The ITV cameras will be at HQ for the third day of the Cambridgeshire Meeting on Saturday, 26th September, with seven races covered from Newmarket and Haydock.
We have gone through all televised races on ITV this Saturday, picking out ITV horse racing tips, and an accumulator for ITV racing.
ITV’s coverage from Newmarket on Saturday gets underway with the Jersey Lily Fillies Nursery Handicap. Cases can be made for many of the runners involved, but the trends indicate looking for horses rated between 75 and 85, while top-weighted runners have a poor record in the race.
Next Of Kin could be of interest for the William Haggas and Tom Marquand combination, with the two-year-old beaten just three lengths by Silver Sovereign in a hot Nursery Handicap at Newbury last time, and was well-backed on the day.
The Kingman filly has already won over six furlongs, and should be primed for a better run on this second attempt over seven furlongs after being short of racing room on her latest effort.
The first of two races from Haydock this Saturday is a handicap over a mile. First-time headgear could have the desired impact for Eternal Force for the William Haggas team, with Cieren Fallon booked aboard.
The four-year-old wasn’t beaten far in the Sir Kevin Sinfield 7 in 7 Grand Finale Handicap at York last month.
A return to Haydock should suit, having won over course and distance in October last year. Looks back on a workable mark for connections that boast a reliable strike-rate at the track.
The first Group race from Newmarket on Saturday is the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes, a notable springboard to Guineas glory for Bow Echo 12 months ago.
First Law got the better of Rocket Boy in the Ascendant Stakes at the start of September, but that race on testing ground could have left a mark on both. Quest For Stars would be of interest, but running just 14 days ago would be a concern, though the drop back in distance is a plus.
Therefore, Quicken Away could be an interesting angle for the Andrew Balding yard. The two-year-old should be two-from-two, but was narrowly denied on debut when slow away and running greenly throughout when beaten a neck by King High at Newbury in August.
He made amends on his second start, landing a Maiden Stakes at Goodwood more comfortably than the one-length winning margin over Royal Acclamation suggested. Still looks to be improving, and the Balding yard has won the Royal Lodge on two occasions since 2014.
The second of the races from Haydock this Saturday is the William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap, run over five furlongs. Previous course and distance winner Trilby could be an interesting angle for the in-form Sam England yard.
The six-year-old was only beaten two lengths in last weekend’s Silver Cup Trophy at Ayr, but a return to five furlongs and a track that he likes could see him get his nose back in front. He was a winner over the distance at Beverley in August, and was second over course and distance at the start of the month.
Next up from Newmarket is the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes, run over a distance of six furlongs by fillies aged two.
Sun Goddess has been in red-hot form throughout the summer and was devastating when she landed the Group One Moyglare Stakes at the Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend. Has won on four straight starts since Royal Ascot, but a rematch of the Group Three Albany Stakes with Libertango makes for fascinating viewing.
However, Senorita Bonita could take the Group One. The two-year-old was narrowly beaten in the Group Two Queen Mary, before landing back-to-back wins when stepped up to six furlongs. Held off Libertango to land the Group Two Duchess of Cambridge Stakes last time, despite blowing the start and being hampered in the opening couple of furlongs.
She still looked green going through the line as she drifted left. However, she was much more professional last time when landing the Group One Prix Morny by a yawning four-length margin from Carry The Flag. Substance to that form, with the third, fourth, and fifth having won at least a Group Three.
The final Group race from Newmarket on Saturday is the Group One Middle Park Stakes, run over a distance of seven furlongs by two-year-old colts. Last-time-out winners have won nine of the last 12 editions, which is detrimental to the chances of Confucius, Hell Of A Spin, and Orthodox.
After winning each of the last two editions, Charlie Appleby-trained Inner City Blues should be respected. However, the nod goes to Michael O’Callaghan-trained Push The Boat Out.
The two-year-old has won on back-to-back starts at the Curragh over six furlongs, beating highly regarded Aidan O’Brien-trained runners Marco Polo and Great Barrier Reef in successive starts.
The latest of his wins came in the Group Three Round Tower Stakes when he stayed on gamely to see off the challenger. By Kodi Bear, who has produced notable group-winning juveniles including Lifeplan, Leovanni, and Go Bears Go.
The feature of the meeting at Newmarket this week is the Cambridgeshire Handicap, run over a distance of a mile and a furlong. As expected, a red-hot betting heat is expected, with the betting headlined by Gavriel and Indalo.
However, there has only been one winning favourite of the race in the last 12 years, and the victor has only been in the top three in the betting on two occasions. Horses rated between 94 and 107 have won 10 of the previous 12 editions, while nine of the winners over the same period have carried 9-5 or less.
Notably, eight of the victors over the same period have also made at least one start at Newmarket. Other notable trends include horses that have won at least twice (11/12), runners that have made at least three starts this season (11/12), and selections that have run within the last 37 days (11/12).
Therefore, St Anton and Urban Lion are notable outsiders to consider. The latter is the main play, representing the Jack Channon yard. The five-year-old has run well without threatening his mark in big handicaps throughout the season, getting his nose in front in March when beating Rogue Diplomat by a nose at Doncaster.
Has Newmarket experience, having finished ninth and just six lengths behind Boiling Point in this race 12 months ago. A lively each-way contender.
