ITV Racing Tips – Previews & Selections for All Nine Saturday Races

ITV Racing Tips on Saturday, May 7th

The cards at Ascot, Lingfield and Haydock make up the live ITV4 action, we have scoured through these to provide our ITV tips for all eight scheduled races. Check these out below, with our top tips providing extra selections on what promises to be an unmissable day of racing.

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Barn Owl (1.45 Ascot) 33/1

A 1m4f handicap kicks off the live ITV4 action and Mascat looks interesting here for the in-form Joe Tizzard yard, with Rhys Clutterbuck’s claim negating the rise he received for a recent Epsom second. He isn’t the easiest to win with, however, so mightn’t be one to take a short price about.

At significantly greater odds, preference instead goes to BARN OWL, who has somewhat interestingly been kept to the level (and as an entire) in two starts since joining these connections, failing to beat a rival home on either occasion.

Those came on the all-weather at Lingfield, however, where Barn Owl’s record reads 0-5, and he is expected to prove far better suited by the return to turf, on which his form figures read 01221. Form figures read 212213 when Barn Owl races right-handed, so he’s expected to benefit from going back this way around, and he’s now just 4lb higher than when winning comfortably at Beverley last August, so looks well worth chancing at the forecast prices.

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Ex Gratia (2.05 Lingfield) 7/1

A 0-80 7f handicap and this really doesn’t look the strongest race on paper, with questions to answer for the majority of these. That comment would also apply to the topweight EX GRATIA, who is yet to run on turf, but she rates the potential improver in this line-up and looks the one to side with.

Jane Chapple-Hyam’s filly got off the mark at just the second attempt when scoring at Southwell in January and was subsequently pitched into a hot conditions race, where she predictably came up short.

Ex Gratia didn’t seem to be fancied when a 28/1 shot on handicap debut at Lingfield next time, but she wasn’t disgraced in seventh and would have finished closer but for finding herself caught in a pocket up the home straight.

Ex Gratia runs off the same mark of 80 here but drops slightly in grade, whilst being out a French Listed winner (half-sister to Arc winner Bago) her pedigree suggests that she’s expected to be better than what she’s shown thus far.

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Al Aasy (2.20 Ascot) 13/8

AL AASY has been called plenty of names and the suspicion is that he’s a bridle horse, but on his day he’s devastating and with upwards of 8lb in hand on official ratings here he should be able to gain a fifth career success in this 1m4f Listed contest.

This Shadwell 5yo comfortably landed a couple of Newbury Group 3s at the start of last season before going on to finish a beaten favourite in his next three starts.

Al Aasy beat just the one home in the Qipco Champion Stakes here when last seen, but that came at Group 1 level over a trip short of his optimum so it’s easily forgiven. This represents a huge class drop on seasonal return for Al Aasy, whilst he clearly has no issues racing when fresh.

His yard’s in great form and if there weren’t some issues about this horse’s temperament he’d be a great deal shorter than his current odds. There’s a feeling that this could prove an opportune time to catch Al Aasy.

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Walk Of Stars (2.40 Lingfield) Evs

This should be all about the top two in the market for this year’s renewal of the Lingfield Derby Trial and as last year’s runner-up Adayar showed, defeat here is no barrier to Epsom glory.

You could argue that there’s slightly too great a price discrepancy between WALK OF STARS and United Nations, but in truth, this looks like a good opportunity for the former to put a marker down in what looks at this stage an open Derby.

Charlie Appleby’s colt took a traditionally strong Nottingham maiden (recent winners include Space Blues and Mishriff) back in November and he justified strong market support to see off stablemate Hafit in a conditions race at Newbury on last month’s reappearance.

Walk Of Stars looked better the further he got that day and being out of a 1m4f winner his pedigree would back that opinion up. The RPR of 108 recorded at Newbury would be good enough to land an average renewal of this contest, so with even marginal improvement Walk Of Stars should be tough to beat.

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Herbiers (3.00 Haydock) 12/1

The new training partnership of Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero can land a significant early pot on Saturday when HERBIERS lines up in the Grade 3 Swinton Handicap Hurdle.

This 5yo has notched five wins from 14 starts in his career to date, his most recent victory coming at Doncaster in November when comfortably seeing off subsequent Grand Annual winner Global Citizen.

On RPRs, however, Herbiers actually bettered that showing in defeat at Cheltenham last time, when going down by just a neck to the 4yo Koi Dodville, to whom Herbiers was attempting to concede a whopping 19lb (even when factoring in his rider’s claim).

A strong pace at 2m looks just about Herbiers optimum conditions and good ground evidently suits him well, so at the price rates the one to be with here.

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Makinmedoit (3.15 Lingfield) 20/1

Emily Dickinson rates a likely improver upped to this trip and with her stable in such flying form she’s dangerous to dismiss, but she hasn’t looked the easiest ride so far and it’s worth noting that a 28/1 outsider landed this prize 12 months ago.

That horse was Sherbet Lemon, and at a similarly large price here it could pay to take a chance on MAKINMEDOIT for trainer Harry Eustace.

This daughter of Golden Horn was picked up for just 10,000 guineas last April but she’s shown clear signs of ability in her career to date, bumping into a couple of well-fancied sorts in all-weather novices before justifying skinny odds herself when landing a Brighton maiden last month.

This clearly represents a major step up on that form but it’s tough to gauge where this 3yos limitations currently lie and it could be notable that Tom Marquand is snapped up to take the ride.

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Strawberri (3.30 Ascot) 7/2

Although softer ground would probably be preferred, connections of STRAWBERRI appear to have found the filly an excellent opportunity to make a winning start to her 4yo campaign in this 1m handicap.

This daughter of Gleneagles was twice a winner last season and although a beaten favourite in both subsequent outings she shaped better than the bare result on each occasion, being disadvantaged by her track position at Sandown before finding bottomless ground over 1m2f too demanding a stamina test at Newbury.

Strawberri is back at a mile for seasonal return, which isn’t expected to prove too problematic, and it’d be a surprise if she didn’t end this campaign on a significantly greater mark than 83.

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Chocoya (3.50 Lingfield) 7/2

Ryan Moore has enjoyed an unbelievable week at Chester and he can keep the good time rolling here with victory aboard CHOCOYA in this 7f Group 3.

Hugo Palmer’s filly has been campaigned mostly as a sprinter in her career up to now but has long shaped as though a horse who would benefit from an extra furlong, regularly off the bridle early and finishing strongly in her races.

Stepped up to Listed company at Newmarket when last seen back in October Chocoya produced a good performance to finish fourth, beaten less than a length, behind She Do – who reopposes on the same terms here.

Chocoya made her challenge a little wider than ideal that day and the effort came a little quick on the back of handicap victories at Salisbury and Chelmsford, so there were certainly reasons to upgrade the run. 7f looks well worth re-exploring on that evidence whilst her yard has been scoring with horses on their seasonal reappearance at Chester this week, and Chocoya has won on the back of a break previously.

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One Ruler (4.05 Ascot) 10/1

We already know plenty about most of the runners in this valuable 7f handicap but Darkness hasn’t had a whole host of opportunities since joining current connections and would be one to keep an eye on here.

If there is a potential handicap blot in the line up, however, then it is surely Charlie Appleby’s ONE RULER, who was second in the Group 1 Vertem Futurity as a juvenile.

One Ruler’s 3yo campaign probably didn’t quite go to plan but he still managed a 2000 Guineas sixth and a third to Baaeed in Listed company at Newmarket.

Gelded prior to running in Dubai this winter, One Ruler still hasn’t managed to match the level of his 2yo form but there were some reasons to be positive about his latest Group 2 third. This represents a quite significant drop in class on reappearance, and it’s interesting that connections get cheekpieces back on One Ruler. Near enough all of One Ruler’s best form has come on straight tracks and it could just be that the demands of this race bring out the best in One Ruler today.

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