SATURDAY RACING TIPS

The How To Back Winners racing tips and suggested stakes for Saturday 19th May.

1.30pm Newbury – Sun Central – 1 point win
3.05pm Newbury – Thomas Chippendale – 2 points win
2.15pm Newmarket – Thought Worthy – 2 point win
2.45pm Newmarket – Gabriel’s Lad – 1 point each-way
1.50pm Thirsk – Lady Of The House – 1 point win

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Victoria Cup Ascot – Classic trials Lingfield

Plenty of exciting and informative racing to look forward to this weekend with the Victoria Cup at Ascot and the Oaks and Derby trials at Lingfield this Saturday.
There’s also an excellent mixed card of jump and Flat racing at Haydock this Saturday.

The Betfred Victoria Cup 3.25pm is as competitive as ever and, as ever, luck and the draw are likely to be major factors. The ground is also expected to be testing which further complicates the picture. The very smart Pastoral Player (pictured above right) has to hump top weight in the 7f handicap but he has a good record fresh and can’t be ruled out. However, Lightning Cloud gets the How To Back Winners vote as Kevin Ryan’s four-year-old was very progressive last season, has run well on easy ground at Ascot and is lightly enough raced to be open to plenty more improvement. Lightning Cloud will be having his first outing of the year but he won first time out last term and, hopefully, his draw in stall 15 will not spoil his chances. While any draw bias is difficult to be confident about, high drawn horses have generally done well on easy ground at Ascot in recent times.

The Bovis Homes Fillies Handicap 2.50pm is another competitive heat at Ascot but Moone’s My Name could be worth an interest. Ralph Bekett’s grey has been hit with a 9lb rise for her easy win at Windsor on her seasonal bow last month and this is better race but she’s clearly improved a good deal since last term and her pedigree suggests that she will be at home in the easy conditions.

Over at Lingfield Sir Henry Cecil’s Chachamaidee could get punters of to a good start in the Betfred Mobile Chartwell Fillies Stakes 2.10pm. The five-year-old will be making her seasonal bow but she has won first time out in her three previous campaigns.

The Betfred “The Bonus King” Oaks Trial 2.40pm has attracted several lightly raced fillies with any amount of potential. Vow overcame greenness to make a winning bow at Newbury last month and it seems significant that Johnny Murtagh goes to the Surrey Polytrack solely to retain the ride on William Haggas’s daughter of Motivator.

The Betfred Derby Trial 3.10pm looks very tricky but John Gosden’s Shantaram should go well. The form of the Galileo colt’s narrow defeat by Model Pupil in a 1m2f maiden at Newmarket’s Craven meeting has worked out well and received another boost when the winner just lost out in a photo finish for the Chester Vase this week.

The How To Back Winners tips and suggested stakes for Saturday May 12th.

2.10pm Lingfield – Chachamaidee – 1 point win
2.40pm Lingfield – Vow – 1 point win
2.50pm Ascot – Moone’s My Name – 1 point win
3.10pm Lingfield – Shantaram – 1 point win
3.25pm Ascot – Tariq Too – 1 point win
3.25pm Ascot – Lightning Cloud – 1 point win
3.40pm Haydock – Makbullet – 1 point each-way

Classic Weekend

It’s the first Classic Weekend of the year at Newmarket with the Qipco 2,000 Guineas 3.10pm on Saturday and the Qipco 1,000 Guineas 3.10pm on Sunday over the straight mile on the Rowley Mile course. Scroll down for the tips.

Aidan O’Brien supplies unbeaten hot favourites for both races in Camelot (pictured above right) and Maybe. For good measure the Ballydoyle trainer will also saddle very useful second and third strings in each event as well.

First up for O’Brien is Camelot in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas on  Saturday. The Montjeu colt easily won a Leopardstown conditions stakes on his debut last July and started a very heavily backed 10-11 favourite for the Racing Post Trophy in October at Doncaster where he demonstrated the confidence behind him was well founded by cruising home a most impressive winner.
Camelot has been all the rage in the ante-post market and could easily go off odds-on. He’s clearly considered to be out of the very top drawer by his powerful connections.
O’Brien has said he wouldn’t want the ground to be too soft at Newmarket but the forecast suggests the Rowley Mile is unlikely to be particularly testing this weekend.
The case against the favourite rests on two, admittedly rather weak, pillars. He’s yet to record a notable time and the bare form of the Racing Post Trophy isn’t very strong with the second home, Zip Top, having finished only third to Crius in a Group 3 at Newmarket previously.

Camelot may well be an outstanding colt and he’s already just 5-2 for the Derby. However, there’s another potential top notcher in the field in Born To Sea who makes a good deal of appeal each-way at the 8-1 available at the time of writing on Tuesday.
John Oxx’s colt could not be better related. His siblings include Sea The Stars and Galileo and he made a winning debut at The Curragh last September.
The son of Invincible Spirit can be excused finishing only second the following month at Leopardstown as he was lame afterwards.
Oxx is the most patient of trainers and he would not be running Born To Sea in the Guineas if he did not believe he was ready for the challenge.

Aidan O’Brien’s Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial winner Furner’s Green and his Coventry Stakes and National Stakes victor Power together with Jim Bolger’s Parish Hall (pictured in the banner photo at the top of the page), who beat Power into second in the Dewhurst Stakes, complete an extremely strong Irish raiding party.

The French will also be well represented with Prix Djebel 1.2.3, French Fifteen, Abtaal and Hermival.

The home defence will be led by 5l Craven Stakes winner Trumpet Major and the very highly regarded Newbury maiden winner Top Offer.
Richard Hannon’s Bronterre was disappointing when only third in the Greenham Stakes but there were excuses and his earlier form was very smart. How To Back Winners would not be surprised to see Bronterre run very well at a big price this weekend.

Aidan O’Brien’s Maybe is almost as dominant as Camelot in the 1,000 Guineas betting. The Galileo filly was unbeaten in five juvenile starts and signed off with victory in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh in August. She’s generally priced at 6-4 so, once again, the market indicates she has come through the winner well and has been pleasing her trainer on the Tipperary gallops.
Like Camelot, she too hasn’t done anything spectacular on the clock. Her form, though, is very solid. However, there’s always the chance that some of her rivals may be much improved this season.
Godolphin’s Lyric Of Light and Discourse went through their juvenile campaigns without tasting defeat and represent last year’s winning’s connections.
Ralph Beckett’s Moonstone Magic looked very good when landing the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury a fortnight ago just a week after making a winning debut at Nottingham. The daughter of Trade Fair has been supplemented which is always a positive sign.
William Haggas’ Diala and John Gosden’s The Fugue have shown tremendous promise and could easily be up to make their presence felt for trainers who hare no stranger to Classic success.

The How To Back Winners tips and stakes for Saturday 5th May and Sunday 6th May.

Saturday May 5th
2.30pm Newmarket – Meandre – 1 point win
3.15pm Newmaket – Born To Sea – 1 point each-way
3.15pm Newmarket – Bronterre – 0.5 point each-way
4.20pm Newmarket – Personal Touch – 1 point win

Sunday May 6th
2.05pm Newmarket – Local Hero – I point win
3.10pm Newmarket – Moonstone Magic – 2 points each-way
5.00pm Newmarket – Cubanita – 1 point win

Top jumping & Flat racing Sandown on Saturday

The final big race of the 2011-2012 Jumps Season, the Bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase 3.10pm, is the main attraction at Sandown Park on Saturday.
There are also two Group races on the Flat at the popular Esher track and it promises to be a great day of action for all racing fans.

Light weights have a good recent record in the Bet365 Gold Cup but How To Back Winners is going to go against that trend by suggesting Tidal Bay as a major contender this year.
Paul Nicholls’ gelding is entering the veteran stage of his career and it’s over two years since he last visited the winner’s enclosure. However, he’s far from a back number and the handicapper has given him a real chance this weekend, even though he has to carry top weight of 11st12lb.
Granted Tidal Bay is a bit of a monkey and not one to have your last few quid on but he’s a class above the rivals he faces here and has more than enough going for him to be worthy of each-way support.

Nicky Henderson’s French import Tom Du Lys would be very interesting in the opening Bet365 Josh Gifford Memorial Handicap Hurdle 1.30pm if Barry Geraghty takes the mount ahead of the stables’ other entries.

Henderson’s Gibb River also makes plenty of appeal in the Bet365 Handicap Hurdle 2.00pm. The chestnut was keeping on strongly when third in a well contested 2m110yds handicap hurdle at Aintree last time out and the step up to 2m3f110yds could be in his favour.

The Paul Nicholls-trained unbeaten novice Sanctuaire is a wild card in the Bet365 Celebration Chase 2.35pm but the far more experienced Philip Hobbs-trained Wishfull Thinking, who returned to form when second to champion chaser Finian’s Rainbow at Aintree recently, will be hard to beat.

Stipulate created a good impression when cruising home in the Fielden Stakes at Newmarket last week. Sir Henry Cecil’ colt takes on better rivals in the Bet365 Classic Trial 3.45pm and it will be fascinating to see how he gets on against the likes of Aidan O’Brien’s very well bred Imperial Monarch, who looked an excellent prospect when winning at The Curragh on his debut last year.
John Gosden has a good record in the Group 3 contest and his Thought Worthy has to be respected along with Richard Hannon’s Tattersalls Millions victor Rougemont.

Sir Henry Cecil’s four-time Group 1 winner Twice Over and John Gosden’s soft ground loving French Derby fourth Colombian are leading hopes for the Bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes 4.20pm.

The Poker at Bet365,com Handicap 4.50pm and the Casino at Bet365.com Flat v Jump Jockeys Handicap 5.20pm complete the program at Sandown. The improving Qaraaba in the first named and favourably handicapped South Cape in the latter are two to consider in these races.

The How To Back Winners tips and suggested stakes for Saturday 28th April.

1.30pm Sandown – Tom Du Lys – 1 point win
2.00pm Sandown - Gibb River – 1 point win
3.15pm Sandown – Tidal Bay – 2 points each-way
3.45pm Sandown – Colombian – 1 point win

Trials for the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas

The turf Flat season steps up several gears this week with the Craven meeting at Newmarket and the first Flat meeting of the year at Newbury where trials for the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas are among the highlights on Saturday. (scroll down for tips)

The Dubai Duty Free Fred Darling Stakes 2.35pm sees the fillies try to advertise their claims for the Qipco 1,000 Guineas. Godolphin’s unbeaten Fillies’ Mile winner Lyric Of Light (pictured above right) and Richard Hannon’s Best Terms, who won the Queen Mary and Lowther Stakes, were the best juveniles among the 5-day entries. However, you can never be sure how fillies will train on. Best Terms wasn’t very big last year and Lyric Of Light had more physical scope, but this is a watch and learn race for How To Back Winners.

We are much keener to have a financial interest in the AON Greenham Stakes 3.10pm. Colts tend to hold the form better from two to three than fillies and the Greenham often involves very good horses. The subsequent runaway Qipco 2,000 Guineas victor Frankel came home the winner from the top class Excelebration twelve months ago.
Potential Group class performers in this year’s contest include Sir Michael Stoute’s Tales Of Grimm and Roger Charlton’s Top Offer who won divisions of the same 7f maiden at Newbury last August on their sole starts to date. Both have very good home reputations but they have far more to prove than the more experienced Bronterre (pictured above left) and Richard Hannon’s Oasis Dream colt, who was beaten just over a length when fourth in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October on his third and final appearance last season, makes greater appeal as a betting proposition.

The Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise John Porter Stakes 2.00pm promises to be informative with John Gosden’s 2010 St Leger winner Arctic Cosmos (pictured right) and Sir Michael Stoute’s high class Fiorente among the entries.
Mahmood Al Zarooni’s Sadeek’s Song is also very interesting in the Group 3 event. The chestnut beat some useful types in good style in a conditions event at Leicester in October when last seen in action and, as that was only his fourth ever start, he’s open to plenty of improvement.

The Berry Bros & Rudd Magnum Spring Cup 3.45pm is wide open as usual but Highland Knight should give a good account of himself after a recent encouraging come-back third at Kempton.

Sir Henry Cecil went to the trouble and expense of adding King Of Dudes to the Irish Derby entries last month and Dansili colt catches the eye in the Bathwick Tyres Maiden Stakes 4.20pm.

The jumps season still has plenty of life left in it and up at Ayr on Saturday there’s the Coral Scottish Grand National 3.25pm. Fruity O’Rooney and Harry The Viking, who both ran very well at Cheltenham, are leading contenders but Quentin Collognes, who’s available at 20-1 at time of posting, could represent the best value. Henry Daly’s eight-year-old will be fresher than most having only been out three times this season. He’s relatively unexposed over fences, looks nicely weighted and the course should suit him ideally.

The How Back Winners racing tips for Saturday 21st April.

3.25pm Ayr - Quenton Collognes – 1 point each-way
3.45pm Newbury – Highland Knight – 1 point each-way
4.20pm Newbury – King Of Dudes – 2 points win
5.25pm Newbury – McBirney – 2 points each-way

The John Smith’s Grand National

First run in 1839, the John Smith’s Grand National Chase is woven into sporting heritage and the eyes of the world will be on Aintree for the 10 minutes it takes to run the four and a half mile race on Saturday afternoon.

The last grey to win the Grand National was Nicholas Silver in 1961. Neptune Collognes (pictured above right) appears to have the best credentials of the four greys in this year’s contest.
Paul Nicholls’ 11-year-old has always been a very classy staying chaser and he finished fourth in the 2009 Cheltenham Gold Cup. He’s run very well when a strong finishing second on his last two starts in long distance chases this season and the handicapper has been quite lenient in allotting him just 11st6lb. Neptune Collonges has to figure in the How To Back Winners Grand National portfolio.
Chicago Grey is next best of the grey runners this year. He’s been a bit disappointing recently and his jumping is a worry but he’s trained by Gordon Elliott, who won the race in 2007 with Silver Birch (pictured left) and showed he was the right type for the race when winning the four miler at Cheltenham just over a year ago. Chicago Grey is actually a shorter price in the betting, at time of posting, than Neptune Collognes which suggest connections believe they have him in top form.
Dual Kerry National winner Alpha Beat has plenty of weight but his trainer, Shark Hanlon, believes he could go well if the ground does not become too testing.
The fourth grey, Swing Bill, is sound jumper but looks outclassed and will need something amazing to happen to emulate Nicholas Silver.

Synchronised, who’ll be ridden by Tony McCoy, will be bidding to emulate the legendary Golden Miller, who won in 1934, by lifting the National in the same year as the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Synchronised, who could start one of the shortest priced favourites in many years if the public get behind him and Tony McCoy, may very well go close, despite carrying top weight. However the JP McManus-owned nine-year-old has never been the most fluent of jumpers, although he’s never fallen, and his chances will depend on how he takes to the big spruce fences.

Previous winners often run well again but last year’s hero, Ballabriggs, will be the first since Red Rum in 1974 to win the race for a second time. However, as he trained by Red Rum’s trainer Ginger McCain’s son Donald, he’s certainly in the right stable to achieve the feat.
Becher Chase winner West End Rocker boasts the course form to go well and commands plenty as does Willie Mullins’ Thyestes Chase winner On His Own, who will be ridden by dual winner Ruby Walsh.

The media will have a field day if a lady jockey wins the race for a first time and with the two best female riders in history, Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh, both riding genuine contenders, there’s a distinct possibility that could happen.
Katie Walsh is aboard Seabass trained by her father Ted, who won with Papillon in 2000. Seabass, who will appreciate easy ground, has to prove his stamina but he’s been in fantastic form, winning six chases and a point-to-point on his last seven outings.
Nina Carberry rides Organisedconfusion trained by her uncle Arthur Moore, who’s father, Dan Moore, trained of the 1975 winner L’Escagot.
Organsiedconfusion is only seven and no horse of that age has won since Bogskar in 1940. However, he has already won an Irish National, is improving and is highly enough regarded to have been entered in the Grade 1 Punchestown Gold Cup. Organisedconfusion could be well weighted on 10st8lb at Aintree.

David Pipe’s Junior (pictured right) has already won at Royal Ascot and Cheltenham in his career and he could go well if taking to the big fences while some very shrewd judges are convinced 2009 Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase winner Cappa Bleu will run a big race.
Victor Dartnall reports his dual Welsh National runner-up Giles Cross in great condition while Willie Mullins’ unexposed eight-year-old Quiscover Fontaine, who was fourth in the Irish Grand National the only previous time he’s been asked to try a stamina stretching trip, is a lively outsider.

There are at least a dozen horse with serious claims in this year’s John Smith’s Grand National and boiling it down to a quartet to back has been extremely difficult but here are the How To Back Winners 4 against the field. Good luck on however you decide to approach the great race.

1 point each-way NEPTUNE COLLOGNES
2 points each-way ORGANISEDCONFUSION
1 point each-way SEABASS
1 point each-way QUISCOVER FONTAINE

Top class racing at Haydock and Kempton Park on Saturday

Plenty to look forward to this Easter weekend with top class racing at Haydock and Kempton Park on Saturday and on Sunday and Monday Fairyhouse stages the prestigious Irish Grand National meeting.

At Haydock the Charlie Longsdon-trained Grandads Horse is sure to popular in the Better Prices On Betfair Mobile Novices Handicap Hurdle 4.05pm. Grandads Horse was a highly creditable sixth in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham last time and he can race off a 1lb lower mark this time.

Brian Ellison Union Island should go close in the earlier Betfair, Don’t Settle For Less, Handicap Hurdle 2.55pm. Union Island is only 5lb higher than when winning a competitive heat at Market Rasen last time and he will appreciate this good ground at Haydock.

The Queen’s Prize 3.15pm is the centre of the Flat racing card at Kempton Park on Saturday the 2m handicap looks like attratcing a very competitive line-up.
Thimaar (left) and Rasheed give the in-form John Gosden a strong hand. The former produced by far his best form when running on well to beat previous scorer Cunning Act by a length and half when stepped up to 2m at Ascot for the first time on his final start last year while Rasheed, who’s owned by his trainer’s wife, is on a hat-trick after runaway wins over the course and distance in February and at Wolverhampton last month.
Mark Johnston is another leading trainer enjoying plenty of success at present and he’s entered English Summer and Gulf Of Naples. How To Back Winners is particularly keen on the last named. The grey won three of his five races last term, including good handicaps at Doncaster and Newmarket in October, and it’s unlikely we have seen the best of him.

Robemaker, who could have his first run of the year in the Betfred Goals Galore Handicap Qualifier 2.05pm is another Gosden runner to keep a close eye on. The colt has a sole victory in a modest Yarmouth handicap to his credit but his trainer believes there’s a good prize in him and he missed last Saturday’s Lincoln to come here.

Richard Hannon’s Dreamwriter looked very exciting when storing home by 7l on her debut in a maiden at Newbury last year but she was a shade disappointing on her two later starts. She made be the sort to be best caught fresh and it could be worth taking a chance on her on her when she reappears in the Betfred “When Both Teams Score” Fillies Stakes 3.45pm.

Clive Brittain’s Miblish should go well in the Betred “Double Delight” Stakes 4.20pm. The colt won in good style on his debut at Newbury last September and it can pay to forgive a disappointing run at Newmarket two weeks later.

The How To Back Winners racing tips and stakes for Saturday April 7th.

2.05pm Kempton - Robemaker – 2 points each-way
2.55pm Haydock Park – Union Island – 2 points win
3.15pm Kempton – Gulf Of Naples – 3 points each-way
3.45pm Kempton – Dreamwriter – 2 points each-way
4.05pm Haydock Park – Grandads Horse – 2 points win
4.20pm Kempton – Miblish – 2 points win