Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
Personally, this is my favourite Saturday of racing throughout the year with Haydock staging their only Group 1 of the season, the Sprint Cup, and ITV are certainly going to town at the Merseyside course by showing no fewer than five of the races on the card.
Backing up the Sprint Cup is a Listed 2-year-old race and a Group 3-mile contest where the Queen’s Reach For The Moon returns to racing after his second in the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The Haydock meeting is backed up by two fine handicaps from Ascot and a Group 3 plus another handicap from Kempton on the all-weather. So nine races in all being televised.
This means I have plenty to get my teeth into this week and am spoilt for choice which races to put in the Lucky Fifteen but I have looked for the best value and here are my thoughts.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
3.10 Ascot. Tactical
3.45 Ascot. Night Of Luxury
2.55 Haydock. Rajinsky
3.30 Haydock. Naval Crown
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
I will begin at Ascot with the 3.10 the National Racehorse Week Handicap run over 7 furlongs. The current favourite is James Fanshawe’s Fresh who won last time out here at Ascot in July beating several of the opponents he faces here and I expect him to run well despite a 4lbs penalty for that victory.
One of the horses he beat that day, Documenting, has since come out and won at Newbury for trainer Kevin Frost but he is another who has risen in the weights.
Clive Cox has a really strong hand here with River Nymph, Aratus and Dance Fever in the lineup and any of the three are capable of winning this with probably Dance Fever having the best chance after his second to Documenting at Newbury.
Charlie Appleby’s Silent Film has been disappointing since returning from the Middle East in the spring. He won twice there earlier in the year but has shown little since coming back to the UK.
Andrew Balding trains Tactical for The Queen and although he has disappointed this season he won a Listed race here at Ascot as a 2-year-old.
The booking of Ryan Moore should be noted and I expect him to go close. But he was beaten in the Royal meeting by Inver Park who ran on well.
George Boughey’s horses are running well and his Goodwood run last time can be forgiven as he had a bad draw. However, Tactical is 6lbs better off than he was in June and between the two he just gets the nod.
The Lavazza Stakes, a 1m 4f contest for 3-year-olds is at 3.45 and this race looks to be about Charlie Appleby who has thrown the kitchen sink at it. He has the top three in the handicap with Wild Crusade at top weight who was a course and distance winner in July but he disappointed at York last month.
Next in the weights is Blue Trail who ran a fine second at Goodwood in July but he has only ever won on the all-weather.
Third in the handicap is First Ruler who was a winner here at Ascot in July but is stepping up both in class and distance.
Saeed Bin Suroor’s Night Of Luxury has won three of his last four and by far the best of those victories was last time out at Newmarket in early August where he kept on well when challenged.
John and Thady Gosden have Frantastic in the lineup who won well at Newbury last month but this is a major step up in class.
Tom Ward has decided to drop Double Cherry back in trip after he flopped at Haydock in July. That was after a good win at Goodwood the previous month but this is much tougher.
I will mention Alice Haynes’s Sandstorm who won a lowly contest on the all-weather at Chelmsford on his UK debut in August after coming over from France. He could hit the frame at a nice price but it’s Night Of Luxury for me.
Moving north to the great meeting at Haydock I will start with the 2.55, the Betfair Exchange Old Borough Cup Handicap run over 1m 6f. The two top weights are both previous winners of this prestigious race, Jim Goldie’s Euchen Glen has top weight and won this in 2020 and the stable’s star has won several Group races. However, he has not won this season and has plenty of weight here.
The 2018 winner was Reshoun and Ian Williams’s charge is still running well as an 8-year-old. He won at Newbury in July and ran well to be third at York last time but again weight is a problem.
The bottom weight is William Haggas’s Soulcombe and he is in a rich vein of form with three wins from his last four outings the latest of which was at York in August. He is sure to go very close.
Keith Dalgleish’s Evaluation won four times earlier in the season. He stepped up in class last time and ran second. He steps up once again.
Haliphon has a fine chance for Ian Williams. He won in June and July then ran disappointingly at Hamilton in August. If he shows that previous form he will go close.
But my preference is for Hugo Palmer’s Rajinsky who won at Ripon in April and since then has been racing at distances over 2 miles. He drops back in trip here and is my selection.
We come to the big race of the day, the Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes at 3.30 run over a sharp straight 6 furlongs. Kevin Ryan’s Emeraaty Ana is back to try and retain the crown he won last year but his form this year has left a lot to be desired despite his third in the Nunthorpe.
Tim Easterby’s Art Power has had only one run this year where he ran fourth in a 7f race. This drop back in trip against these 6f specialists does not bode well.
Owen Burrows’ Minzaal will take all the beating after his Group 3 victory at Newbury and his fine second in a Group 1 in France.
Ralph Beckett’s Kinross is a 7f specialist and despite his fine form at that distance, I cannot see him bringing that to a 6f Group 1.
I am enthralled with Charlie Appleby’s Naval Crown who won the Platinum Jubilee at Royal Ascot then was only headed in the final furlong in the July Cup at Newmarket. His run in France can be forgiven and the break since then will have done him the world of good – he can defeat Minzaal once again.
I must also mention Hugo Palmer’s Flaming Rib who has been primed for this race since winning at Doncaster last October.
Palmer’s boss Michael Owen loves to win at his local courses Chester and Haydock and Flaming Rib can hit the frame at a nice price.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
3.10 Ascot. Tactical
3.45 Ascot. Night Of Luxury
2.55 Haydock. Rajinsky
3.30 Haydock. Naval Crown
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
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