2023 Musselburgh and Haydock Saturday Tips – DS
2023 Musselburgh and Haydock Saturday Preview
The less said about the A/W Champs the better. A mix of unbelievably bad rides, traffic problems and races not being run to suit meant it was a day to forget. Aramis Grey was our only place at 16s but at least it was for 1/4 odds. Thankfully, we return to the turf on Saturday and the big race of the day is the Queen’s Cup handicap. Check out our 2023 Musselburgh and Haydock Saturday tips below.
1.30 Haydock – 16f Handicap Hurdle Series Final (Class 2)
Alistair Ralph has his horses in fine fettle and he has an excellent record at Haydock. Two of the Bridgnorth trainer’s last four runners have won and he is 4/15 with another four top 4s at this track. He runs Risk D’Argent here and he comes into this on the back of a decent chase run at Bangor.
He qualified for this race all the way back in November when beat 5.75L at Wetherby (16f gd). That day the 7yo son of My Risk was racing off a mark of 116 and he is in today off 2lbs lower. His sole win to date came in a soft ground Uttoxeter maiden back in 2021, a level, left handed course just like today’s. In fact, his form figures over hurdles on tracks with those characteristics at 16f read 13323.
Ralph has had him chasing since a below par run on unsuitably heavy ground on New Year’s Eve. He produced a couple of poor efforts at Hereford and Uttoxeter but it was a lot more like it at Bangor last time. His jumping isn’t quite up to scratch yet over the bigger jumps so the return to hurdles is a plus. This is a big pot for a horse like Risk D’Argent so he will hopefully be trying and if he is, hopefully he can sneak a place for Jonny Burke at odds of 18/1.
2023 Musselburgh and Haydock Tip: Risk D’Argent e/w @ 18/1 (4 places)
1.50 Musselburgh – Royal Mile Handicap (Class 3)
Another yard that has started the flat season well is Brian Ellison’s. He runs dual Newcastle winner Chillhi here and he has been gelded in the off season. By Churchill, this 3yo won a maiden and then an 8f handicap at Newcastle last term. The second win came off a mark of 85 and he then followed up with a more than satisfactory effort in a big Sales race at York (7f gd/sft).
The fact that this horse is 2/2 on the a/w and 0/4 on grass probably explains why he is as big as 18/1 here. However, I think he proved at York he acts on turf with a slight ease and those are the conditions he’ll encounter today. He had Shouldvebeenaring 0.75L behind him on the Knavesmire and he went close in the 3yo Championship race on Saturday.
Legend Of Xanadu was 0.75L in front of him (in receipt of 2lbs) and he won a Listed race next time and is now rated 98. It is pretty decent form and if you take it literally, a mark of 88 looks pretty workable on Chillhi’s turf handicap debut. Ellison’s horses have been running well, hopefully this lad continues his decent spell at odds of 18/1.
2023 Musselburgh and Haydock Tip: Chillhi e/w @ 18/1
2.25 Musselburgh – Silver Arrow Handicap (Class 2)
Jim Goldie’s horses have returned to action this season in good form. Ok, he hasn’t yet had a winner but he has had six of his last ten runners finish in the first four so you would have to think that elusive winner will be coming soon. Hopefully Fools Rush In can break his duck.
This very useful son of Mehmas ran well over C&D off 96 on his final run of 2022 for his former trainer Hugo Palmer. That effort saw him beat 1.5L and he is back for another go off the same rating. That was his second run at the track, his first resulted in a second placed finish off 95 behind Zip (7f sft).
He clearly enjoys a bit of a dig in the ground, which he gets today, and he has run crackers first time up in 2020, 21 and 22. Is he thrown in off 96? No, but he has won off 95 and 93 in the past and that last run showed he could be competitive off his current mark. Mulrennan won on his only previous ride aboard Fools Rush In, hopefully he can repeat the trick at odds of 16/1.
2023 Musselburgh and Haydock Tip: Fools Rush In e/w @ 16/1 (4 places) NB
2.40 Haydock – Staying Chase Handicap Series Final (Class 2)
Jonjo O’Neill Sr is finishing the season off strongly and he runs Morning Spirit in this valuable 26f contest. By Milan, this 8yo went off the boil somewhat after an impressive win at Carlisle in November. He managed a poor 4th here, an ok 3rd at Newcastle and then a heavy defeat back at Carlisle in February.
At Sandown last time he showed signs of life, running well for a long way over 24f. He finished under 8L behind Mucho Mas and the handicapper gave him another pound back for that run. He is now in off a rating of 129, just 4lbs higher than he was when hacking up in dominant fashion at Carlisle.
O’Neill’s charge hasn’t won going left handed before and usually that would put me right off. However, he has run well plenty of times going this way round and it was the 28f trip rather than the track configuration that beat him here on his last visit. He is 5lbs better off with Mucho Mas for that 7.75L defeat and a repeat of that form should be enough to nick place money here at odds of 16/1.
2023 Musselburgh and Haydock Tip: Morning Spirit e/w @ 16/1 (5 places)
3.00 Musselburgh – Scottish Sprint Cup Handicap (Class 2)
From a handicapping perspective, Count D’Orsay is looking very dangerously treated right now. Tim Easterby’s charge started out last season off a mark of 95. Arguably his best two runs of the campaign came on his seasonal return at Pontefract and his second run at Chester. Both those runs came over 5f on good to soft, the same conditions he’ll face today.
The now 7yo son of Dandy Man failed to add to his five career wins in 2022 but he ran some huge races in defeat. His form tailed off after a decent run at Catterick off 87 and he makes his return to action this term off a rating of just 79. That’s 12lbs lower than his last winning mark and 16lbs lower than he was when 4th on his seasonal comeback in 2022.
Needs A Rise In Weights
Now, this horse is very fond of Chester but he would need to go up at least 3/4 lbs to ensure he gets back into the race he was beat a head in last season off 94. Since moving to Easterby he has form figures of 304 on his seasonal debuts so he can go well fresh and with David Allan unable to do the weight today, James Sullivan takes over. Maybe Count D’Orsay simply isn’t the horse he was but at the odds, it is worth chancing that some of that old ability still remains. Back him for small stakes at odds of 40/1.
2023 Musselburgh and Haydock Tip: Count D’Orsay e/w @ 40/1 (4 places)
3.15 Haydock – Stayers Handicap Hurdle Series Final (Class 2)
Sirobbie has finished 3rd off 117 and 127 on his last two trips to Haydock. The most recent effort came in this race last season when he finished 2.25L behind An Tailliur on good ground, but he doesn’t need those type of conditions. It was soft when he ran well here in 2021 so there are no worries regarding the ground.
There are worries about this lad’s recent form though. Since a fine 2nd off 118 at Ludlow in January he has struggled, but he is now 4lbs lower than he was that day and the hope is that the return to Haydock (and the £50k prize fund) spark a revival.
To be fair to the son of Arakan, he didn’t shape too badly off 119 behind Sweet Will at Doncaster on his last start at 3 miles and his dire subsequent effort at Warwick eight days later possibly came too soon. He’s had four weeks to get over that run, he’s 3lbs below his last winning mark and at 22/1, a small e/w interest is advised.
2023 Musselburgh and Haydock Tip: Sirobbie e/w @ 22/1 (5 places)
3.35 Musselburgh – Queen’s Cup Handicap (Class 2)
If ever a horse was bred for a race, Wickywickywheels was born to win a Queen’s Cup. Her full brother, Carbon Dating, won this race off 101 back in 2017 and just like this mare, he had strung together a few wins at Hamilton before landing this big prize. Wickywickywheels is in off 99 today and crucially, crack claimer Billy Loughnane takes off 5lbs.
This mare was running in Dubai in the Winter and she landed a Listed race at Abu Dhabi on her first start over there. She beat Away He Goes into 2nd, a horse that finished close up behind Trueshan in the G1 Goodwood Cup back in 2021. The ground was better over there than it will be at Musselburgh on Saturday but this mare handles an ease well.
When she beat Sir Chauvelin at Hamilton last July it was soft and she was a close 3rd on good to soft at Goodwood on her final UK start of 2022. It’s only been 50 days since her last Meydan run so fitness shouldn’t be an issue and with her jockey’s claim, she is effectively racing off 94 here. On her Dubai form that mark should be within her compass and at 12/1, Wickywickywheels is the e/w selection.
