Another cracking Saturday of racing awaits, with Group 1 action at Newmarket, plus some cracking handicaps both at Newmarket and York. ITV are showing seven of the key races across both cards on Saturday 8th October, and after an impressive four winners with our ITV tips on Friday, we’ve picked out our expert tip for each of the Saturday ITV races!
Below, we talk you through our selections for all seven ITV races on Saturday afternoon, including our tip the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. Check those out below, alongside today’s best bets – which are free to view on-site now.
Odds Correct at time of posting – 4:20pm Friday 7th October
Flying Honours (1.50 Newmarket) – 11/10
This tends to go to one prominent in the betting, with 2019 winner Max Vega (7/1) the biggest winner in the past ten years, and we can see it going to the market leader FLYING HONOURS. He’s got the ideal draw in stall 6 (six of the last eight winners have come from stalls 5-7) and should take the world of beating.
The Sea The Stars colt was only beaten half a length in the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes here last month, but was staying on well and should handle this step up in trip. Before that, he had run out a comfortable winner of his previous two races, and he looks a solid bet to resume winning ways here.
None of his rivals have anywhere near the kind of form he has, and he should be comfortably winning this. Of the rest, Liftoff may have been unsuited by the soft ground at Longchamp last time out and looks good value to chase the selection home.
Bolt Action (2.05 York) – 4/1
We’re surprised BOLT ACTION isn’t favourite for this, having run well in each of his last five races. He ran a blinder here when third behind Treasure Trove and Rocket Rodney over 5f back in August, and there’s nothing of their quality here this time.
Since then, he went down by a neck to Shouldvebeenaring at Ripon, before being outclassed by Prince Of Pillo at Ayr last month. He resumed winning ways at Salisbury, when always looking like he was going to win and that was just the type of confidence boost he needed.
Of the rest, Rousing Encore finished behind the selection in that Roses Stakes race here in August, so the biggest danger will be Alpha Capture, who was just touched off by Cold Case last time and the winner has franked the form since. However, Bolt Action has been running in much better races than him and he should be up to winning this.
Silver Knott (2.25 Newmarket) – 5/2
Charlie Appleby has targeted this race in recent years, winning three of the last five renewals. William Buick was on board for all three of those wins, and also won the 2015 renewal on board Gifted Master, so it’s hard to look past SILVER KNOTT in this year’s renewal.
He didn’t appreciate the soft ground in the Champagne Stakes last time out and will benefit from returning to better ground here. He has some solid form to his name, and had previously won the G3 Solario Stakes on good ground in August.
Epictetus made a promising start to his career when winning here on debut and could be anything, and we know Holloway Boy will run his race, but they both will have to be at their best to beat the Godolphin runner here.
Protagonist (2.40 York) – 11/4
There’s two competing to head the betting in this and it’s one of them we’re keen on – William Haggas’ PROTAGONIST. He was drawn on the wrong side of the course last time out in the Cambridgeshire, and a return to a smaller field should see him resume winning ways.
He’s won two of his four races this season, and has excuses for both defeats. He had his path blocked in the closing stages on his reappearance run at Sandown, and had no chance with his draw in the Cambridgeshire (finished second of those who raced on the far side).
Godolphin runner Marching Army has won his last two, but was comfortably beaten on his sole outing here back in July. Some horses just don’t suit this course and he may be one of them! Protagonist is yet to run here but we’re hopeful he’ll relish it and Tom Marquand can steer him to a sixth career victory.
Aesop’s Fables (3.00 Newmarket) – 7/1
Trainer A P O’Brien has a fantastic record in the race – winning it seven times, including five of the last nine renewals. He can become the joint-leading trainer in the race if his sole representative AESOP’S FABLES wins, and we’re backing him to do so.
He was an impressive winner of the Group 2 Futurity Stakes at the Curragh, before failing to handle the soft ground when finishing fourth in the Group 1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes last month.
He fits some of the key trends for winning this race, including having a recent run, having a minimum of three runs under his belt and winning at least two of his races. Another key trend is winning in Group company, and he ticks that box with the Futurity Stakes win. With his trainer’s excellent record in the race, we think he’s a superb ride to land the Group 1 feature.
Silver Samurai (3.15 York) – 14/1
This is a wide open race, with nine of the last ten winners landing at double figure odds, and we can see it happening again this year with SILVER SAMURAI, who has gone close in his last two races and looks ready to strike at a course he has run well at in all three visits here.
Marco Botti’s 5YO has won two and placed in three of his nine races this year, including a close third behind Summerghand in the Constantine Handicap here in August. Prior to that, he flew home and did best of those who raced off the pace when seventh in the Dash Handicap in July, and the form of that race has worked out nicely since.
He fits plenty of trends for the race, being the right age (the last nine renewals have been won by horses aged 4-6), and he’s got an ideal draw in stall 7, with eight of the last nine winners coming from stalls 9 or lower (including the last four coming from stalls 5-7). He looks a fantastic E/W tip and we can’t see him finishing outside the places.
Call My Bluff (3.40 Newmarket) – 20/1
This race has tended to go to an outsider in recent years, with seven of the last ten winners landing at double-figure odds, and we’re backing that trend to continue with CALL MY BLUFF.
The five-year-old fits plenty of the recent trends for the race, including:
- 7 of the last 10 winners won off a weight of 8-8 or lower (he’s 8-6)
- 4 of the last 6 winners drawn in stall 20 or higher (he’s in stall 21)
He ran well on his only start here when a close third in the trial for this race last month, and followed that up with a runner-up finish in the Watergate Cup Handicap at Chester, where he would’ve won if the race was a few yards further.
It’s a typically wide open race and there’s plenty in with a shout, none more so than last year’s winning trainer Nicky Henderson’s Ahorsewithnoname, but at the odds we’re happy to take him on with Call My Bluff.