Free horse racing tips: Saturday Sandown and Haydock bets

Racing betting tips: Sandown & Haydock Saturday

1pt win Liverpool Knight in 3.15 Haydock at 12/1 (General)

1pt win Raasel in 1.50 Sandown at 7/2 (General)

1pt e.w Sinjaari in 2.25 Sandown at 13/2 (Sky Bet, Hills 1/4 1,2,3)

1pt e.w Alenquer in 3.35 Sandown at 8/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3)

As is tradition, the first Saturday in July gives us the first opportunity to assess this year’s Classic generation against their elders and a terrific race looks in store for the Coral-Eclipse.

It’s been a superb start to the Flat season, a foray back to when I first got interested in racing with Sir Michael Stoute training the Derby winner and the following day, an unexposed Aga Khan-owned colt putting in a superb display in winning the French Derby by over five lengths.

The French Derby winner, Vadeni, has been supplemented for £50,000 for this contest after blowing the field apart at Chantilly in soft ground and connections clearly feel he’s going to take all the beating on Saturday.

It’s true that the second had been thrashed by Desert Crown in the Dante and the third home, the French Guineas winner, probably didn’t stay or like the ground so it’s possible he had everything in his favour on the day.

The other Classic winner in the field, Godolphin’s Irish Guineas winner, Native Trail, looked ready for the step up in trip in winning at the Curragh and was following up his narrow second to Coroebus in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

That form was franked when Coroebus won the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot with Lusail, sixth at Newmarket, filling the runner-up berth. Perfect Power, the Commonwealth Cup winner, had finished a further place in arrears and the form does look very strong.

The big advantage three year olds hold over their older adversaries is the 10lb allowance they receive and it’s easy to see why the market favours them with the Classic generation having won four of the last ten renewals of the race.

Aidan O’Brien also runs a couple of three year olds in Aikhal, very impressive at the Curragh on Sunday, and Derby sixth, Stone Age, also engaged. Good horses they undoubtedly are but breaking through at the top level in this race will be an extremely tough ask.

I can’t really see the Tattersalls Gold Cup runner up, High Definition, being good enough for this, although he did run a very good third in the Coronation Cup at Epsom on his last appearance.

William Haggas’ Dubai Honour looks to have a few pounds to find with the best of these but could easily find improvement on his seasonal reappearance in the UK, Real World keeps running into Baaeed over a mile so steps up again in trip and Lord North appears to be slightly below his brilliant best since returning from a winter in Dubai.

Another French Derby winner, Mishriff, has proven himself to be a durable, top-class operator for the Gosden team and his highest rating was achieved when a wide margin winner at York last August after a slightly below-par run in this race. Reports of his homework have been good but I think others may have the edge in terms of improvement to come.

The two older horses I give the best chance to are the third and fourth in the betting, Bay Bridge and ALENQUER.

The former looked like he could be anything when thrashing the strongly fancied Moshtadaf in the Brigadier Gerard having gone through his three year old season unbeaten as his trainer took a typically softly softly approach.

Stepped up to Group One level in the Prince of Wales’ at Royal Ascot, he found State Of Rest, who undoubtedly got the run of the race, too strong in the closing stages, but a strongly-run contest over ten furlongs looks his barrow and it’s easy to see him improving again and taking this.

State Of Rest, though, was beaten into third behind Alenquer in the Tattersalls Gold Cup over the stiff ten furlongs in Ireland, confirming his appreciation of such a test after beating Adayar in last year’s Sandown Classic Trial.

He then missed the Derby, won the King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting in simple fashion, finished third behind Huricane Lane in the Grand Prix De Paris and filled the runner up spot in York’s International Stakes behind Mishriff albeit at a respectful six lengths.

He didn’t really fire in the Arc at the end of a hard season but was very strong at the finish in Ireland under a brilliant ride from Tom Marquand and can still be backed each way for a profit which appears the early value.

The rest of the Coral-sponsored card look very competitive and RAASEL does look the right favourite in the Charge over five furlongs. He showed a rapid turn of foot to come through and see off Dragon Symbol at Haydock last time and a repeat of that form puts him a bit ahead of the rest of this field with the added bonus of the prospect of plenty more to come.

The mile handicap, the Coral Challenge, is priced up as 8/1 the field with Guineas also ran Checkandchallenge towards the fore of the betting. He didn’t run his race for whatever reason at Newmarket but he was the easiest winner at Newcastle on All Weather Finals’ Day and 103 might not be the ceiling of his ability if he runs here.

I’m not sure he will run though and will wait until declaration stage to back him, so the one I’d like to be on at this stage is Royal Hunt Cup fifth, SINJAARI.

He’s only won twice in his career but both victories came in big fields, one in the John Smith’s Cup over ten furlongs and that guaranteed stamina should stand him in good stead in a strongly run affair.

At Ascot he won his race on the stands’ side by a length and a half having been the last horse off the bridle and I can see his jockey sitting motionless with a couple of furlongs to run. I can’t see him being out of the places.

Up at Haydock, the big staying handicap is the bet365 Old Newton Cup over twelve furlongs with some highly-rated types from big stables heading the betting.

The problem in backing any of them is that they have multiple entries and the one I give the best chance to at this stage is the Kevin Philipart De Foy trained LIVERPOOL KNIGHT who went up just 6lb for a three and a half length win at Windsor on his stable and seasonal debut after leaving Alan King.

Originally trained by John Gosden, he stays very well and acts on soft ground if the forecast rain does arrive and he should be one of the main protagonists on the day.

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