Horse Racing tips: Mick Fitzgerald’s slick picks for Friday’s ITV Racing

Mick has your tellybox tips checked off.

Mick Fitzgerald

13:50 Bounce the Blues

BOUNCE THE BLUES and Cloak of Spirits met at Doncaster a couple of weeks ago and Andrew Balding’s charge looked to be the one that would be better with a step up in trip, given the way she finished that day.

Cloak of Spirits seems to have lost her way a little and didn’t finish with any purpose at Doncaster last time while Ummalnar hasn’t run for some time, but left a lasting impression with a very comfortable success over this trip at Ascot a year ago. Now stepping up to graded company, this looks a perfect fit for her.

Bizzi Lizzi is very well bred from a family trainer John Gosden knows well and her rating falls a long way short of some of the opposition here, but the champion trainer is no mug and she has to be respected.

Bounce the Blues is the selection.

 

14:25 Katara

Alpinista ran a lovely race behind the mighty Love at York in the Yorkshire Oaks and it’s no surprise to see her as a front-runner.

KATARA is a typical Sir Michael Stout horse who he has been given plenty of time to and this daughter of Deep Impact has been mightily impressive in her last two wins, she may yet still be improving. This is a tight little race, but Katara is the improver.

Franconia was behind Alpinista at York but is surely better than we saw there. Meanwhile, connections of Antonia de Vega will hope the rain keeps coming.

Sea of Faith won at Saint Cloud last time and Queen Daenerys was fourth to Love at Epsom, but has won in France since.

 

Newmarket

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15:00 Monday

This is a good little contest and Aidan O’Brien is always to be respected when he brings a filly over, Monday is even entered in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes.

She won in the style of a very good filly at Leopardstown and she looks a typical improver, who will only get better with each run.

Isabella Giles and Santosha met at Ascot and David Loughnane’s filly gave him a day to remember when Santosha won even if she was disappointing next time. However, Isabella Giles won very tidily on soft ground at Goodwood.

The ground could hold the key here and Monday, with the current conditions, will be very hard to beat and she is the selection.

15:35 Kameko

Top Rank won very nicely on soft ground at Haydock last time beating My Oberon and Khaloosy, which is good form.

Oisin Murphy had a tough pick here as the two of the market leaders are normally his rides. Benbatl has been a real flag bearer for Saeed Bin Suroor in recent times and won this last year.

The conditions of the race means KAMEKO has to carry a 5lb penalty for his win in the 2000 Guineas.

His season has stuttered since then, finishing just outside the places in the Epsom Derby and at the Goodwood Festival, even if he had some excuses. He finished tamely in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York behind Ghaiyyath, but that was a proper Group One contest.

Benbatl loves this race and likes Newmarket, but surely this is a golden chance for Kameko to return to winning ways.

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Mick Fitzgerald tips summary:

13:50 Bounce the Blues
14:25 Katara
15:00 Monday
15:35 Kameko

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