Please be aware that racing has been cancelled from Lingfield and Chelmsford on Saturday 17th December due to frozen ground.
The wonderful British weather dealt a hammer blow to last Saturday’s racing, with the excellent cards at Cheltenham and Doncaster biting the dust. It looks to be more of the same this weekend on the jumping scene, but thankfully ITV has acted in advance and will be sending the cameras to the all-weather destinations of Lingfield and Chelmsford.
That’s certainly good news for fans of flat racing, with a bumper eight televised contests on offer. The Listed Class Betuk Quebec Stakes at Lingfield is the highlight, but all eight races look competitive, making for an entertaining afternoon on the sofa. Eight races means eight winners to find, and here we give it our best shot in this week’s Saturday Racing Tips.
1:15 BetUK Over 40,000 Live Streamed Races Handicap
Class 5, 5f
The sprinters are first up, with a field of 10 declared for this five-furlong event – half of whom already boast a win over this course and distance. Mick’s Spirit looks just about the pick of that quintet on the back of a solid second here last time out. The Richard Hughes-trained three year old Bethersden Boy is another for the shortlist, with runners from that age bracket winning three of the past four editions of this.
It is however to the yard of Archie Watson to which we turn for our selection. Watson’s Corinthia Knight would likely have scooted clear of these in his prime, but the seven year old has shown precious little of late, and we fancy his stablemate Amor De Mi Vida is the one to be on. A winner last time out at Wolverhampton, he also caught the eye here in November, when stuck on the wide outside, but closing all the way to the line to be beaten a length and a quarter. He’s two pounds higher here, but that still puts him fully 17 pounds below his peak AW rating. Still only four years of age, he can go close under Hector Church.
1:50 BetUk’s Acca Club £5 Free Bet Handicap
Class 6, 6f
Admirable Lad is possibly the one to beat on current form, but his second-place finish last time out at Chelmsford came in a strange race run in extremely foggy conditions. Two pounds above his career-high winning mark, he looks short enough at around the 9/4 mark.
Take an each way chance instead on the consistent and reliable Real Estate from the yard of Michael Attwater. The seven year old recorded his most recent win over this track and trip in July when storming home late up the rail. That success came off a mark of 53, and following a string of so-so performances around Chelmsford, he has dropped back down to 52 ahead of this assignment.
2:05 2023 Membership Available Now Handicap
Class 6, 1m
Vitesse Du Son looks set to start a pretty warm order in the first of the day’s races from Chelmsford having won nicely at Wolverhampton last time. A six-pound hike may not be enough to stop him, but he hasn’t looked in love with this track in two previous efforts and looks a little risky at a short price.
Eagle Eyed Freddie is an obvious contender, but at around three times his price, we prefer an each-way punt on the dual course and distance winner, Lake Sand. This one can blow a little hot and cold, but is five pounds below his most recent winning mark, and suggested he may be ready to strike when beaten by only one and a half lengths here last time out, despite losing his position early and being forced to come very wide.
2:25 Top Odds Every Day With BetUk Handicap
Class 6, 1m4f
Ummsuquaim caused a 28/1 shock when scoring over this course and distance last time out, having been stepped up fully five furlongs in trip from her previous outing. With the cat now out of the bag, she looks set to start favourite here from a three-pound higher mark. She’s hard to fault, but at the likely prices, we will again be opting for an each-way alternative.
Savoy Brown finished seventh behind Ummsuquaim in the aforementioned event but was never able to gain a good position in the early and mid-part of the race and lacked the gears of the winner in the straight. With William Carson taking over in the saddle, he effectively gets a five-pound pull in the weights for a six-and-a-quarter length defeat which should bring him closer. Should Carson secure a good early position from stall four, he may well give the jolly something to think about.
2:40 Betsi Handicap
Class 5, 7f
Roger Varian’s Lord Paramount looks set to be the shortest-priced favourite on the TV card, having entered the winner’s enclosure for the first time over this trip at Wolves on his most recent outing. An opening mark of 70 certainly looks workable for his powerful yard on handicap debut. That said, it appeared a pretty weak novice event that day at Wolves and, at around the 4/6 mark, we are happy to let him win without carrying our cash.
An each-way play is the order of the day here, with Robert Eddery’s Silver Dollar being the one to get the vote. In two efforts over this course and distance, Silver Dollar has won off a mark of 64 and been beaten by three lengths off 67. Back down to 64 again now, and going in the first-time blinkers, he is taken to hit the frame at a double-figure price.
3:00 talkSPORT Winter Oaks Trial Irish EBF Fillies’ Handicap
Class 2, 1m2f
We stick to handicap company in the penultimate race from Lingfield but take a decent jump in class. Just the six go to post in what is a small but fascinating line-up, with four of the six having registered a win last time out.
Course and distance winners Tequilamockingbird and Tahasun may prove dangerous from the foot of the weights, whilst Queen Of Ipanema has a real chance of extending her remarkable winning sequence to six. However, we suspect the class of this field may prove to be the William Haggas-trained Sea Tsarina. This one hated the soft ground when finishing in fourth place last time out, which is no real surprise for a Sea The Stars filly. Prior to that, she scored a win here over the one-mile trip when making up ground hand over fist in the closing stages to ultimately finish well on top at the line. This step up in trip ought to suit and she may well prove tough to deny under Cieren Fallon.
3:15 Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Handicap
Class 6, 6f
Fourteen go to post in this wide-open sprint contest. Elegant Ellen looks set to be popular having caught the eye when staying on into third over this track and trip last time, whilst top weight Jems Bond has the form to go well if on his A-game.
Delegate The Lady meanwhile is tempting at an each-way price, with the course and distance form figures of the Robyn Brisland trained mare reading 712120. However, a draw out in box 14 may just prove her undoing. Side instead with the grand old boy Shamshon. Now 11 years of age, the Stuart Williams runner isn’t the force of old but retains enough ability to be competitive in this grade off a lowly mark of 48. Going down by just a neck in his most recent effort over this course and distance in October, he’s two pounds lower here and nicely drawn in four.
3:33 BetUK Quebec Stakes
Listed, 1m2f
The best is saved until last in terms of the quality of performer on show in this Listed class middle distance affair. Interestingly four of these met last time out in the Churchill Stakes over this course and distance. Algiers was mugged on the line when beaten into second that day but still finished pretty comfortably clear of the reopposing Forest Of Dean, Harrovian and Tyson Fury. With no change in the weights, the most obvious play is to simply side with the same result again.
Of the others, Makinmedoit receives weight as the only three-year-old in the field and bagged a course and distance success on her most recent outing. However, that did come narrowly in a Class 2 handicap, and she faces a step up in class here. Rank outsider Yorkshire Lady perhaps shouldn’t be dismissed entirely, being bred to improve for this first start on a synthetic surface, but overall, we see this going to the jolly.