Saturday Tipping - Ascot, York and Newmarket

The Darley July Cup this Saturday at Newmarket is the showpiece of a great weekend of racing. In addition to the famous sprint we have a great supporting card at Newmarket and good racing from York, Ascot, Chester, Hamilton and Salisbury.

Our first selection is in the July Cup itself where I’ve gone for DELEGATOR, who seeks to provide race sponsors Darley with their first victory in this Group One contest. I was fortunate to witness his win in the Group Three Duke of York Stakes last time out in person and he was scintillating. The ground was the key that day, and he clearly loves it as firm as possible. He was pulled out of the Golden Jubilee due to the ground going soft and that enforced break may be another factor that works in his favour here.

The John Smiths Cup is run at York Saturday and is another tough, competitive handicap with a strong field. The standout is PEKAN STAR, a horse who may be a group class horse masquerading as a handicapper. He blitzed a field of 15 last time out at York in his first run in a year. He should come on a fair bit for that run, as much of Roger Varian’s string do, and, in my opinion, he may be several steps ahead of the handicapper and could turn out to be pretty special.

CITYSCAPE ran an absolutely blinder to get just three lengths of two of the best milers in the world when finishing third to Goldikova and Canford Cliffs in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. He looks like he should have conditions to suit in order to finally get his nose ahead this season at Ascot on Saturday.

He has been rather unlucky this season, and has not had his ideal soft ground. That looks set to change with showers forecast. Last year he posted wins in Listed and Group races and is highly thought of by trainer Roger Charlton. He runs against Dick Turpin, who has beaten him already, once more but I think he can get the better this time, with Turpin running poorly in the Lockinge Stakes and then finishing last of nine at Longchamp in the interim. Cityscape is on an upward curve and could make all under recent Group One winning jockey Pat Cosgrave.

3.15 York – Pekan Star

3.35 Newmarket – Delegator (Nap)

3.45 Ascot – Cityscape

The Yorkshireman – Jack Milner

Saturday 11th June - Calm before the storm at York, Chester and Sandown

It feels like the calm before the storm as we approach the week of mouth watering action that is Royal Ascot, but the quality racing keeps coming thick and fast, and even in a week where it is sandwiched between The Epsom meeting and Royal Ascot, racing on Saturday I still that of the utmost quality, with fine meetings at Newbury, York and Chester.

Andrew Balding has started the season in fantastic form and one of is leading handicap hopeful’s is OPERA GAL, who run’s in the 3:55 at Chester, which is a class two handicap. The filly has been nothing but progressive over the last two years, being the model of consistency. She has finished fourth and second in her two outings this year, and got backed off the boards at Doncaster last time out, and the ease that has come in the ground in the last few days should be in her favour to push her over the finishing line in first.

With stay with the Balding yard to move to York for the 3:15, another class two handicap, where it looks like DESERT LAW is one who is on the upgrade and has plenty more potential than his current handicap mark. He made his debut in handicap company two weeks ago, and looked for all the winner, before being narrowly held by Majestic Myles at Newmarket. He should come on greatly for the run, as was his first run for 225 days. As mentioned, the yard is in flying form, and stable jockey Jimmy Fortune is booked in the saddle.

THE CONFESSOR goes at Sandown for Henry Candy, and has a tremendous record when fresh. He has run twice when having a 85 day absence or more, and returns to seven furlongs, where he is two from three, with his only loss coming after running with only a seven day break, which clearly does not suit the horse. Henry usually has his horses fit and ready to go, which should mean he has every chance whilst running against potentially rust horses.

2.55 Sandown – The Confessor

3.15 York – Desert Law

3.55 Chester – Opera Gal