Horse Racing tips: Rory Delargy’s fine fancies at Newmarket & York on Saturday

Rory has a few value picks in mind for Saturday's tellybox action at Newmarket and York.

Rory Delargy Newmarket Rowley

Rory Delargy’s Horse Racing Tips

13:15 York – Purosangue
13:25 Newmarket – Per Contra
14:00 Newmarket – Haatem (each way)
14:25 York – Wobwobwob
14:40 Newmarket – Temporize
15:15 Newmarket – Meribella
15:35 York – Titian (each way)
15:50 Newmarket – Raadobarg

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

13:15 York – Purosangue

We’ll probably be looking at soft ground at York on Saturday and I feel Purosangue should be the clear favourite. He ran a solid second in the Molecomb at Goodwood and in the Rosebery at Ayr. He’s effective on the ground and a few of the others have question marks over them.

13:25 Newmarket – Per Contra

The latest weather forecast suggests that Newmarket will be soft before the close of play on Friday, and that is a big change to the “good to firm” put out early on Thursday. Per Contra has something to find on form after easy wins in minor company at Chepstow and Ffos Las, but it’s notable that Ollie Sangster has kept him away from good or faster ground, and heavy rain will certainly suit him better than most.

Per Contra has shown a marked tendency to drift left in his race, but that hasn’t stopped him going forward in impressive style, and his draw in 7 of 7 with the stalls in the middle could work to his advantage, and hanging to his left, while hardly ideal, could see him with the stands trail to race against in the closing stages. He is obviously pretty green still but is a colt with a lot of potential and worth risking in a race which could pan out nicely for him.

14:00 Newmarket – Haatem

The Dewhurst looks at City of Troy’s mercy assuming he’s at his best, but an absence since beating Haatem in the Superlative Stakes is hardly an endorsement for backing him at long odds on.

Haatem is clearly held by the favourite, but has improved for the step up to 7f, building on his Superlative effort to win the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, and he can be forgiven a poor run in the Gimcrack on very fast ground which doesn’t suit. He was beaten little more than a length in the Mill Reef last time – again sticking to the 6f trip despite it looking on the sharp side, and with ground and trip likely to suit him here, he should outrun his odds, for all he looks pretty exposed.

14:25 York – Wobwobwob

I feel you want to be drawn low so that’s led me to Wobwobwob for Adrian Keatley with Paul Mulrennan on board. He’s got great form and he ran well over 7f at Goodwood on testing ground. If it rains even more, it’s fine for him. He’s probably best over 6f even though he’s been ran a lot over 7f.

14:40 Newmarket – Temporize

Temporize looks the pick of the English challenge in the Cesarewitch, for all that an absence since landing the Goodwood Stakes over 2½m in August. Temporize made his debut for Syd Hosie over an inadequate trip at Newbury, but did catch the eye, and stepped up on that with an excellent effort at Ascot in the Brown Jack Handicap, pulling a dozen lengths clear of the third when having a terrific battle with Blazeon Five to decide the outcome, and he was able to race off a lower mark at Goodwood, vindicating that effort with an impressive win over Robert Johnson and Tronador.

The Ascot run was on good to soft, and it was softer still at Goodwood. He has looked like a thorough stayer on those outings, so a test of stamina in the conditions will suit, and it’s worth noting that he only made his debut last summer, winning his first two and going into handicaps off a tough mark of 92 as a result. He was inconsistent for Mark and Charlie Johnston, but seems to have thrived for the switch to Syd Hosie, and looks capable of further progress after just a handful of runs for new connections.

    15:15 Newmarket – Meribella

    I’m intrigued to see Ralph Beckett pitch the filly Meribella against the boys in this Group 3, and she has an impeccable pedigree to go with a price tag of 350,000 gns as a foal. Out of a half-sister to Poet’s Word, she attracted a lot of attention at the sales, and while she didn’t need to run to a very high level to make a winning debut over 7f here in August, she is open to stacks of improvement at this longer trip, and the fact that she’s pencilled in to run here rather than a 1m1f novice at Goodwood on Sunday says much for the esteem in which she’s clearly held.

    To be cynical, it might be suggested that this is a clever bid for some black type in a race which tends to attract small fields, and that may be the thinking, but she certainly merits a second look.

    15:35 York – Titian (each way)

    I’m taking a chance on Titian for Julie Camacho as an each-way bet. Julie’s runners are bang in form and Titian is really reliable on any ground. He’s running off a mark of 85 which is more than workable. The rain is no bother to him and he can run a big race.

    15:50 Newmarket – Raadobarg

    On the predicted soft ground, Raadobarg makes most appeal at the prices, with double figures available about one of only a handful in the race to have won on soft or heavy ground. He’s found it hard to get his head in from since graduating from handicaps, but is consistent when getting his conditions, and can make the frame under Ryan Moore. Highland Avenue and Knight are the others to consider on such terrain, but both are well found already in the market.

    Rory Delargy’s Horse Racing Tips

    13:15 York – Purosangue
    13:25 Newmarket – Per Contra
    14:00 Newmarket – Haatem (each way)
    14:25 York – Wobwobwob
    14:40 Newmarket – Temporize
    15:15 Newmarket – Meribella
    15:35 York – Titian (each way)
    15:50 Newmarket – Raadobarg

    *All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

     

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