ITV Racing Tips: Shergar Cup star Hayley well worth waiting for

It’s one of those stellar ITV Saturdays. TEN live races, the entirety of Ascot’s Shergar Cup, Betfred-sponsored action at Haydock Park, and a Newmarket Group 3 thrown in for good measure. You know the drill for the ever-popular international showpiece at Ascot – lots of jocks about whom we know precious little and are about to learn more (Bauyrzhan Murzabayev?), fascinating racing over a variety of distances, then Hayley Turner and the Ladies Team lift the trophy. Magic.

Our ITV Racing Tips then are as follows for Saturday, August 10, and it all kicks in at 13:35. This is going to be a belter.

Horse Racing Odds

Today’s Horse Races

Full ITV menu, Saturday;

Ascot
13:35 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash 5f
14:10 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers 2m
14:45 Shergar Cup Challenge 1m 4f
15:20 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint 6f
15:55 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge 1m 4f
16:30 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile 1m

Haydock
14:25 Betfred Handicap 1m
15:00 Betfred Rose of Lancaster Stakes – Group 3, 1m 2f
16:45 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Dick Hern Stakes – Listed, 1m

Newmarket
15:40 Sweet Solera Stakes – Group 3, 7f

Rationale;

13:35 Ascot – Badri each-way @ 6/1

Lincolnshire trainer Michael Herrington is enjoying a very decent season, and saddles a seven-year-old Dark Angel sprinter here for the Ladies.

No apologies whatsoever from your humble correspondent for favouring plenty of each-way options today – we have races crying out for such tactics in my view, and with extra place races too it’s a very sensible plan of attack in what are highly competitive contests. Discretion is always the better part of valour.

Badri is a course-and-distance scorer who was a running-on second at Hamilton just a week ago in a very similar heat to this. He races off the same mark, 92, and gets French star Marie Velon up top, winner of nearly 500 races at just 25 years of age.

We’re paying four places each-way, the horse is in form, and let’s hope we get off to a flyer.

14:10 Ascot – Spirit Mixer each-way @ 5/1

Four e/w places, and guess what – we’re with Marie once again.

2m stayers now, and an Andrew Balding-trained six-year-old Frankel gelding.  Spirit Mixer normally races in the legendary silks of owner Jeff Smith, but will of course be clad in the livery of the Ladies team.

The horse ran very well in the Goodwood Handicap eight days ago and is well used to extreme distances. It’s been a couple of years since he last got his head in front but the handicapper has dropped him a pound and he’s getting weight from most of his rivals here.

Sound e/w play for me – and how lovely to have Frankel represented on one of Ascot’s big days, a course upon which he scorched to victory on no less than five occasions. This won’t be the last time today I reckon.

14:25 Haydock – Sterling Knight each-way @ 12/1

The opener in the north-west is a wide-open one-mile Class 3 handicap.

Our selection is a five-year-old Camelot gelding trained by Ed Dunlop. Sean D Bowen, claiming 3lb, is in the plate. Sterling Knight was beaten 4l in a better race at Ascot a fortnight ago and has been in very decent form this term, winning at Newbury and Newmarket, tip-top tracks.

He’s an attractive e/w price for me, we’re paying four places, and his rider’s claim could be crucial.

14:45 Ascot – Set Point each-way @ 7/1

A gloriously-bred Gordon Elliott dual purpose six-year-old, by Sea The Stars out of a Peintre Celebre mare, representing the GB and Ireland team.

Set Point took a decent Curragh handicap at slightly shorter 42 days ago, and the gelding gets top Irish pilot Seamie Heffernan. Elite trainer, stays, in-form, and one of Aidan’s long-term jocks is on board.

There’s an awful lot to like then. It’s not an extra-place race but e/w is how I’m playing this one too. Set Point was with Hugo Palmer before joining Elliott in December ’22.

15:00 Haydock – Al Mubhir @ 9/2

I was so chuffed to see this one win at Sandown 36 days ago. He’s a game, consistent, gelded son of the mighty Frankel, and had been knocking loudly on the door. Now it’s opened for the season why not another success, especially at a track which should suit his run style perfectly?

Al Mubhir steps up from Listed to Group 3 company but doesn’t look out of place. He’s invariably waited with before finishing with a flourish, and today’s pilot Tom Marquand executed brilliantly last time.

Haydock, with its long home straight, demands staying power and often rewards resolute finishers with a bit of toe. Looks right up Al Mubhir’s street to me, and the five-year-old can score for top trainer William Haggas.

15:20 Ascot – Imperial Guard each-way @ 11/2

A warm Class 2 handicap sprint.

Imperial Guard is another in the care of Andrew Balding at Kingsclere, where his father trained the legendary Mill Reef over 50 years ago, and will be ridden by Nanako Fujita, a Japanese lady rider representing the Rest of the World.

The three-year-old Night Of Thunder colt ran a blinder in this grade at HQ 30 days ago and has gone well here at Ascot in the past. Improving, and can certainly get involved (we’re paying four places each-way).

15:40 Newmarket – Mountain Breeze @ 7/4

The G3 Sweet Solera, 7f, for two-year-old fillies.

Charlie Appleby’s Mountain Breeze has had four runs so far and won the first two of them, both here. Her best effort was last time, also at Newmarket, 29 days ago in a G2. She lost out by less than a length to Arabian Dusk, with Aidan O’Brien’s Heaven’s Gate close-up in third.

Aidan fields Lake Victoria here, a strong danger, but I feel that the Appleby filly on effectively home turf can repel all boarders. Several including the selection hold Lowther entries for York’s forthcoming Ebor meet.

15:55 Ascot – Solomon @ 13/8

The penultimate Shergar Cup heat, and we’re with Italian jockey Alberto Sanna, representing Europe.

Solomon is a smart three-year-old by prolific sire Siyouni, and trained by William Haggas. He took a Haydock Class 4 handicap easily just six days ago and is turned out on the same mark, as that was an apprentice contest.

A literal reading then of the form has him well-in here, and if Alberto can get the fractions right this step up both in class and trip (additional 2f) could be accommodated.

Last time was a big career-best and this one could be a very progressive type.

16:30 Ascot – New Image @ 3/1

Who else to bring home the Shergar Cup bacon in the finale but the first lady of the event, Hayley Turner?

Southwell’s finest rides New Image for North Yorkshire’s David O’Meara. We have another gelded son of the magnificent Frankel, and a fortnight ago on this track the four-year-old narrowly failed to land a huge pot over 7f in this grade.

He’s stepped up to a mile now and of course on breeding this could be exactly what he wants. He’s progressive, talented, ultra-consistent, and has Hayley. Massive chance, and nap material for me.

16:45 Haydock – Naomi Lapaglia @ 13/2

Now for a promising four-year-old filly dropping to Listed class after contesting a Group 3 last time (running-on third, beaten 3.25l).

Trainer Richard Spencer’s charge has had some top drawer fellas on board in her career to date – Ryan Moore, Oisin Murphy and Rossa Ryan among them – so she’s evidently, and rightly, extremely well-regarded.

Oisin Orr steps in for the ride on Saturday and as this one is entered up in the G1 Sun Chariot at HQ in October I can see her taking this £30k to the winner heat, before bigger and better things perhaps?

Fingers crossed. Naomi Lapaglia is an e/w price for sure as I write, so I’ll leave that choice up to you.

If you’re playing take care, good luck, and as always, have fun. It’s a quite brilliant afternoon for our sport.

ITV Racing tips from Betfred Insights.