There are nine live races on ITV this Saturday’s with action on the flat from the turf course at Lingfield and from Ascot in addition to a handicap hurdle from Haydock.
- 1:15 Lingfield: William Hill Oaks Trial Fillies’ Stakes – Giselle @ 1/3
- 1:35 Haydock: Pertemps Network Swinton Handicap Hurdle – Anyharminasking @ 10/1
- 1:50 Lingfield: William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap – Mister Daydream @ 6/1
- 2:05 Ascot: Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% British EBF Fillies’ Handicap – Zapphire @ 9/2
- 2:25 Lingfield: William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap – Vice President @ 7/2
- 2:40 Ascot: Schweppes Victoria Cup – Qirat @ 11/2
- 3:00 Lingfield: William Hill Lingfield Derby Trial Stakes – Puppet Master @ 6/4
- 3:15 Ascot: Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% Handicap – Fireblade @ 9/2
- 3:35 Lingfield: William Hill Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes – Jabaara @ 9/4
Lingfield are holding their Derby & Oaks Trials fixture and five of the seven races on the card will be covered by ITV racing. The first live race is the Listed Oaks Trial which was won by Ralph Beckett’s You Got To Me last year who went on to finish fourth in the Oaks itself. Aidan O’Brien last won this with Seventh Heaven in 2016 who could only finish sixth in the Epsom Oaks but did go on to win the Irish Oaks at the Curragh and the Yorkshire Oaks at the Ebor meeting. He saddles the short-priced favourite this year in Giselle.
Two middle-distance handicaps are followed by the Derby Trial, which carries a prize fund of £60k. James Fanshawe’s Ambiente Friendly won last year’s trial and went on to finish as runner-up to City Of Troy in the Derby. Aidan O’Brien trains the top two in the betting with Puppet Master and Stay True ahead of Ralph Beckett’s Prince Of The Seas who was fifth in the Epsom Blue Ribband Trial last month.
The final live race of the day from Lingfield will be the most valuable on the card, the £90k Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes. This race has been a Group 3 since 2004 and sees Ralph Beckett’s Cathedral and Roger Varian’s Jabaara vying for favouritism. Last year’s winner, Great Generation for Marco Botti, is aiming to be the first horse to win the race more than once.
Saturday is Victoria Cup Day at Ascot, with three races covered live. The meeting’s title race is a 7f handicap worth £100k and is scheduled for 2:40pm. Narrow favouritism in a competitive looking renewal goes to Ralph Beckett’s Qirat after a number of impressive displays in big handicaps last season. Also televised will be a 1m fillies’ handicap and a 1m4f handicap.
The sole ITV race from Haydock will be their £80k Swinton Handicap Hurdle. This Premier Handicap is over a distance of just under two miles with Dan Skelton, Nicky Henderson, Alan King and the O’Neill’s all represented amongst the maximum field of 17.