to haul 10st 8lbs around Gosforth Park, that’s 19lbs more than his nearest rival and 30lbs more than the bottom weight. He is the class horse in the race as all his Group victories prove. However, he could only manage a sixth-place this last year and I fear something similar again.

Moving to the other end of the handicap, Andrew Balding’s Valley Forge is highly fancied. He won at Haydock last month and he will be meeting several of the opponents he defeated there in this contest. I expect him to run well again and be in the shake-up.

I fancied Bandinelli trained by Charlie Appleby in that Haydock race and since then he has run poorly at Ascot. He reverts to the all-weather to try and change his fortunes.

Andrew Balding’s Spirit Mixer is having a great season but the step up in trip could be a problem.

My preference is for Hugo Palmer’s Chester Cup third Rajinsky who previously won at Ripon. The addition of a top-class 5lb claimer aboard heightens my faith in Palmer’s gelding.

Newcastle Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.50 Tommy De Vito
2.25 Ebro River
3.00 Reverend Hubert
3.30 Rajinsky
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365

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