Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
ITV Racing features action from three courses this week. They are the length and breadth of the country and Haydock, York and Goodwood look like providing some great action.
In the South East, Goodwood has two races being televised- a Listed race and a top-class handicap.
The couple being shown from York feature a Group 2 and a handicap, while the main meeting is in the North-West where Haydock has five races on offer with two Group 2’s and three handicaps.
Added to these, ITV will also show the Irish 2000 Gns from the Curragh, making it a very busy Saturday with ten races being shown all together. So here are my thoughts for the best value for this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.25 Haydock. Defence Of Fort
3.30 Haydock. Happy Romance
2.05 Goodwood. Classic
2.40 York. Chipstead
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning at what promises to be a very sunny Haydock Park with the 2.25 the Betfred Silver Bowl Handicap, a one-mile contest for 3-year-olds. John and Thady Gosden have the favourite here with Covey who goes for a hat-trick after wins at Newmarket and Newcastle which were both easy victories. However, he meets better horses here after stepping up in class.
Charlie Johnson’s Killybegs Warrior comes here after two wins last season on the July course at Newmarket. His latest run was in the Dante at York where he was a creditable sixth at 100/1.
Edward Bethell’s grey colt James McHenry has already won twice this season and has shown he is moving up in class, he can be placed here.
Richard Fahey’s Gincident has been busy this year winning three times. However, he is not up to this class.
Peter Chappell-Hyam’s Defence Of Fort won on firm going at Ascot last July then contested two Group 3 races. He drops back to handicap company and should get the going he prefers to take this.
At 3.30 it is the Betfred Temple Stakes, a five-furlong Group 2 sprint where Roger Varian’s The Platinum Queen is the likely favourite. She was a fine winner of the Abbaye at Longchamp on Arc Day but she is unlikely to find that soft going here on her first run of the season. That said, she won twice last July on good/firm going, she is sure to go close.
Karl Burke’s Dramatised won two sprints last season then ran a fine second in the Breeders Cup she gets the fillies allowance and is having her first run of the year.
Adam West’s Live In The Dream won on the all-weather at Lingfield in March before going on to win at Pontefract the following month. His fine second at Newmarket earlier this month showed he has class and he had several of the rivals he meets here behind him that day.
Richard Hannon’s Happy Romance won a Listed race at Bath last month and she is a proven winner in Group company, including a fine win on good/firm against the colts at Newbury last July and she is my selection here.
At Goodwood, the 2.05 is the William Hill Harroways Handicap, a 7-furlong contest for 3-year-olds on this quirky course. Top weight is Clive Cox’s Ancestral Land who won at Chepstow last year. This season he has only managed two fourth places and is unlikely to get the going he prefers.
You have to like Paul and Oliver Cole’s Yacowlef after his win at Newmarket earlier this month also he is a course winner having won here last October. However, he meets better horses here.
John and Thady Gosden’s Bresson comes here after a pretty indifferent season last year winning just once in six attempts, more is required.
The bookies’ choice is William Haggas’s Tafreej who ran third at Newbury last month where he finished over two lengths in front of Richard Hannon’s Dark Thirty. He should confirm those placings.
The second horse that day was another Hannon horse, Hectic, who is now 5lbs worse off to Tafreej so is expected to reverse those placings.
But my preference is for another Hannon colt Classic who has had the benefit of having run over this course when he was second last summer. From that, he went on to win at Newmarket. He needed the run last time at Newbury and will improve for that.
The final race of the Lucky Fifteen is the 2.40 at York the William Hill Epic Boost Handicap a 5 furlong sprint. Tim Easterby’s 9-year-old Copper Knight turns out as usual for a York sprint after six victories at The Knavesmire. He can be placed at a big price.
Top weight and favourite is Karl Burke’s Korker who ran a good second at the Dante meeting. However, he may be susceptible to one of those lower down the handicap. Ruth Carr sends Reigning Profit here after his three wins in Class 5 contests this season. This is a massive step up in class.
Anthony Britain’s Mondammej is not the horse he was two years ago and has not won since.
David O’Meara’s Alligator Alley returns to the course where he won a Listed race back in 2019. He can be placed at a nice price.
My idea of the winner is Roger Teal’s Chipstead who won twice last season and was disqualified from first place on another occasion. He raced on unsuitable ground on his seasonal reappearance but he should get the ground he prefers here.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.25 Haydock. Defence Of Fort
3.30 Haydock. Happy Romance
2.05 Goodwood. Classic
2.40 York. Chipstead
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
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