Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
There are two cracking summer meetings to look forward to on ITV Racing this Saturday, with Haydock and Sandown being televised and both courses offering top-class action.
At Sandown, there is a real mixture of handicap, listed race, Group 3, and Group 1 Coral-Eclipse. The red-hot favourite for the Eclipse is this year’s Derby winner, City Of Troy, who bids to become only the fifth horse to compete in this double following such immortals as Mill Reef, Nashwan, See The Stars and Golden Horn.
But which City Of Troy will turn up? The brilliant Derby winner or the 2000Gns flop? My bet is the former, but it will be exciting watching O’Brien’s superstar in action.
Meanwhile,, there are three televised races from Haydock, a Group 2 and two handicaps, one of which is the top-class Old Newton Cup. This handicap is one of the highlights of the summer at the North-West track. It attracts all the top trainers with their best horses, and this year is no exception.
I have looked through the seven races for the best value, and here are my thoughts and this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.50 Sandown. Twilight Calls
2.25 Sandown. Two Tempting
2.05 Haydock. Wild Waves
3.15 Haydock. Iron Lion
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning at Sandown with the 1.50 the Coral Charge, a Group 3 race run over a sharp 5 furlongs. Adam West’s Live In The Dream looks to be a pretty warm favourite here, but after his disappointing run at Haydock last month when she stumbled leaving the stalls and then lost several places in the last furlong. I am of the mind she can be beaten once again.
Jack Channon’s Desperate Hero is upped in grade after two handicap wins this season, but more is required here.
Charalambous and Clutterbuck’s Apollo One has run a string of places over the last two seasons, but the best form he can show is a Listed race win from three years ago, which is surely not good enough for this.
Ed Walker’s Makarova was second in this race last year and ran a fine second in a Group 3 at Longchamp in May. She can go close here.
But Makarova was only 7th in a Group 1 at Royal Ascot, and one place in front of her was Henry Candy Twilight Calls, who had previously been a close-up 4th at Newmarket in May, beaten just 3/4 length behind the winner. He can gain his first Group win here.
Sandown’s 2.25 is the Coral Challenge, a Class 2 handicap run over a mile. Charles Hills’s Cicero’s Gift won two handicaps last season then ran in a Group 1 at Ascot in June last year. He has not been out since and has obviously had his troubles, so he is best watched.
Currently, the bookies’ favourite is Roger Varian’s Perotto, who won this race last season, then went to Ascot last August and won a handicap there. His only run this season was in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot, where he was a fine 3rd. He is expected to go well.
Karl Burke’s Holloway Boy was 5th in the Hunt Cup. He won a Listed race two years ago but has been unsuccessful since.
Point Lynas won at York in May for trainer Edward Bethell but disappointed in June at Haydock finishing 7th. More is required.
Jonathan Portman’s Two Tempting was a winner here at Sandown three weeks ago, following on from a victory at Epsom in May, and he looks the one to beat.
Richard Hannon’s Classic was second behind Two Tempting here last month but is only 1lb better off and always looked held.
Moving north to Haydock, the 2.05 is the bet365 Handicap, a 1m 6f Class 2 contest for three-year-olds. William Haggas has won this race in three out of the last four seasons, and his entry this year is Dramatic Star, who won a Class 5 at Hamilton last month. More is required.
Charlie Johnson’s Align The Stars had been placed in all three of his runs this season but finally got his head in front at Thirsk last month in a Class 3, he can go well.
Fouroneohfever won his first four races this year then ran 4th when moved up to Class 2 at Royal Ascot. He can be at least placed.
Kevin de Foy’s Too Bossy For Us won a Class 3 at Ascot in March then disappointed at Thirsk last month after going off favourite in the race won by Align The Stars.
My preference is for Andrew Balding’s Wild Waves, who has won his last two, including a Class 2 at Doncaster at the beginning of last month. He can add to his tally here.
The big betting race of the day is Haydock’s 3.15 the bet365 Old Newton Cup a Class 2 handicap run over 1m 4f. Top weight is the Kubler’s Astro King, who won twice last season but has been unsuccessful this time around in four attempts. He moves up in trip to try to return to the winner’s enclosure.
Andrew Balding has two in the race, Teumessias Fox and Relentless Voyager. The former won at Kempton in January and has not run since March, and the latter won at Epsom in June and then ran third in a Listed race at York later in the month. Both have chances, but Relentless Voyager looks to have the better of the two.
David O’Meara’s Epic Poet ran a fine second at Royal Ascot last time, and if he shows that form once again, he will go very close.
William Haggas runs La Yakel who is having his first run of the season after finishing last year with a win at Doncaster and a second at York. He is well-fancied.
Edward Bethell’s Chillingham has been third on the last two occasions, but the trainer has sent his top jockey to ride here, and the horse is sure to win soon.
But I go along with another O’Meara horse, Iron Lion, who won at Doncaster in May and Haydock in June, then was disappointing at Ayr when beaten by Jim Goldie’s Euchen Glen, but he is 4lbs better off with that rival here.
So, in what promises to be an exciting contest with many rivals with chances, I take Iron Lion to take this over Relentless Voyager.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.50 Sandown. Twilight Calls
2.25 Sandown. Two Tempting
2.05 Haydock. Wild Waves
3.15 Haydock. Iron Lion
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
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