Charlie McCann’s Horse Racing Tips For Saturday, 20 June - Royal Ascot & Newmarket
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.
I must write this before racing on Thursday, and the hope is that conditions don't change in the run-up to the final day of the Royal meeting.
3:05pm Royal Ascot - Best Secret & Goliath
Dual classic winner Lambourn is 16/1 for the Hardwicke Stakes, which shows how good a race this Group 2 contest is and also that he is likely to be used as a pacemaker for Jan Brughel.
The pair had hard races in the Coronation Cup on ground softer than ideal a fortnight ago, and their running and tactics will come under the closest scrutiny after the St James's Palace Stakes on Tuesday. I thought Ryan Moore got away lightly with just a three-day ban for turning left on Gstaad coming out of the stalls and intimidating/bullying Billy Loughnane on Bow Echo.
Everyone in the racing media is petrified of upsetting anything or anyone representing Ballydoyle – especially the ill-mannered and doleful Moore – and I thought he should have got the book thrown at him and the horse disqualified. Forget Soumillon edging left in the home straight – he got eight days for that – but what Moore did coming out of the stalls was dangerous.
Good luck to Colin Keane on the market leader Kalpana (2), who is sandwiched between the two O'Brien runners this afternoon, with Lambourn in one and Jan Brueghel in three. That said, I expect them to be on their best behaviour this afternoon.
The filly Kalpana is the one to beat, at the prices, I am backing the two French raiders BEST SECRET and GOLIATH.
Best Secret beat West Wind Blows 3l at Longchamp last time on ground described as very soft, but it was just on the soft side of good despite being run in heavy rain. He goes well on fast ground and looked an unlucky loser in the Golden Gates over 10f at this meeting twelve months ago.
Goliath is a former King George winner on fast ground, and he looked as good as ever when running away with the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly last time, when he could have been called the winner from some way out.
Recommendations: Best Secret - 12/1 with bet365 & Goliath - 15/2 with Paddy Power
4:20pm Royal Ascot - Catullus & Into The Sky
I have also backed a couple in the Jersey Stakes, CATULLUS for Charlie Appleby and INTO THE SKY for Jim Boyle.
Catullus finally put everything together when running away with a Goodwood handicap last time over 7f, having had wind surgery and a gelding operation since disappointing at Meydan earlier in the year. He needs to improve again, stepping up in class, but he looked like a different animal on the Sussex Downs.
Drawn in stall fourteen of seventeen – a big run from either Pathein or Wechadd – running on Thursday, who were behind the Godolphin-owned runner at Goodwood, would be a boost to his chance.
Connections of Into The Sky must have had the Commonwealth Cup under serious consideration after his fourth in the Guineas when he travelled well to two out but was eventually beaten 12l by Bow Echo. The son of Starman is a beautiful-looking colt who is open to considerable improvement after just three career starts.
I am worried that he will be a champion sprinter, and he does hold an entry in the July Cup, but connections must feel he will get this stiff seven-furlong trip, and it would be great for his Epsom trainer if he landed this Group 3 prize.
Recommendations: Catullus - 14/1 with William Hill & Into The Sky - 6/1 with bet365
5:35pm Royal Ascot - Spyce (Each-Way)
The London Gold Cup might be the key to the Golden Gates with the 1-2-4 all reopposing from Newbury. Note Wathnan Racing have acquired the 1-2-3 from Newbury with the third Tierra Del Torro running on Thursday in the 12f King George V Stakes.
The race was first run in 2020, and to date the winners have come from stalls 16-13-13-9-17-14 over the round course, but I hope that trend is bucked as I think the fourth home from Newbury SPYCE (Each-Way) (2) can reverse the form on the revised terms, although I appreciate that he will need luck in running from his low, but ground-saving, draw.
If you look back at the Newbury race, Alan King's son of Too Darn Hot pulled too hard out the back of the field and did extremely well to get within three-and-a-half lengths of the winner Lost Boys, who was doing us a huge favour. I hope I'm not trying to be too clever, but at 16/1 Spyce – who is 7lbs better off with the winner – looks overpriced.
The King yard have already struck gold with Daiquiri Bay on Tuesday, and the hope is that he can get into a good position – hopefully tracking Perisher and Folk Pageant, who should go forward from their low draws – ahead of the right-hand bend into the home straight.
If this were Goodwood, you would suggest a low number is essential over ten furlongs, but Ascot is a different proposition, and I will be kicking myself if Lost Boys and/or Sahara King – second at Newbury - come flying down the centre of the track.
Recommendation: Spyce (Each-Way) - 16/1 with bet365 (5 places)
1:24pm Newmarket - Timely Affair (Each-Way) (Nap)
TIMELY AFFAIR (Each-Way) (Nap) has been raised 2lbs for finishing third at Yarmouth last time, but the form has been franked by the subsequent exploits of the first and second, and I am convinced there is a 70-rated horse trying to get out.
Trainer William Knight has booked the experienced Taylor Fisher for this apprentice contest, and the stable won this corresponding race two years ago. The selection is edging up the weights – began handicapping on the all-weather from a mark in the low fifties – but showed he acts on turf at Yarmouth, having shown next to nothing in three juvenile starts last term. He just about gets a mile, and he has not yet reached his ceiling from a mark of sixty-two.
Recommendation: Timely Affair (Each-Way) (Nap) - 15/2 with bet365 (3 places)
*Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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