Matt Chapman’s Saturday ITV Racing Tips
13:15 Newmarket – Lead Artist
13:30 York – Invictus Gold (each-way)
13:50 Newmarket – Starzintheireyes
14:05 York – Bennetot (each-way)
14:25 Newmarket – Genealogy
14:40 York – King’s Lynn (each-way)
15:00 Newmarket – The Lion In Winter
15:15 York – Fearless Freddy (each-way)
15:40 Newmarket – Jacovec Cavern
*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 Newmarket – Lead Artist
ITV Racing churn out nine races from York and Newmarket on Saturday in another show of bang bang bang action, starting here with the Group 3 Darley Stakes over 1m1f. This race is hard to sort out, especially with my only love of Lead Artist! Liberty Lane is bang in the mix on the Cambridgeshire win, but there was a track bias, while Spirit Dancer returns from a layoff and a trip that might now be too short. The ground should have dried out to near good come Saturday, so it’s LEAD ARTIST with whom I keep the faith for John & Thady Gosden and Longchamp Group 1 hero Kieran Shoemark. Seven furlongs was too short at Doncaster last time, although he ran a belter behind Kinross. This trip is ideal for me, and Lead Artist has always promised to be very good since his second in the Wood Ditton.
13:30 York – Invictus Gold (each-way)
York action begins with the Listed Rockingham for juveniles over 6f. I’m happy to be on INVICTUS GOLD here and he might be an each-way price for Tom Clover and Neil Callan. A winner at Southwell and Newmarket recently, he scored well in a novice at HQ last time and any juice in the ground should not be an issue.
13:50 Newmarket – Starzintheireyes
Another Group 3 in the Zetland for staying juveniles over 1m2f. It’s all about stamina. STARZINTHEIREYES gets stamina from Nathaniel in his pedigree, and he looked promising on debut when chasing home the handy Field of Gold. Ralph Beckett’s inmate then made hard work of getting there at Leicester before pricking his ears and leaving the impression there was plenty left in the tank. Looks interesting under Rossa Ryan in a bit of a guessing game.
14:05 York – Bennetot (each-way)
A handicap over an extended 1m2f. It’s a big field, and it is frustrating there are not 16 in here! The one I like each-way is BENNETOT for David O’Meara and Danny Tudhope. My selection ran a fine fourth in the Cambridgeshire, followed by a fine second at Ayr and third at Ascot. He stays well and goes with cut in the ground, so he should be in the mix at the very least.
14:25 Newmarket – Genealogy
Here’s the Group 3 Autumn Stakes for juveniles over 1m. GENEALOGY looked like a big baby when scoring at Punchestown 25 days ago, and the runner-up on that occasion has been stuffed since. He’s a great big son of Wootton Bassett, who cost 400,000gns and I suspect he has much more to come for Aidan O’Brien. This track should be much more suitable, although he’ll have to act while going down and out of the bushes. He looks a good prospect.
14:40 York – King’s Lynn (each-way)
A handicap over 6f. A wide-open event. KING’S LYNN deserves a decent prize and gets another chance here down 1lb after a no-show in the Ayr Gold Cup. Before that, he had been knocking at the door in 5f/6f/7f handicaps, although this is his best trip. I’ll have a few quid on each-way for Andrew Balding and William Carver, who takes off a functional 3lb.
15:00 Newmarket – The Lion In Winter
The most essential two-year-old race of the season is the Group 1 Dewhurst over 7f. Aidan O’Brien trains THE LION IN WINTER, and should he land today’s seven-furlong event, he will become the winningest Dewhurst handler of all time with nine successes, including Rock of Gibraltar and City of Troy.
At 375,000 euros, The Lion in Winter seems to be a bargain, having scored well on debut in a maiden at the Curragh before romping home in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York, thrashing Wimbledon Hawkeye, who went on to land the Group 2 Royal Lodge at Newmarket.
That said, he’s no certainty, even though he is the straightforward 5-1 ante-post favourite for next year’s 2000 Guineas. He’s the 6-1 market leader for the 2025 Derby.
Godolphin takes him on with the unbeaten Ancient Truth and supplemented Shadow of Light, the mount of their Nr1 rider William Buick.
Shadow of Light’s stamina is being tested after his Group 1 Middle Park success over six furlongs. Connections suggested he was more a Commonwealth Cup type than a Guineas horse, but he ran strongly to the line. It’s worth a try.
Ancient Truth bids for four wins in a row and was a convincing winner of the Group 2 Superlative Stakes in July, defeating the re-opposing Seagulls Eleven. It’s just a worry he’s been off the track for 91 days.
15:15 York – Fearless Freddy (each-way)
Here’s a handicap for juveniles over 1m. FEARLESS FREDDY stays well, as he showed when scoring over this trip at Kempton last time. He’s up 5lb for that all-weather victory but had shown on turf at Goodwood that he can go on the grass with a fair fifth in a handicap there over 7f. He’s a winner on good to soft, so it shouldn’t matter if the ground stays squidgy. It is an each-way selection for William Muir and Chris Grassick and is ridden by Lewis Edmunds.
15:40 Newmarket – Jacovec Cavern
The big betting race of the day is the Cesarewitch Handicap over 2m2f. The prominent market mover has been Sea of Sands, who goes for Willie Mullins and is chucked in on some old German form, although he’s never tried staying trips on the Flat. He won a little race at Listowel over hurdles the other day.
I can’t tip him, though, at his current odds.
The one I like is the Emmet Mullins contender JACOVEC CAVERN, who has a reasonable draw in stall 14, something that is more important than you might think.
Jacovec Cavern was a fine second at Galway, staying on well in a big field over an extended two miles and has mixed in some top-class hurdle races, including when eighth behind Lossiemouth in the 2023 Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The son of Sixties Icon kept on powerfully that day from off the pace.
In 2022, Jacovec Cavern was trained by Mick Channon and banged in a handicap at Newbury off 76. A mark of 83 this afternoon looks pretty fair, and Hayley Turner will have no issue doing the 8st 2lb. Added to all that, any juice in the ground is no issue.
So best of luck and pray for Yeeehaaas. You hear me Paddy?
Matt Chapman’s Saturday ITV Racing Tips
13:15 Newmarket – Lead Artist
13:30 York – Invictus Gold (each-way)
13:50 Newmarket – Starzintheireyes
14:05 York – Bennetot (each-way)
14:25 Newmarket – Genealogy
14:40 York – King’s Lynn (each-way)
15:00 Newmarket – The Lion In Winter
15:15 York – Fearless Freddy (each-way)
15:40 Newmarket – Jacovec Cavern
*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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