3 minute read

Sam King tipped a 3/1 winner at Pontefract last night and he returns with three selections for what promises to be a day of sensational Saturday racing…

With eight meetings across the UK and Ireland to get stuck into, the action comes thick and fast this afternoon and evening.

York host's an interesting seven-race card and I just can't let Mondammej go unbacked in the William Hill Epic Boost Handicap at 2.40.

Three of the top four in the market all reoppose each other from a similar course and distance sprint at the Dante meeting nine days ago, although Mondammej fared worst of the trio finishing fourth, so there's reason to believe he can reverse the form.

The six-year-old shaped as though he'd take another step forward from that run and he only has one-and-a-quarter lengths to find with Korker, who finished second, now armed with a 5lb pull.

Antony Brittain's runner finished second over course and distance in the Listed City Walls Stakes in July and certainly doesn't look badly treated off a current mark of 95. The forecast rattling conditions will be right up his street and I'm fully expecting him to produce a bold bid on the Knavesmire this afternoon.

Selection: Mondammej – General 5/1

We head to Haydock for our second wager and the Group 2 Temple Stakes (3.30) should get any sprint racing fan's blood pumping.

Star two-year-olds Royal Aclaim, Dramatised, and The Platinum Queen all make their seasonal reappearances. The trio clearly have to be respected but I'm not the biggest fan of backing very speedy two-year-olds until certain they've trained on and with that in mind, Twilight Calls looks a solid alternative.

The Henry Candy team arrive in great form following their Listed race success at Goodwood yesterday and given conditions couldn't have been much worse for Twilight Calls on his reappearance at Newmarket I was pleasantly surprised with how well he shaped.

I was at Newmarket when Twilight Calls made his reappearance three weeks ago and the conditions really were testing. Given Twilight Calls is a horse that thrives on concrete-like conditions he travelled up sweetly enough before fading as expected in the closing stages.

Henry Candy's charge will have come on bundles for that run and will certainly get his ground today. The form of his second-place finish in the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot last year is for me the best on offer and he can go one better than when denied a head in this race last season.

Selection: Twilight Calls – 5/1

Last but not least we head to the Curragh and I'm fully expecting connections of Royal Scotsman to be rewarded for paying the €50,000 supplementary fee by collecting Ireland's first Classic of the season.

Aidan O'Brien's progressive Paddington must be respected but he has nothing like the form of Royal Scotsman in the book and Paul and Oliver Cole's runner looked hugely unlucky not to finish closer than third in the English 2000 Guineas at Newmarket three weeks ago.

Almost everything that could go wrong did that day and it was a mammoth effort to finish in the frame. He clipped heels coming out of the stalls and pulled ferociously hard for the first part of the race. Most horses would fold tamely having raced so enthusiastically throughout the initial part of a Classic and it was a huge testament to his raw ability he was able to finish off his race so strongly. It's also clear he was drawn on the wrong side of the track and I find it tough to believe he wouldn't have finished second to Chaldean if situated closer to that rival.

The absence of Chaldean has to be a huge plus and I absolutely love the booking of Jamie Spencer. Well-renowned for his hold-up tactics I'd be much more confident of Royal Scotsman settling this afternoon and expect to see him breezing into contention approaching the two-furlong pole.

The form of his head second to Chaldean in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at two looks rock-solid and connections can reap the rewards for supplementing this son of Gleneagles, who won this race in 2015, by enjoying Classic glory again on the Curragh later today.

Selection: Royal Scotsman – General 9/4