Alan Thomson, the former Racing Editor at the Daily Record, puts up five tips at Epsom Downs and Musselburgh on Saturday. View selections below.
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SAXON WARRIOR (4.30) has drifted to a reasonable price to land the Investec Derby on Epsom Downs.
Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten Qipco 2000 Guineas winner has been uneasy in the market since drawing the stall one ‘coffin box’ but with only 11 rivals that disadvantage should not be insurmountable. Ryan Moore will need to plot a path through the field but Saxon Warrior is taken to land the Blue Riband, setting up an exciting shot at the Triple Crown.
At an each-way price, Ballydoyle stablemate Delano Roosevelt is a feasible alternative as he was cutting into Hazapour’s advantage at Leopardstown and seems to be crying out for this 1m 4f distance.
Court House and POET’S PRINCE (2.00) are the early-season form horses in the opening 1m 2f handicap but both encounter vastly different ground conditions.
A chance is taken that Mark Johnston’s gelding will handle it okay, especially given his rock-solid credentials. After running William Haggas’s smart Formation close at Redcar, Poet’s Prince won at Chelmsford City a week later. He was then sent to Newbury where he found only stablemate Communique too hot to handle in a race that traditionally throws up serious Royal Ascot handicap contenders.
One who won’t mind it soft is Ship Of The Fen, a narrow winner at Doncaster on an easy surface. She beat last week’s easy Haydock winner Baileys Excelerate at Nottingham last season (good to soft) and should be on the premises.
With 20 speedballs doing battle in the Investec Dash there will be the usual hard-luck stories but CASPIAN PRINCE (3.45) overcame the widest draw in stall one last year to just hold on from Dark Shot and may reward an each-way investment, especially with several firms offering five places.
Caspian Prince is again drawn on the outside flank (stall two), which may enable him to escape any skirmishing in this annual helter-skelter sprint.
William Haggas is always to be feared when sending runners to Musselburgh and DYNAMIC (2.40) has a first-rate chance in the Class 3 fillies’ handicap.
The track will be riding very slick after a prolonged dry spell in the Edinburgh area and Dynamic finished runner-up on good to firm last October at Newmarket. More recently in another Class 2 contest, she ran fourth to stablemate Urban Fox at Ascot. Stall one is ideal and the filly wears a tongue-tie for the first time.
Another Haggas filly, BESHAAYIR (3.25), is stepped up in grade with an obvious chance in the Stobo Castle Ladies’ Day Gold Cup.
The Newmarket trainer saddled the third 12 months ago in Glitter Girl, so he should know what is required. Beshaayir remains unexposed after landing odds of 1-5 at Wolverhampton in April and she can make the most of her 10lb age allowance over last year’s winner Unforgetable Filly, trained by Hugo Palmer.
Roger Varian’s Madeline sets a high standard on the pick of last season’s form, which include an excellent third to Clemmie and Different League in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at HQ. However, it’s a bit off-putting that she ran so keenly before dropping out quickly in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at unconsidered odds of 66-1.
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Tally Ho
Alan
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