Our expert provides his best bets from the action at Newmarket and Newbury.
NEWMARKET
I’m looking forward to Betway’s sponsored day at Newmarket and there are some decent punting opportunities on the card.
Godolphin’s AURUM should win race two at 14.40. He won well at the Craven meeting over course and distance, and is a confident selection with an in-form trainer and jockey.
Juvenile fillies stepping up to six furlongs feature in the 15.50, and there isn’t much form on offer. Of those that have seen a racecourse, QUEEN SHAAHD looked as though she would improve for a slightly longer trip when seen on debut.
Three-year-old fillies stepping up to a 1m4f trip are the order of the day in the 17.00. I think outsiders OUTLANE and SNAX have been written off too readily after running over inadequate trips, based on their breeding. At such big prices they should both be backed each-way.
NEWBURY
The 15.40 at Newbury is the feature race of the day, the Group 1 Lockinge over a mile.
LANCASTER BOMBER has only won once in 16 starts and enters this race off the back of 14 straight defeats. Admittedly, that is hardly banker bet material, but I think there is a definite case to make Aidan O’Brien’s four-year-old a great each-way bet.
He’s fit from an outing in Dubai and is now back on going with ‘firm’ in the description.
That’s a significant factor. He hasn’t ever been beaten by more than 2.5 lengths with firm anywhere in the going, with four of those runs runner-up efforts in Group 1 races over a mile.
He looks a fantastic bet to place in the top three at least. Who knows? He might just shock them all.
CARDSHARP is sensibly moved back in trip for Mark Johnston in the Newbury opener at 13.50.
He could bounce back after two disappointing runs at the start of the season over trips and ground conditions that sapped stamina.
With nine scheduled runners he is another horse that represents a decent each-way bet at the Berkshire track.
The 16.15 at Newbury is named after former Richard Hannon stable star Olympic Glory.
The Hannon stable have won this in both of the last two years but their It’s The Only Way looks up against it on previous form. BARBILL from the Mick Channon stable won on debut and there could be more to come at a nice price.
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