Saturday Horse Racing Betting Tips
2:50 Newmarket Tips
Above – 0.5pt Each Way – 18/1 (Bet365, 6 places)
My first selection today is Above in the Howden Handicap, who looks overpriced at 18/1.
Last year, he was 2nd over a furlong further here off a 6lb lower mark of 93, achieving a RPR of 96.
He then improved upon that when returning here off the same mark but over this six-furlong trip to again finish second but achieving a RPR of 100.
His form has been in and out since but he did finish second here again, albeit on the July course in August, achieving a RPR of 94. You can mark that run up as well as he was upset in the stalls and it was also in a small field.
He came back to this track last month but he was slowly away and never on terms. However, despite that, he kept to the task and was far from disgraced.
From a 6lb lower mark than his two seconds around this course last year and tucked in off a strong pace in this big field over six furlongs, I think he can run a huge race here. He has a solid each way chance and may even surprise…
3:45 Goodwood Tips
Mark Of Gold – 2pt Win – 5/2 (William Hill)
My next selection is Mark Of Gold for the Gary Moore stable in the 2m handicap.
I had to rub my eyes and look again when I saw this horse was running on the Flat off a mark of 73! He looks thrown in…
He has been running to career best form over intermediate trips over hurdles, achieving RPRs of 139 and 138. There is a lot of debate about how to use a jumps mark to calculate a flat mark but the general consensus is by deducting anything from 40-50. That would give Mark Of Gold a Flat rating in the region of 89-99 and he is running off 73.
If you look back at his Flat form, albeit 2-3 years ago, he has already won twice off marks of 75 and 81, achieving RPRs of 86 and 89 on those occasions. It is also worth noting that those runs were over 1m2f and given he stays 2m5f well over jumps, you would assume he could stay much further than that.
This looks to be very shrewd placing from Gary Moore and I’d be surprised if he could not win this, to me, 5/2 looks very generous and I would have him much shorter.
2000 Guineas Tips
Royal Scotsman – 1pt Each Way – 10/1 (William Hill, 4 places)
My final selection is back over at Newmarket and it is in the big one, the 2000 Guineas Stakes.
Aiden O’Brien has a phenomenal record in this race but it has escaped his grasp in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and I think it may do the same again this year. Auguste Rodin’s form has come on Soft/Heavy and Little Big Bear has never ran over further than 6.5f, so there are possible chinks in the armour and I’m wanting to take them both on here.
The one I have sided with here is Royal Scotsman for Paul & Oliver Cole. This horse was extremely impressive when winning the Richmond Stakes last year, breaking the Juvenile course record in the process to show he has plenty of speed. He underperformed in the Gimcrack next time out but his trainers have since confirmed he scoped badly after that and his bloods were also off, so you can draw a line through that. He bounced back to form with a career best when upped in trip to 7f in the Dewhurst where he just failed in to reign in the re-opposing Chaldean, going down by a head.
He is not guaranteed to improve for this mile trip but after the way he finished off his race in the Dewhurst, he could well do. He has plenty of speed, so ideally he would be sat off the pace and pounce late with a change of foot that the others will not be able to handle. Is it worth remembering that he was sired by Gleneagles including both 2000 Guineas’ races.
At 10/1, I think he is a cracking each way bet and I would not be surprised to see him win this. I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t finishing in the first four here.
Total Outlay – 5 points.
