Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
Two meetings to look forward to this week at Newmarket and Haydock, with the main betting race of the day being the Cambridgeshire at HQ, where there have been some massive priced winners over the last four years with the successful horses coming home at 20/1, 25/1, 40/1 and 40/1.
The rest of Newmarket’s televised card consists of four 2-year-old races where next year’s stars will be strutting their stuff, but these are races where the market on the day gives the best pointers. So I will pass them over.
The other televised meeting is at Haydock Park, from where two handicaps are shown. However, at 2.40, there is a 6-furlong sprint that I’m hoping ITV Racing will show a recording of. So I have decided to put it in this week’s Lucky Fifteen. Here are my thoughts on this week’s selections.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.30 Haydock. Whiskey Pete
2.40 Haydock. Woven
3.15 Haydock. Jer Batt
3.40 Newmarket. Under Siege
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
I will begin at Haydock with the 1.30 the Sky Bet For The Fans Handicap, this is a Class 2 contest run over one mile. Joint top weight here is David O’Meara’s Rhoscolyn who won at Epsom in May but has been unsuccessful in four outings since, he has plenty of weight.
The other at the top of the handicap is George Boughey’s Raadobarg, who is a past course and distance winner but has shown very little to commend him this season.
Roger Varian’s Dashing Darcy was a c+d winner on his penultimate start but that was a Class 4 race, this is much tougher.
Skipper won a Class 5 at Chelmsford last month for trainer Tom Clover, he had previously run second in a similar contest at Southwell. He is unproven on turf.
Ralph Beckett’s Whiskey Pete could be the answer here. He won a Class 2 last year and showed improvement with a second place at Ascot earlier this month also the drop back in trip may help.
The 2.40 is the Pride Of Racing Handicap, this is a Class 3 sprint run over 6 furlongs. Adrian Keatley’s Wobwobwob has been running in better classes of race than this and was last seen at Ripon last month in a Class 2, where he was not disgraced when finishing a good 5th, but he has plenty of weight.
Richard Hughes’s Knebworth is a course and distance winner and has run consistently well this term. He was second here last month then ran a creditable 3rd at Doncaster. I expect him to go close here.
Michael Dods’s Woven was second to Knebworth in March at Doncaster but is 11 lbs better off here and maybe weighted to win this.
John & Sean Quinn’s Mr Wagyu drops back to Class 3 company for only the second time this season. He was 9th in the Ayr Silver Cup last week and, prior to that, was last of 17 at Ripon. His form has fallen off a cliff and he comes to this Class 3 to try and regain some of his earlier season form.
Kevin Frost’s Harry’s Halo won a Class 5 at Windsor last week and has been running well in that class this year. He may be placed at a big price but it’s Woven for me.
The My Pension Expert Handicap is at 3.15, and this 5-furlong sprint is a Class 2 contest. Favourite and top weight is William Haggas’s Wiltshire who is 2 from 3 this season. He has not been seen since June when he won on the all-weather at Newcastle. He will want plenty of give in the ground.
Karl Burke’s Silky Wilkie was a fine second in the Ayr Gold Cup last week at a huge price. That sort of form would see him go close here.
I like Gemma Tutty’s Blue Storm, who won at Epsom in June. He disappointed on his latest outing in a Listed race at Beverley last month.
Tim Easterby’s 10-year-old Hyperfocus turns up here after two wins at Chester this year. In his latest run last week, he was second at the same course, but despite having won over 5 furlongs at Ripon last year, he is really a 6-furlong horse.
My preference is for David & Nichola Barron’s Jer Batt who ran second here at Haydock earlier this month. Prior to that, he beat the very good American Affair here in early August, who went on to win the Portland at Doncaster a couple of weeks ago. Jer Batt can go one better than last time.
Finally, we move south to Newmarket and the big betting race of the day at 3.40, the bet365 Cambridgeshire (Heritage Handicap). This Class 2 handicap is run over 1m 1f on the Rowley course.
Looking at the past eight runnings of this prestigious race, it certainly appears that a high draw is very beneficial. So I feel the winner will come from that side of the stalls.
Here there has been a lot of support this week for Emmett Mullins’s This Songisforyou, who won a handicap at the Curragh two weeks ago. As the Irish trainers have been hoovering up the prize money from our top handicaps, I can understand their enthusiasm. However, Mullins’s charge does not have the best of draws, Stall 17 out of 35.
Karl Burke had the first three in the big handicap at Ayr last week. He has the top weight here with Liberty Lane, who was second at Doncaster a fortnight ago. He is a course and distance winner but has a terrible draw in Stall 4.
John & Thady Gosden run the fancied Roi de France, who is stepping up in class after winning a lowly contest at Windsor and finishing second at Yarmouth earlier this month. He is well drawn in Stall 25, but an improvement is required.
Another of the Irish raiders is Mrs John Harrington’s Norwalk Havoo who ran a fine second at Galway in July. He is sure to go close from Stall 26.
Small trainer Ray Craggs is hoping for his biggest ever win with Ron O who has won several Class 4s in the North, then he won a Class 2 at York in June and has not been disgraced running in that class since. He has a good chance to make the fairytale come true from Stall 37.
A big outsider with a good chance is Jack Channon’s Majestic from Stall 36, but I am going to nail my colours to the mast with another highly drawn outsider.
Andrew Balding’s Under Siege is only a 3-year-old who won his maiden at Chelmsford in August after some earlier close finishes. He had his first run in a handicap later that month at Chester. He missed the break but was running on at the end on a track that didn’t suit his style. I hope to be cheering him home from Stall 35.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.30 Haydock. Whiskey Pete
2.40 Haydock. Woven
3.15 Haydock. Jer Batt
3.40 Newmarket. Under Siege
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
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