Haydock and Beverley Saturday Tips by Dave Stevos
Haydock and Beverley Saturday Tips
We landed another nice winner on Thursday night at Sandown. Jamie Spencer was at his brilliant best on Lismore, nicking the race from the front at odds of 14/1. Born To Please ran a rare stinker at a track and on ground she usually loves. Bond Chairman ran well but will probably appreciate a sounder surface. Imperial Command wasn’t disgraced and he just ran out of petrol in the closing stages. The Pinnacle and John of Gaunt Stakes are the highlights on ITV tomorrow. Check out Dave Stevos’ Haydock and Beverley Saturday tips below.
1.45 Haydock – Betway Handicap (Class 3)
The ground at Haydock is likely to be pretty tough going on Saturday. It is currently soft but it is drying all the time and it could be tacky. The horse I like in the opening live race of the day, a 6f handicap, is Show Me Show Me. He is trained by Richard Fahey and owned by the Ontoawinner Syndicate. Joe Fanning gets the leg up on this 4yo son of Showcasing and he is beginning to look dangerously well handicapped off a mark of 78.
Less than a year ago he was placed behind Glamorous Anna at Goodwood off 92. He was beat 2L that day (5f gd) but things didn’t go to plan for the rest of the season. He subsequently ran three poor races at the backend of his campaign. It was a similar story on his comeback at Thirsk (6f gd/fm). However, he showed definite signs he was coming back to form last time at Doncaster (6f sft).
Racing off a mark of 80 he stayed on very nicely in the closing stages to nick 4th, 4L behind the winner. The stiffer finish at Haydock should be in this horse’s favour. He also won’t have any issues with rain softened ground. 16/1 looks a more than fair price about Show Me Show Me and he is the each-way pick.
Haydock and Beverley Saturday Tips: Show Me Show Me e/w @ 16/1 NAP (5 Places)
2.00 Beverley – Hilary Needler Trophy Stakes (Class 2)
After Ebro River’s impressive win at Sandown, Kyber Crystal is all the rage for this race. Another Ontoawinner horse, this filly was only a length behind Hugo Palmer’s horse on debut at Doncaster (5f sft). She was sent off at 20/1 but she was up with the pace all the way and she stayed on nicely to the line. There was no fluke about it and she holds obvious claims now that form has been franked.
Robert Cowell and The Cool Silk Partnership won this with an unraced filly back in 2017. Those owners also had the third in 2019 and if you are looking for an each-way alternative, Jazzy Princess could go well. She is by Prince Of Lir, a soft ground Royal Ascot winner and also the winner of the Two Year Old Trophy over this C&D. Connections seem to target races at this track with their best 2yos and at odds of 14/1, Jazzy Princess is worth backing each way.
Haydock and Beverley Saturday Tips: Jazzy Princess e/w @ 14/1 (4 places)
2.20 Haydock – Achilles Stakes (Listed)
The first pattern race of the day is the 5f Achilles Stakes and a dozen have been declared. It is a tough race to gauge as plenty of the runners are more often seen running in handicap company. El Astronaute is an exception. He usually campaigns at this level (or higher) and he carries a 3lb penalty for his Listed win at Doncaster last June. The 8yo son of Approve handles an ease but his sole previous run at Haydock (5f sft) was poor. This is harder than his Chester win last time and he could be vulnerable to something with younger legs.
My idea of an each-way bet in this contest is Ishvara, another Robert Cowell horse. This filly is only rated 87 so on paper she has no chance. However, she is a far better horse on easy ground and connections would surely love her to pick up some black type. She has come up well short on her two previous runs at Listed level. Crucially though, those efforts came on ground probably a shade too quick for her.
If she is going to get some black type, this could represent her best chance. She is a former course and distance winner (her only Haydock run) and her form figures on soft or worse read 20122. Tom Marquand is 1/1 for Cowell this year and overall he has 10 wins and 13 top 4 finishes from just 58 rides. At odds of 25/1, Ishvara is the each-way tip.
Haydock and Beverley Saturday Tips: Ishvara e/w @ 25/1 (4 places)
2.40 Chester – Tote Handicap (Class 2)
We also take in a race from Chester on ITV on Saturday. This very competitive 7.5f handicap will be contested by 12 horses and I think Hayadh might have a squeak for Harvey Bastiman and Robbie Downey. This 8yo has been an absolute star for connections over the years. He has won seven races and he is starting to look fairly handicapped again off a rating of 89. He was only narrowly beaten at Redcar off 91 three starts ago and he is just 2lb higher than his last winning mark.
Hayadh has won off 92 in the past and he has won twice off 88. He handles a slight ease in the ground and the drying conditions at Chester should suit him. Bastiman’s charge has course form in the book too. He was beaten less than a length in a C&D handicap on his only previous run here off 88. He also shaped well enough over a trip that is too far for him at Ripon last time out. Hayadh was held up in midfield when he ran well here before so his wide draw isn’t that much of a worry. At odds of 33/1 and with 4 places available, he is the each-way selection.
Chester Saturday Tip: Hayadh e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)
2.55 Haydock – Pinnacle Stakes (Group 3)
With Alpinista a non-runner, just six will line up in the stalls for this G3 for fillies and mares. It looks between the top three rated horses on paper. Cabaletta (102) and Oriental Mystique (103) are the top rated and La Lune is next best with a rating of 99. Cabaletta is the market leader but her best form by far has come on quick ground. Oriental Mystique wouldn’t want it too soft either but she at least has placed G2 form in France on good to soft. La Lune looks like she is bred to handle the conditions but her two career wins have come on good to firm.
If the ground dries out sufficiently those three should be bang there at the finish. If it doesn’t, Salsada could be the one to benefit. Jedd O’Keefe’s daughter of Mukhadram will relish the ground and she was a course winner over 10f at Haydock last season on soft. She likes to dominate from the front and she is unlikely to face much competition for the lead. The question is whether she will get the 12f trip?
Her sire has produced several winners at this sort of trip. She is also a half-sister to 13f/16f winner Mubaraza and 12f/16f winner Murafej. That doesn’t mean that she will definitely stay, but she looks well worth trying over this sort of distance. She wasn’t stopping at the finish when winning over 10f here or at Ayr and Graham Lee gets a good tune out of her. With ground concerns for some of her rivals, a small win bet on Salsada is advised.
Haydock and Beverley Saturday Tips: Salsada win @ 6/1
3.10 Beverley – Two Year Old Trophy Stakes (Class 2)
This is a tricky 6 runner heat for 2yo colts and geldings. It looks a tight affair with four previous winners involved. The Cool Silk Partnership have another runner, this one with Richard Fahey and just like our selection for the Hilary Needler, he too is unraced and by Prince Of Lir. Kevin Ryan’s Mehmas colt Ryan’s Party is the only one with form that hasn’t won but he is favoured by the bookies. He shaped nicely when runner up on debut at Hamilton but the form hasn’t worked out and he’ll need to improve on that. To be honest, nothing appeals as a betting proposition in this contest. I am happy to watch with a view to the future, no bet.
Haydock and Beverley Saturday Tips: No Bet
3.30 Haydock – John Of Gaunt Stakes (Group 3)
Queen Jo Jo was badly outclassed in the G1 Sprint Cup on her last visit to Haydock. However, she ran a cracker behind Liberty Beach over 6f on her only other run here (gd/sft). A repeat of that effort would surely see her go close to nicking a place today. The way she stayed on that day suggested that she would benefit from another furlong and she proved she stayed 7f when running a huge race behind Safe Voyage at York subsequently (7f gd/sft).
She was just over 4L behind the re-opposing Quinn horse in receipt of 3lbs at York and this time she is 5lb better off. She was only a length behind One Master (rated 114) so she is well capable of running above her current rating of 104 if on a going day. That wasn’t the case on her seasonal comeback at York where she ran no sort of race. However, she is entitled to strip fitter with that run behind her and Kieran Shoemark keeps the faith. Queen Jo Jo won on her second outing in 2019 and at odds of 33/1, hopefully she repeats the trick on Saturday.
Haydock and Beverley Saturday Tips: Queen Jo Jo e/w @ 33/1
3.45 Beverley – bet365 Handicap (Class 3)
The final live race of the day on ITV is this trappy, 12 runner class 3 handicap. The trip is 7.5f and a case can be made for a few of them. One that could be dangerous off a mark of 78 now back on a bit of softer ground is Muntadab. Trained by Roger Fell, this son of Invincible Spirit was a classy horse in his pomp. He was a handicap winner off 103 back in 2018 and he showed he still retained a fair level of ability when winning at Epsom last July off 87.
His best effort this term came when chasing home Queens Sargent off today’s mark at Catterick. He has 1.5L to find with that gelding today and he is now 4lb better off at the weights. On his only previous run at Beverley (all the way back in 2016) Muntadab was arguably unlucky not to win. So, he ticks the course form box too. Roger Fell has a good record at Beverley and at odds of 16/1, Muntadab could enhance it on Saturday. A small each-way interest is the order of the day.
