Fantasy Is One of Three Horses We Are Sweet on This Saturday
The Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup, Scotland’s most famous and richest flat race run, is amongst the highlights of ITV Racing’s coverage on Saturday. The broadcaster also has its cameras at Newbury, where the Group-2 Mill Reef Stakes could throw up a star of the future.
It is difficult to get enthusiastic about any specific horse in Ayr’s two 25-runner handicaps – the Gold and Silver Cups. Raqiya appears a good thing in the two-year-old fillies contest due off at 3.00 pm, but the UK’s bookmakers are awake to his chances, and he is sure to go off at short odds.
William Buick rode four winners for Charlie Appleby at Yarmouth on Wednesday. Can they team up for another winner in Newmarket’s opener? ©Getty
Sense Of Duty looks the obvious play for the Marquand/Haggas combination in Newbury’s opener. Already a Group-3 winner, this filly is on an unbeaten sequence of four, and the figures suggest she has improved on every start. However, as her last start was over 450 days ago, how can she be backed with any confidence?
In Love With Buick/Appleby Newmarket Runner
Newmarket’s card is ‘handicap heavy’. Charlie Appleby had four juveniles entered in the opening race, a fillies novice stake. He relies on debutant Dream Of Hope and William Buick’s booked ride, Beautiful Love. It could pay to back the stable jockey’s judgement.
Appleby’s Newmarket stables have had limited top-drawer domestic success this year. There have been excellent results overseas – including a brace of Graded contests in Canada and New York last weekend – but the yard is by no means out of form.
Four for William Buick Four for Charlie Appleby Four for @godolphin
The boys in blue are on fire at @GTYarmouthRaces! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1m7kqrYbiY
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 20, 2023
During the week, Appleby and Buick joined up to enjoy a four-timer at Yarmouth. Furthermore, 17 of 39 individual two-year-old turf runners have scored for his yard this season, and his winners-to-runners ratio in this department is an impressive 29 percent. Beautiful Love can better those figures on Saturday.
Don’t Be Bashful With Ces Pipe Opener
The David Pipe stable is primarily known for being a jump racing yard that has enjoyed 15 Cheltenham Festival winners. But there has been some notable success on the flat with ‘jumpers’ that have won the Ascot Stakes and Chester Cup.
Could Pipe land this season’s Cesarewitch? His Bashful Boy will take his first step towards the valuable stayers prize in this afternoon’s Turners Cesarewitch Trial Handicap. This admirable seven-year-old has plenty of mileage on his clock – having raced 40 times.
But 2023 has been a fruitful year for Bashful Boy who has won four races – three times on the flat and once over hurdles. A hurdle rating of 125 put pay to his four-timer attempt at Fontwell last month. Rated 86 on the level – three pounds higher than his latest win – he should still be competitive on the flat.
Rob Hornby, who has partnered Bashful Boy to all three flat wins this term, has been booked to ride our selection. Everything about those previous successes suggest our selection will have no issues seeing out Saturday’s 18-furlong trip. And so another bold effort is expected, and he can certainly outrun his 50/1 odds.
Sweet on York Topweight
Ralph Beckett sends Sweet Fantasy on a long journey north from his Andover base. But the adventure to York should pay off for this in-form four-year-old despite this daughter of Wooton Bassett being asked to carry 10-stone 4-pounds in the 5.30 pm contest.
Now chasing a three-timer, Rossa Ryan’s mount has won carrying top weight at Leicester and Epsom. On the first occasion, she gave at least 15 pounds to all rivals but scored with authority. She has risen 10 pounds in the ratings since, but her latest success indicated more is in the tank.
With no question marks over Saturday’s trip or going, and against many rivals that would appear out-of-form, Sweet Fantasy seems the best bet on a busy day. Her hat-trick attempt can be viewed on all good live-streaming betting sites.
What are Saturday’s Best Bets?
- Beautiful Love 1.40 pm Newmarket
- Bashful Boy 4.00 pm Newmarket
- Sweet Fantasy 5.30 pm York
