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Epsom's costly masterplan to reinvent Derby Day proved a bit of a damp squib in the end, mainly down to the awful weather which resulted in cars leaving the course in droves well before the feature race got underway at just after 4.00pm.
Having backed Dante winner Item, to see the York form overturned by over 30 lengths due to the conditions summed the day up for me. Christmas Day doesn't always bring what you had hoped for. The decision to declare Derby favourite Benvenuto Cellini a non-runner only added to the fiasco. Hopefully, the Surrey racecourse will have better luck in 12 months time, and at less expense.
Despite a slight loss on Saturday, we ended the week with a profit of +£6.65, mainly down to three successful naps, at odds of 5/1, 4/1 and 7/2 (20p R4).
- P/L for the week ending Sunday, 7 June: +£6.65
- P/L for the year 2026 to date: +£146.15
- P/L for the year 2025: +£22.38
- P/L for the year 2024: +£200.42
- P/L since 1st September 2022: +£646.81
Alan Kelly's Tips - Saturday, 13 June
With Royal Ascot only three days away, Saturday’s horse racing action is modest compared to most weekends, the feature race on the Knavesmire at York being the Listed Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Grand Cup Stakes at 3:00pm.
1:32pm Sandown - Quartermaster
First, second and third over a furlong shorter on this course last month, there should be little between Richard Hannon’s Law Court, the Jane Chapple-Hyam-trained The Joker and Loblolly on today’s terms, with slight preference for The Joker who may have gone off too quickly on that occasion.
Godolphin’s QUARTERMASTER is almost certainly better than when fourth at Newmarket last month following his debut victory at Chelmsford before Christmas. An opening mark of 84 looks fair enough for the Sea The Moon colt, who gets the vote over Richard Hughes’ hat-trick seeking Mohaaraj.
Recommendation: Quartermaster - 4/1 with BetVictor
1:50pm York - Mayaada
Nick Bradley Racing are responsible for three of the 9 contenders for this Queen Mother’s Cup for female amateur jockeys, all housed with different trainers. In a race which makes little appeal from a betting perspective, it could be worth taking a chance on the Ollie Sangster-trained bottom weight MAYAADA.
A disappointing last of 10 at Chester on her most recent start when never in contention, the daughter of Phoenix Of Spain is better judged on her victory at Salisbury just 7 days earlier.
Recommendation: Mayaada - 12/1 with Coral
2:10pm Chester - Jeddaal (Each-Way)
An open three-year-old handicap in which claims can be made for several of the 11 contenders, in particular Richard Hughes’ Startled, bottom weight Comic Hero and the William Haggas-trained Masked Warrior. However, the each-way vote goes to the Lope De Vega gelding JEDDAAL (Each-Way) from the Ed Walker stable.
The mount of 5lb claimer Ashley Lewis opened his account with a victory in a Catterick maiden back in April from a horse, the Tim Easterby-trained Red Spell Danger, who has gone on to win races at Ripon and Hamilton by wide margins and now runs off a mark 5lb higher than Jeddaal.
A close third on his handicap debut at Haydock last month, Jeddaal can go close in an open race.
Recommendation: Jeddaal (Each-Way) - 13/2 with bet365
2:25pm York - Aalto
Making his handicap debut off an opening mark of 94, William Haggas’s unbeaten Extremely Zain, winner of minor races at Newcastle and Newbury, could well be the obvious answer to the outcome of this 22-runner 7f handicap. While both Akkadian Thunder and Brighton Boy make some appeal, each-way, I like the booking of jockey Ryan Moore for the Ian Williams-trained AALTO.
The six-year-old has not troubled the judge since winning Newmarket’s Bunbury Cup two years ago, but only lost out by a nose in that race 12 months later when beaten on the nod by William Haggas’s classy 121-rated More Thunder. Aalto looked to be running into form when finishing 9th of 28 in Ascot’s Victoria Cup last month. Back on a similar mark to when winning that Bunbury Cup, Aalto is certainly capable of winning this if running up to anything like his best.
Recommendation: Aalto - 11/2 with William Hill
2:42pm Sandown - Military Code
Charlie Appleby’s Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Word Of Truth has to concede between 5lb and 10lb to his 8 rivals in this 5f Listed contest. At a much bigger price, I would rather back the favourite’s stablemate MILITARY CODE, the mount of Billy Loughnane.
The Wootton Bassett colt disappointed on a couple of occasions as a juvenile, but won his first two starts at two and if in the same kind of form as when failing by a head to give 5lb to Tim Easterby’s Revival Power in the Listed Roses Stakes at York’s Ebor meeting, has every chance of going close.
Recommendation: Military Code - 9/2 with Coral
3:00pm York - Epic Poet
Karl Burke’s Al Qareem is always a tough nut to crack in a race of this nature. Clifford Lee’s mount has very little in hand over Andrew Balding’s Mount Atlas based on their Musselburgh form of two months ago however, the latter a creditable second to Jan Brueghel in Chester’s Ormonde Stakes on his most recent start.
Back down into Listed company following a number of excellent efforts in Group races, David O’Meara’s EPIC POET would certainly not be winning out of turn on a course where the Lope De Vega gelding has run many of his best races, the best of which came in last year’s Yorkshire Cup.
Beaten a head by Godolphin’s globetrotting Rebel’s Romance with top stayer Sweet William three quarters of a length back in third, Ryan Moore’s mount would take plenty of beating with a repeat of that excellent effort on the Knavesmire.
Recommendation: Epic Poet - 4/1 with Betfred
3:17pm Sandown - High Degree (Nap)
Prominent in the ante-post market for next week’s Royal Hunt Cup, the William Haggas-trained HIGH DEGREE (Nap) was never likely to make the cut for that historic handicap off an official mark of 92. A victory in this Class 2 handicap would earn the horse a penalty and a possible, but unlikely place in next week's one mile cavalry charge.
After opening his account in a Ffos Las maiden last July, Tom Marquand’s mount ran with credit in a hugely competitive handicaps at Goodwood and Ascot before failing to handle the heavy ground at Doncaster on his final outing of the season.
Making his reappearance at Newbury last month following a break of 7 months and after being gelded, High Degree managed to beat all bar the race-fit Hand Of God over a trip of 1m 2f. Back down to a mile, I expect the selection to regain the winning thread at the main expense of the unexposed pair of Ralph Beckett’s Beagle Bay and Roger Varian’s Raammee.
Recommendation: High Degree (Nap) - 7/2 with Paddy Power
3:35pm York - Red Spells Danger & Thunder Call
This valuable sprint handicap for three-year-olds has been won by some pretty smart horses down the years and is always a difficult puzzle to solve, especially with a field of 22 runners and a possible draw advantage, yet to be determined. In the hope that those horses drawn low are not at a disadvantage, my two against the field are Tim Easterby’s RED SPELLS DANGER (9) and THUNDER CALL (4) from the Haggas stable.
The former is clearly improving at a rate of knots having cruised home in races at Ripon and Hamilton on his last two starts. From a stable always to be respected on the Knavesmire, David Allan’s mount may still be one step ahead of the handicapper off a revised mark of 89.
Thunder Call makes his handicap debut off an opening mark of 85 following the Pinatubo colt’s bloodless victory in a Kempton Park maiden last month. The mount of Zac Lloyd has the profile of a horse who could prove way ahead of that rating come the end of the season.
Recommendations: Red Spells Danger - 13/2 with bet365 & Thunder Call - 6/1 with William Hill
* Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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About Alan Kelly
A passionate follower of horse racing for over 50 years, Alan has enjoyed a 40-year career in the betting industry, 28 of which he spent running his betting shop as an owner/manager.
A successful punter with a keen eye for value, Alan has had many betting highlights, including a Scoop 6 win and has shown a consistent profit in the battle with bookmakers since joining Freebets.com in 2008.
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