ITV Racing Tips: Oisin can score with Charlton filly

We nailed the Shergar Cup outcome beautifully last week, and were all over Queen Hayley’s last-gasp winner to take home the individual riding honours as well as team glory for the magnificent Ladies. This Saturday the ITV cameras are at Newbury for a couple of fascinating Group contests; we’ve got the fabled Great St Wilfred dash from Ripon; and a cracking sprint from HQ.

Fine time as ever to be a sports fan – top-flight domestic football returns, and the York Ebor Festival kicks in on Wednesday with four sensational days on the Knavesmire. It’s my favourite meeting of the year. Whatever floats your boat, enjoy! Here’s our ITV Racing tips for Saturday August 17, with our first contest off at 13:50.

Horse Racing Odds

Today’s Horse Races

Full ITV menu for Saturday Aug 17.

13:50 Newbury – BetVictor Geoffrey Freer Stakes (Group 3) 1m 5f
14:25 Newbury – Bet Victor Handicap 5f
15:00 Newbury – TPT Fire Handicap 7f
15:35 Newbury – Bet Victor Hungerford Stakes (Group 2) 7f

14:05 Newmarket – JenningsBet Grey Horse Handicap 6f

14:45 Ripon – William Hill Silver Trophy 6f
15:20 Ripon – William Hill Great St Wilfrid Handicap 6f

Rationale;

13:50 Newbury – Al Qareem @ 3/1

Our selection is a battle-hardened five-year-old gelding who’s a credit to connections.

Karl Burke arrives for this Group 3 with his G2-winning warrior running as well of late as at any stage of his career. He’s getting 3lb from likely favourite Al Aasy, who scored snugly at Goodwood a fortnight ago after very fortuitously getting a run when a rival rolled off the fence late in the piece.

Only five are scheduled to face the starter, and this could get tactical. Al Qareem is a tenacious customer, as evidenced when out-battling King George runner-up Bluestocking no less at Chester last September, giving her nearly a stone. If it’s a toe-to-toe affair in the final furlong, he’s no shrinking violet.

Al Qareem probably didn’t stay the Goodwood Cup trip last time but this is right up his street. Smashing race to kick us off.

14:05 Newmarket – Eminency @ 5/1

The magnificent SDS rides this four-year-old Havana Grey gelding for man-of-the-moment Stuart Williams, who celebrated his 1,000th career training win just the other day. Silvestre De Sousa has 59 winners so far this calendar year and is showing a very healthy level-stake profit (around £15) for the current campaign.

6f looks the right trip for Eminency, who has flirted also with 7f, and he’s gone well here at HQ in the past. These pro sprinters win in their turn and I get the feeling that for his buoyant yard Eminency’s big chance is close at hand.

He’s slipped to a tempting mark of 82, a career-low, and Silvestre is just the guy to exploit that.

14:25 Newbury – Woolhampton each-way @ 6/1

The first of a few each-way plays for me, in what are typically competitive Saturday heats.

Woolhampton is a four-year-old filly in the care of Rod Millman in Devon. Claimer Oliver Searle (5) is in the plate. In a very valuable race at Haydock 13 days ago off this mark he ran a close third (beaten less than 2l), and he drops a notch to a Class 3 today.

Looks a winner waiting to happen to me, he’s ultra-consistent, and Oliver gets on famously with the horse. Could be cream teas all round – Devon rules of course (jam on top).

14:45 Ripon – Danzan each-way @ 10/1

I’m looking to a veteran nine-year-old Tim Easterby gelding in a five-places each-way, Class 4 sprint.

Danzan has been pottering along quite nicely of late, certainly in his last three spins, and he’s dropped to a tempting mark (82). At Wolves 16 days ago he had a nice run around in a well-endowed Racing League heat, was wide on the home turn, hung, but was still beaten less than 2l.

Prior to that he’d run really well at York twice – a course noted for its red-hot handicap sprints. Terrific each-way shout at a value price in my book.

15:00 Newbury – Zouzanna each-way @ 7/1

Another highly-competitive contest – and happy to report we’re paying four places e/w.

Zouzanna gets Oisin Murphy up top for trainer Harry Charlton, making a great job of keeping the family business afloat after taking over from his father Roger.

The four-year-old Zoustar filly won off this mark of 81 at Ascot last September, and her turn looked close again last time at the same track 22 days ago, going down by less than 2l.

She’s up to a Class 2 this afternoon but I don’t see that as any kind of impediment as she’s evidently in fine form.

15:20 Ripon – Dare To Hope each-way @ 9/1

The big one for Ripon devotees – the Great St Wilfred.

I’m diving straight in with one of Yorkshire’s very best trainers Richard Fahey, who operates at Musley Bank about 30 miles away. Retained jock Oisin Orr takes the mount.

Dare To Hope ran a blinder in Goodwood’s Stewards’ Cup a fortnight ago, beaten just over 4l in a field of 25. The kindly handicapper has even dropped him a pound, and with five places each-way here at Betfred I’m hoping he can go very, very close.

His penultimate effort at York in late July was a career-best (4th, Sky Bet Dash), and one of these big pots is definitely in my view  going to fall into his lap. Fingers crossed it’s today.

15:35 Newbury – Tiber Flow @ 9/2

A smallish-field, but as tricky as many of the contests preceding it – a 7f G2, with £70k to the winner.

Tiber Flow might just be well-placed to collect; he won a G3 at Haydock in June, had a little break before clearing his lungs in a G2 Lennox spin at Goodwood, and now tackles this Hungerford Stakes at a course he’s mastered in the past.

In-form William Haggas trains and Tom Marquand rides the five-year-old Caravaggio gelding, who seems equally adept and both six and seven furlongs. Let’s hope Tom can get him some cover and arrive for a telling late challenge.

He’s nicely entered up for some big autumn prizes but this is one he’d love to pocket along the way.

ITV Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.