Neil Morrice brings us all of his best bets and tips for Saturday’s racing at Newbury, bath, and Newmarket.
Newbury undercard Best Bets
Race 3: SEXTANT (2)
Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Jockey: Ryan Moore
As a product of a training establishment that prides itself on improving horses as they get older, SEXTANT can successfully make the step up from handicaps to Pattern company in this Group 3 Unibet Geoffrey Freer Stakes. The four-year-old has won all but one of his four starts this year and was especially impressive making all in a Class 2 at Ascot’s King George fixture at the end of last month. He seems versatile regarding ground and so should be all right if the going eases.
Race 6: ADONIJAH (1)
Trainer: Henry Candy
Jockey: Jason Watson
If the Candy stable has a decent three-year-old in its midst then ADONIJAH is the one. He’s been a slow-burning project so far, but after chasing home the useful Away He Goes over this mile and a half trip at Newmarket last month he has impressed his connections with his work and progress at home. He rates the best bet on this card and should open his account on the way to better things.
Newbury Feature Race
Unibet Hungerford Stakes (Group 2)
Arch-rivals SIR DANCEALOT and HEY GAMAN clash in one of the mid-summer highlights at Newbury with the former attempting to carbon copy his 2018 achievement of winning the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood followed by the Hungerford.
At Goodwood last month the pair met a level weights, with Sir Dancealot swooping late under Gerald Mosse to score by a length, but this time Hey Gaman enjoys a 3lb swing making it in theory very close between the pair on the book.
The David Elsworth-trained Sir Dancealot failed to menace in two races over a mile, only to show that he’s a specialist at the seven-furlong trip at Goodwood, surging past rivals on the outer.
Against that, Hey Gaman has finished second in his last two starts, having previously chased home subsequent Group 1 winner Romanised in a Group 2 at the Curragh, with SAFE VOYAGE in third.
The very evident rain threat will be a big disadvantage to Sir Dancealot should it materialise, but not so to Safe Voyage who has taken his form to another level this year. Trainer John Quinn guided him to a hat-trick old successes at Haydock, culminating with a decisive win in the John Of Gaunt Stakes.
Without question he is a Haydock specialist, but credit is paid where it’s due and that run behind Romanised is looking so much better owing to the latter’s triumph in the Prix Jacques Le Marois. He does have half a length to find with Hey Gaman, but should the word ‘soft’ appear in the official going it will massively assist the Yorkshire raider.
SPACE TRAVELLER will travel south from the same neck of the woods for trainer Richard Fahey but appeared to be beaten fair and square when a three and threequarter length sixth in the Lennox.
Of the outsiders there would be a certain amount of appeal in DONJUAN TRIUMPHANT if the rain arrives. Andrew Balding’s charge beat one home in the Lennox but hasn’t been able to take advantage of his favoured easy conditions so far this season.
Neil Morrice’s Predicted Finish:
1st: SAFE VOYAGE
2nd: Hey Gaman
3rd: Sir Dancealot
4th: Donjuan Triumphant
5th: Space Traveller
Bath Best Bets
Race 5: PICKETT’S CHARGE (9)
Trainer: Brian Ellison
Jockey: Ben Robinson
Having needed every yard of seven furlongs to land the spoils at Brighton, PICKETT’S CHARGE should be more in his comfort zone over this mile. He looked in big trouble that day but after picking up for pressure he flew in the final furlong to get up in the last strides. Getting weight from everything else, he remains a well-treated horse and can go in again.
Newmarket Best Bets
Race 1: COLONEL WHITEHEAD (1)
Trainer: Heather Main
Jockey: Luke Morris
COLONEL WHITEHEAD can play the experience card to good use in this opener, having shown on his latest start that winning a race of this nature shouldn’t be a problem. On that occasion, he ran on strongly up the hill at Sandown to finish third to the very useful Master McGrath. Beaten a total of two lengths, he will surely enjoy the step up from five furlongs to six.
Race 3: GO WELL SPICY (4)
Trainer: Mick Channon
Jockey: David Egan
This is a warm fillies’ nursery in which GO WELL SPICY can show her mettle as the most experienced runner in the field. A dual scorer, she looked a shade unlucky in a better race than this over six furlongs when hampered at a crucial stage. The interference cost her all chance, but to her credit, she stayed on well towards the finish and was only just out of the money. That run suggests the move up to seven will be in her favour.
