Racing is back at Cheltenham this Saturday as they hold the Showcase Meeting which concludes on Saturday. ITV will broadcast five races from Cheltenham alongside three races from Doncaster’s Futurity Trophy Day and two races from Newbury’s Flat Finale.
- 1:10 Cheltenham: William Hill Each Way Extra Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase – Scorsese @ 12/1
- 1:30 Doncaster: Skill Step Group Handicap – Jer Batt @ 11/2
- 1:45 Cheltenham: Play William Hill’s Final One Standing Novices’ Hurdle – Pour Les Filles @ 10/3
- 2:05 Doncaster: William Hill Futurity Trophy Stakes – Benvenuto Cellini @ 11/8
- 2:20 Cheltenham: William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Chase – Rock My Way @ 6/1
- 2:40 Doncaster: William Hill Prospect Stakes – Spanish Waltz @ 11/4
- 2:55 Cheltenham: Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle – Chart Topper @ 10/1
- 3:10 Newbury: BetVictor Horris Hill Stakes – Time To Turn @ 5/2
- 3:30 Cheltenham: Masterson Holdings Hurdle – Give It To Me Oj @ 4/7
- 3:45 Newbury: BetVictor St Simon Stakes – Starzintheireyes @ 7/1
- 4:05 Cheltenham: William Hill Extra Places With Bog ‘Chasing Excellence’ Novices’ Chase – Intense Approach @ 11/4
ITV’s live racing starts at Cheltenham with the William Hill Limited Handicap Chase. Anthony Honeyball’s Crest Of Fortune carries top weight but is the race favourite after a third-place finish in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree in April. Better value down the weights may lie with Neil Mulholland’s Scorsese who has won his last two races by a combined 21½ lengths.
A 5f sprint handicap is race two on our screens. Jer Batt for David and Nicola Barron has had a run of five consecutive third place finishes but could have better luck here with Oisin Murphy booked for the ride.
Gordon Elliott’s Pour Les Filles has only raced four times in the last couple of years but looked comfortable on his return to the track at Downpatrick earlier in the month and odds of 10/3 could be a generous price for the novices’ hurdle.
The last of the big two-year-old races is next at Doncaster in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy Stakes. Aidan O’Brien is this race’s leading trainer with eleven wins, and he has the first three in the betting including race favourite, and the early favourite for next year’s Epsom Derby, in Benvenuto Cellini. The chestnut colt won the Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown in impressive fashion and can win his first Group 1 on Saturday.
Cheltenham’s most valuable race of the day is the £100k William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Chase which has 18 runners set to go to post. Nicky Henderson’s Hyland has won three times at the course and is amongst the favourites to add to that tally. Our pick goes to Joe Tizzard’s Rock My Way who was second here in the National Hunt Cup at the festival in March and returns after wind surgery in August.
Keep an eye on the market in the Listed Prospect Stakes as these two-year old runners will have to cope with some testing conditions under foot. Our selection goes to Spanish Waltz for Ralph Beckett.
The Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle is the next televised race ahead of the first of two Group 3’s from Newbury in the Horris Hill Stakes. Charlie Appleby’s Time To Turn disappointed in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at the Arc meeting but can return to winning ways here.
Just five runners will line up for the Masterson Holdings Hurdle with Gary and Josh Moore’s Give It To Me Oj the short-priced favourite. He has followed up his win in the Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle at Sandown a the end of last season with two victories last month on the flat at Epsom.
The Group 3 St Simon Stakes at Newbury is the penultimate live ITV race of the day. Hamish and Al Aasy are both course and distance winners, but age is not on their side at 9 and 8 years old respectively. Ralph Beckett’s Starzintheireyes is still relatively unexposed and should cope with the step up in trip to 1m4f.
The live action concludes back at Cheltenham for a novices chase over 3m1f.