The horse racing broadcaster offers up his tips for Saturday's racing at Sandown and Newmarket, including his pick for the Betway Old Newton Cup.
Aidan O’Brien’s Group 1 domination is set to continue at Sandown tomorrow when Constitution River can cement his status as best three-year-old colt by winning the Coral Eclipse. His Dee Stakes victory has worked out well and he overcame a wide draw to win the French Derby. Hopefully a win here can set up a clash with Ombudsman later in the season.
Whilst he is too prohibitive a price to appeal as a betting proposition the remainder of the ITV coverage, now split between Sandown and Newmarket (as Haydock remains out of action), does offer a few who appeal, starting with RUMSTAR 11/4 (13:50 Sandown) who can repeat his victory of last season in the Charge. He gave Night Raider a bit too much rope in the Palace House on his return at Newmarket and once again found Group 1 company too hot at Ascot. Rumstar’s record in Group1 and 2 company is 0/9 but at Group 3 Level it reads 41671162, and he avoids the 3lb penalty he carried last season for winning the 2025 Palace House. He loves fast ground, this is much more his level, and he can once again defeat Shagraan who for a hold up horse has a tricky gate in stall 1.
No horse deserves a big handicap more than INDALO 7/2 (14:25 Sandown), just touched off in the Cambridgeshire last season and then first home in his group in the Hunt Cup, only to find two ahead of him on the favoured stands side. He continues to edge up the weights and may well need luck up the straight from stall 3, but in terms of overall form looks the pick. There is pace just inside him via River King in stall 2 and hopefully he can get a nice trail in. He certainly deserves a change of fortune.
Finally at Sandown SILENCIOSA 8/1 (15:00 Sandown) ran in the 1000 Guineas last time where she looked uncomfortable on the track and also was found wanting at Group 1 level. Her previous run in the Fred Darling has not worked out that well but she was unlucky on the day, having to switch to get a run and then being carried towards the centre of the track. With several taking a significant rise in grade and concerns about how tricky a ride Sacred Ground has become, she appeals at the prices given she only made her debut in December, and so has come a long way in a very short space of time.
At York’s Dante meeting no horse impressed more than KLASSLEADER 11/8 (15:15 Newmarket) who looked all over an Ebor type when guaranteeing himself a spot by landing the Jorvik handicap. William Haggas will have been plotting a path back from that August race and it is the Betway Old Newton Cup which he has alighted on as the next step on that road. The only concern is the moving of the race from Haydock to Newmarket where the undulations of the track are a query, but he is a fine looking horse with plenty of scope and it will be no surprise if he has made the transition to pattern company by this time next year.
Finally, ARC OLE OLE 7/4 (14:05 Newmarket) is another for whom things did not go according to plan at Ascot, doing best of the hold up horses in the King George V Handicap when he also had to wait for a run. His York victory looks very solid form and like Klassleader he could also be back there later in the season with the Melrose likely to be on connections agenda.
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