The Best Horse Racing Bets on a Busy Sporting Saturday
Nine meetings in the UK and Ireland combine to make Saturday a hectic day of racing. ITV Racing will broadcast races from Newbury, Ripon and Newmarket. Its timetable includes Ripon’s Great St Wilfred Handicap, The Hungerford and Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury, and Newmarket’s massively popular Grey Horse Handicap. As the name suggests, this contest is restricted to greys.
Under the retiring Frankie Dettori, Arrest won the Chester Vase pulling a proverbial cart. The duo are expected to return to winning ways in Saturday’s Geoffrey Freer Stakes. ©GettyImages
Arrest Can Capture the Freer Stakes
Hukum won Newbury’s Geoffrey Freer Stakes in 2020 and 2021. He has since progressed to land this season’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the six-year-old is amongst the favourites for the 2023 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
If a runner in Saturday’s Geoffrey Freer Stakes (1.50 pm) appears capable of reaching similar heights, it is John Gosden’s Arrest. The three-year-old son of Frankel routed four rivals in May’s Chester Vase and was sent off as favourite for the Derby three weeks later.
Good-to-firm going there – and in his subsequent start at Royal Ascot – proved his undoing. But, with Newbury’s ground forecasted to be on the soft side of good, Arrest can return to winning ways and advertise his claims on the St Leger. The best horse racing betting sites currently quote him on 25/1 for the end-of-season classic.
Chindit Rivals to Bite the Dust
The BetVictor Hungerford Stakes has attracted ten runners, including last year’s winner, Jumby. Only one horse has won this contest more than once, Jimmy Reppin in 1968 and 1969. Nevertheless, the UK’s best online betting sites respect Eve Johnson Houghton’s horse and marginally favour him in the betting.
William Buick rode Jumby to victory 12 months ago. In my opinion, Saturday’s rider, Charles Bishop, is a long way short of the Champion Jockey’s ability. And with the ‘repeat winner’ stat another negative, my recommended bet is Richard Hannon’s Chindit.
This horse became a social media star when attempting to bite a rival here at Newbury earlier in the season. That altercation happened inside the final furlong of the one-mile Group-1 Lockinge Stakes. Unhappy to lose, he still finished ahead of ten quality rivals.
How to lose ungracefully 😂
Runner-up Chindit ran an absolute stormer in the Lockinge @NewburyRacing, but he wasn’t best chuffed when Modern Games took control 👀 pic.twitter.com/uuckEqAqmL
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 20, 2023
As this horse had previously won the Greenham Stakes, Chindit clearly likes the Berkshire venue and a drop back to seven furlongs looks ideal. Longstanding partner, Pat Dobbs, is in the saddle again, and it is not difficult to envisage the partnership entering the winner’s enclosure.
Summerghand Plotted up for the Wilfrid?
Favourites have a remarkable record in the historical Great St. Wilfrid Stakes. Five of the last ten market leaders have won this six-furlong dash. The shortest priced of these scorers was 4/1, meaning a £1 wager on all favourites over the past decade would have yielded a 19.5-point profit.
Former Stewards Cup winner Summerghand has tumbled 12 pounds down the handicap since the start of the year. The nine-year-old indicated a return to winning ways is imminent with an excellent fourth-placed effort at York – following a slow start – three weeks ago. As a result of both factors, he is likely to start as the big race favourite.
Summerghand’s trainer, David O’Meara and stable jockey Daniel Tudhope joined forces to win this race in 2011, 2012 and 2014. And one suspect’s connections have long mapped out this race for their wonderful veteran, whose race record is 16 wins and 20 placed efforts from 81 career starts.
Friendly Can Be the Punters Pal
Too Friendly may be making his eleventh start of 2023, but the top weight is expected to land his third race from four starts at Perth. The son of the English and Irish Derby winner Camelot, our fancy has prospered since joining Newmarket trainer James Owen.
A rating of 133 is nine pounds higher than when this five-year-old left Dan Skelton’s yard. But there was much to like about Too Friendly’s latest success. Such was the manner of his victory; there is a suggestion he may still be well weighted, and so a second success under Harry Cobden is predicted.
The Best Horse Bets for Saturday
Arrest 1.50 pm Newbury
Summerghand 3.15 pm Ripon
Too Friendly 3.20 pm Perth
Chindit 3.35 pm Newbury
