Charlie McCann’s Horse Racing Tips For Saturday, 16 May - Newmarket, Newbury & Bangor-on-Dee
Charlie heads to Newmarket on Saturday for his best bet
It's a busy day of racing action in the UK and Ireland, and Charlie McCann is here with his exclusive free horse racing tips - only at FreeBets.com.
1.42pm Newmarket - Twisting Physics (Nap)
TWISTING PHYSICS (Nap) was recommended this time last week at Lingfield over ten furlongs, but was pulled out on the Friday evening, having reportedly scoped badly. Jamie Spencer rode two winners in these colours at York midweek, one from the lead and one racing prominently.
The hope is that he doesn't give the selection too much to do, given he had the lightly raced five-year-old – just five career starts – out the back before making late gains at Newbury on his reappearance, and the drop back down to a mile is not an obvious plus for the gelded son of Dubawi.
There are several in the field – Helm Rock,Canvas and Indian Spirit – who like to race prominently, but no confirmed front runner, and I wonder if Spencer will make his own running on a horse whose stamina is guaranteed, having taken many judges' eyes out at Newbury on his first start at 10f on his reappearance.
As I wrote yesterday, I don't particularly like betting at Newmarket and never will, but the two classics at the beginning of the month confirmed that the best horse normally wins at the track. The stalls are on the stands' side, and the hope is that a draw in stall six of twelve is not a disadvantage, although it is possible that the stand side may again be a golden highway.
Recommendation: Twisting Physics (Nap) - 11/4 with Ladbrokes
2:35pm Newbury - Sahlan (Each-Way)
The feature race, the Lockinge Stakes, goes off before three o'clock, presumably because Manchester City play Chelsea in the FA Cup Final.
The multiple Group 1 winner Notable Speech is the obvious starting point, and he really should have gained a fifth win at the top table when constantly denied a run at Keeneland last month. He did well to be beaten less than two lengths.
He would have been the selection were it not for the form of the Charlie Appleby stable, who have gone three weeks and twenty-eight runners since they last had a winner. There were signs of a turning of the tide at York midweek – this is being written before yesterday's racing – and they had three fancied runners on Friday. If they run well, I will likely save on the former Guineas winner.
The market is headed by Damysus despite the fact that he has never raced at a mile before. He was visually very impressive when running away with the nine-furlong Earl Of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket on his reappearance, but I'm not convinced about the merit of the form with the second – King's Gambit – finishing last in the Huxley Stakes at Chester last week.
He is certainly not devoid of pace, but this race will tell us if he will be campaigned at eight (Queen Anne/Sussex) or ten furlongs (Prince Of Wales's/Coral Eclipse) for the rest of the season.
Zeus Olympios lost his unbeaten record at Sandown on his reappearance when third to Opera Ballo. His supporters will tell you he was beaten less than a length by Fields Of Gold last time, giving that classic winner weight, but he was thrashed by Opera Ballo, and I am going to take a chance on the French challenger SAHLAN (Each-Way).
The last/only French-trained winner of the race was Keltos back in 2002, and the selection finished behind both The Lion In Winter and Notable Speech in the Breeders' Cup Mile, but he looked ill at ease around those turns and finished as well as anything.
This straight mile will suit, and he did beat Rosallion in the Moulin at Longchamp in September – The Lion In Winter back in third.
This is his seasonal reappearance, but he looked the type to improve again at four, and I felt 11/1 was too big for the four-year-old on Friday morning.
Recommendation: Sahlan (Each-Way) - 11/1 with Ladbrokes (3 places)
Having backed Albert Einstein for the Commonwealth Cup, I could do with him winning the listed Carnarvon Stakes, but I am a huge fan of Royal Fixation, who escapes a penalty for her Lowther Stakes success by ten days.
A race best watched for me. Blue RC would have been a strong recommendation in the 5:00pm race, but I am worried about the draw in stall two on the straight course, even over a mile.
3:45pm Newbury - Sintra & Lost Boys
A typically competitive London Gold Cup, and the market is headed by My Love Is King for the Gosdens in first-time cheekpieces. He was intimidated when carried across the track at Newmarket last time, and I would have been sweet on Sahara King were it not for his coffin box in stall eleven.
I like a low draw over 10f at Newbury, and my two against the field are SINTRA and LOST BOYS, with preference for the latter, who has been raised 6lbs for scrambling home at Sandown, beating Godolphin's Into The Light a short head with the third, in what looked a competitive heat – almost three lengths further back.
The Menuisier yard were not firing at the time of that Sandown reappearance, but Master Builder did us a big favour from the yard at Pickled Pork midweek, and the selection has a cracking draw in stall two.
Oisin Murphy had a strong book of rides at Ascot last weekend, and he was asked before racing who his best ride was. Without hesitating, he nominated Sintra, who fairly bolted up, making all. The Kingman colt is 9lbs higher this afternoon – including being 4lbs out of the weights – and Hollie Doyle, who could do with a big race winner, takes over in the saddle, given Murphy cannot do the weight on the selection.
Well drawn in stall four, Doyle is likely to try and make all, and I thought he looked well ahead of his mark last weekend.
Recommendations: Sintra - 9/1 with Ladbrokes & Lost Boys - 6/1 with BetVictor
3:20pm Bangor-on-Dee - Fasol
FASOL has a new partner following the retirement from the saddle midweek of Olive Nicholls to work more closely with her father at Ditcheat. Paddy O'Hanlon takes over in the plate, and this extended 2m trip – rail movements make it near 2m1f - is on the sharp side for the selection, but I hope a change of partner leads to a change of fortune following a series of excellent runs in defeat.
I would expect the son of Shark to be positive on the seven-year-old who has been called some rude names in the past, but ran a cracker at Sandown over two-and-a-half miles last time. This is a drop in class from the type of race the selection usually competes in, and he might get a good lead with the headstrong Roysse in the field.
Recommendation: Fasol - 5/2 with bet365
*Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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