Charlie McCann’s Horse Racing Tips For Saturday, 6 June - Epsom & Doncaster
Charlie heads to Doncaster 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.
There is rain forecast for Epsom overnight Friday and for much of Derby Day and the forecast I have seen suggests the course could get up to 10mm between the end of racing on Friday and the colts' classic at 4pm.
1:30pm Epsom - Alcantor (Each-Way)
I am writing this ahead of racing on Friday and presume the horses will race far side in the home straight, but I wonder if they migrate stands' side if the course gets overnight rain.
In the opening 7f Group 3 contest Never So Brave goes unpenalized for landing the Group 1 City Of York Stakes at York back in August on fast ground. He has won on soft ground previously and is entitled to come on for his Sandown reappearance – pulled hard and failed to get home over a mile – back in April.
I hope the rain arrives for ALCANTOR (Each-Way) who won three times at this level in his native France for Andre Fabre but all over a mile. He joined the stable of Joseph O'Brien over the winter and made a satisfactory seasonal debut on yard debut when fourth beaten more than three lengths over a mile at Leopardstown last month.
The colours of the Rothschild family will always be my favourite, and I hope this is not clouding my judgement, but he will relish the ground and can – but does not have to – lead.
Ten Bob Tony was an impressive winner of the corresponding race last season but that was at Haydock Park, and I did think the 5s for Alcantor was fair each way value in the dead eight. Let's hope there is not a NR!
Recommendation: Alcantor (Each-Way) - 5/1 Ladbrokes (3 places)
2:40pm Epsom - Convergent (Each-Way)
I backed CONVERGENT (Each-Way) earlier in the week when it looked as if the great Calandagan would be non -runner on account of the ground in the Group 1 Coronation Cup. I thought I was being clever. I wasn't.
That said I was disgusted with myself that I didn't have the courage of my convictions and back Convergent first time out in the Group 3 John Porter Stakes at Newbury on his reappearance, having put him up as my horse to follow for the season pre-season.
There are too many column inches given over to Constitution Hill but, looking back, the John Porter was a race he was due to run in and I wonder if the racing media have ever been as hysterical as they were before his two weak all-weather successes earlier in the year.
They (don't know whether it was Arc or the BHA) even put a valuable race on just for him to win – but where is he now? Oh, but it brightened up a cold Friday at Southwell in February. Yes, while connections trousered 22k and then ran for the hills when the better horses came out of winter hibernation.
King George/Japan Cup winner Calandagan is a superstar, but he faces two top-class Ballydoyle representatives including last year's winner Jan Brueghel who appeared to outstay the French gelding here twelve months ago. Both O'Brien runners have had a run and scored impressively at Chester, and you would imagine Lambourn will try and repeat last year's Derby success when he made all to win by three lengths.
There will be no hiding place, and I hope that will suit Convergent who was value for so much more than the half a length he had in hand of Al Aasy – received 5lbs – at Newbury. Trainer Karl Burke has suggested he doesn't want extremes of going but there should be np concerns ground wise. He will need to improve again, but he should have the race run to suit. Whether he is good enough is another matter, but I am already invested and believe he is a Group 1 horse.
Recommendation: Convergent (Each-Way) - 7/1 with bet365 (2 places)
4:00pm Epsom - Benvenuto Cellini
You can't have a Derby winner called Item – can you? The unbeaten colt landed the Dante last time and was going away over that extended 10f trip. He was taken out of the G1 Futurity on account of the heavy ground – Action second and BENVENUTO CELLINI third – at Doncaster back in the autumn but today's conditions should hold no terrors although he has not raced on ground with any ease. For that reason, rather than his name, he is overlooked.
Benvenuto Cellini looks the one to beat on the back of his fluent Chester Vase success which belied any stamina doubts. A flashy son of Frankel he was an impressive winner of the Group 2 Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown on Irish Champions weekend, and he can cope with good to soft or soft ground although he was found out be heavy at Doncaster in October.
The choice of Ryan Moore from the four Ballydoyle representatives, Benvenuto Cellini is drawn to the outside of stablemate Action who I would expect to lead or at least race prominently under Wayne Lordan. The selection is a best price of 2/1 at the time of writing but there will be bigger available on Friday evening or Saturday morning.
My two chief threats are Bay Of Brilliance – taken to reverse Lingfield running with Maltese Cross – and James J Braddock who impressed when running down Pierre Bonard – stablemate of the selection – in the Leopardstown Derby trial over ten furlongs. This step up to a mile-and-a-half for the first time will suit and it could be a big day for the Joseph O'Brien stable.
Recommendation: Benvenuto Cellini - 2/1 with bet365
4:40pm Epsom - Hell Yeah He Did
The 10f three-year-old handicap is not exactly the London Cup and it looks a moderate renewal. The vote goes to HELL YEAH HE DID who makes his handicap debut and seasonal reappearance for ralph Beckett.
A Nottingham winner over a mile on soft ground back in October – gelded the following month – he looks sure to appreciate this test especially if the rain continues to fall throughout the afternoon. He looks one of the strongest stayers in the field.
Allegresse represents Andrew Balding who has such a fine record in the race – saddled the winner three times since 2017 – but I'm not convinced this son of Oasis Dream would appreciate any softening of the ground.
Recommendation: Hell Yeah He Did - 11/2 with Ladbrokes
3:05pm Doncaster - Any Which Way (Nap)
One of the races I am most looking forward to watching this Derby Day is the 1m6f+ three-year-old handicap at Doncaster. It seems strange to see William Buick in south Yorkshire rather than Epsom but Godolphin have no three-year-old colt considered good enough to line up in the classic.
Charlie Appleby saddles Study Of Words who promises to be well served by this extreme test for a three-year-old at this stage of the season, but preference is for ANY WHICH WAY (Nap) who will be ridden by the leading young Australian jockey Zac Lloyd.
The selection – trained by Michael Bell – was slowly away but finished as well as anything when second at Windsor last time over nearly 12f, giving every impression he would relish the extra quarter of a mile plus. This is only the third renewal of this valuable handicap, but it has already thrown up two useful winners including Many Men in 2025 who went on to finish second in the Melrose at York in August.
Recommendation: Any Which Way (Nap)
*Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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