Saturday's Horse Racing Preview & Tips- 03rd May 2025

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

It’s the weekend of the first Classics of the season with the 2000Gns on Saturday and the 1000Gns on Sunday. Saturday’s race looks like one of the best Guineas in recent years, and the excellent field should give us a race to savour.

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The rest of the Newmarket card is pretty good too, with a Group 3 and a pair of Class 2 Heritage Handicaps. This is backed up with two further races, a Class 1 Listed race from Goodwood and the Class 2 Hunt Cup Handicap from Thirsk.

So plenty to look forward to with Classic action and some good handicap racing, and here are my thoughts and this week’s Lucky Fifteen.

Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.35 Thirsk. Our Havana
1.45 Newmarket. Lethal Levi
2.20 Newmarket. Fox Legacy
3.35 Newmarket. Ruling Court
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365

I will begin at Thirsk with the 2.35, the Thirsk Hunt Cup Handicap. This is a Class 2 contest run over a mile. Top weight is Michael Dods’ Northern Express, who ran a disappointing 5th here at Thirsk in April on his seasonal reappearance. He won this in 2023, but has 5 lbs more here than when scoring that victory.

Tim Easterby’s Cruyff Turn won a Class 4 at Redcar last week. He has gone up the handicap since that win.

Julie Camacho’s Obelix came back after a 7-month break to finish a good 4th here at Thirsk last month in a Class 4 race. More is required.

Dianne Sayer’s Redarna won this in 2022, and he claimed two victories last season. However, he is now 11 years old.

I prefer Richard Fahey’s Our Havana, who has won three times already this year, twice on the all-weather and latterly at Musselburgh last month in a Class 2. He is fancied to continue his progression.

Moving south to HQ and the first televised race from Newmarket is the 1.45, the Betfred Handicap a 6 furlong Class 2 contest. The top weight is Karl Burke’s Lethal Levi, who ran 3rd here in mid-April. That was a Group 3 race, and this drop back to handicap company should be noted. He won three times last season and seems to go best on good/firm going.

Andrew Balding’s Purosangue disappointed last season when highly tried. He started this term by running 4th on the all-weather. Better is expected.

Tom Ward’s Woodhay Wonder ran third on her seasonal reappearance over this course and distance last month, but she has previously won four times here, including twice last spring. She has every chance.

The horse that beat her last time is William Haggas’s More Thunder, who won going away but has a 5lb penalty for that win and may prefer some cut in the ground.

The horse that split those two was Richard Hannon’s Aramram, who was only headed over the last 100 yards. He has run second on the last three occasions, and I cannot see him improving on that here.

I must mention David O’Meara’s stalwart 8-year-old Aberama Gold, a 12-time winner. He has now dropped down the handicap, but has the ability to be placed. However, I take Lethal Levi to be successful.

The 2.20 is the Betfred Suffolk Stakes, a Class 2 Heritage Handicap run over 1m 1f. Top weight and one of the favourites is Charlie Appleby’s Arabian Light, who has been wintering in Dubai and was successful there in February, adding to last season’s two wins.

Harry Charlton’s Hand Of God is also highly fancied. He only ran twice last season and won on both occasions. This tells me he is a delicate animal and is hard to get right, so I oppose him.

William Haggas’s Approval won twice last year. His final victory was at Goodwood in August on good/firm, and I fancy him to be placed.

I like the look of Andrew Balding’s Fox Legacy, who won at Salisbury last year on firm going and seems to go well fresh. So he gets my vote.

Finally, we come to the Betfred 2000 Guineas Stakes, which is a Group 1 run over Newmarket’s undulating straight mile. The warm favourite here is John and Thady Gosden’s Field Of Gold, who comes here after winning over this course and distance in the Craven Stakes in mid-April. That was a fine performance as he romped home by over 3 lengths. However, his 2-year-old form shows he is not unbeatable, as he was beaten on two occasions. So he can be opposed.

Second to Field Of Gold in the Craven was James Owen’s Wimbledon Hawkeye, who was a course and distance winner last September, and if the track gets any rain, he can give the favourite a race.

Aidan O’Brien sends over Expanded, who is having his first run of the season. He won at The Curragh last October, then came over here to Newmarket and was just beaten a neck later that month on soft going.

The horse that defeated him was Charlie Appleby’s Shadow Of Light, who was winning for the fourth time in the season, including twice at Newmarket. He is sure to go well.

But my preference is for Appleby’s other runner, Ruling Court, who cost an eye-watering €2.3 million. He impressed when winning at Sandown in July, but disappointed at York, when he was sweaty and edgy beforehand. Since then, he has won a Listed race at Meydan and is my selection to take this.

Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.35 Thirsk. Our Havana
1.45 Newmarket. Lethal Levi
2.20 Newmarket. Fox Legacy
3.35 Newmarket. Ruling Court
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365

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