2.04pm Newcastle - Group 3 Chipchase Stakes
It is quite interesting to see them send Kinross here instead of Newmarket for the Group 3 seven-furlong contest there on Saturday, although the fact that it is expected to be good-to-firm ground at HQ is probably the main reason why, as Ralph Beckett's horse does tend to operate well with a bit of cut in the ground.
Obviously, on ratings and previous form shown, the 7yo could just be far to good for the rest of these if on song, but the past two seasons he has not won on his first run of the year, so that is a little concerning, especially given he comes up against race-fit rivals, and is another year older.
With that in mind I will side with the Willam Haggas-trained Montassib, who is actually 1 for 1 on the all-weather. That win was at Newcastle as well, when he won on his first ever racecourse start back in September 2020, since when he gone on to win five more races, all of which havel been on the turf.
He was an impressive winner of the Listed Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster for his first start of the year, before coming a 4-length 6th in the Clipper Stakes at York last time, which was actually a pretty decent effort in the end.
He takes a step down in class to Group 3 company here, and although he can be seen to better effect over most trips of 6f, 7f and a mile, this potentially strongly run 6-furlong down the Newcastle home straight will more than suit him here. I expect him to be kept at the back of the field like usual, before shooting clear in the closing stages and going past them all.
- Selection - Montassib (5/1 Win)
2.15pm Newmarket - Listed Empress Fillies Stakes
Ralph Beckett has a pretty good record in this race, landing it twice in just 5 years with Time Scale in 2020 and Lezoo in 2022, so whenever he sends for this contest is worth noting.
Indeed, it is Ralph's daughter of Mehmas I will be siding with in this year, Tales Of The Heart who is owned by the same partnership as Lezoo who landed this contest two years ago.
Tales Of My Heart was a nice debut winner at Kempton over 6 furlongs last time, and she ran on very nicely inside the closing furling, really running through the line as she passed it. The one major factor to note is the form of that contest last time, since when Jewel Of London who was 3rd that day has since came 4th in the Chesham at Royal Ascot, as well as Miss El Fundi who also ran in the Chesham and came 5th.
Now given the fact that the winner was Bedtime Story by 10 lengths, the form of the Chesham will no doubt be questioned, but it is still a Listed contest at the Royal meeting, and Tales Of The Heart beat them all pretty comfortably that day at Kempton on her debut.
William Buick is booked to ride which is an obvious plus around Newmarket, and I expect to see Tales Of The Heart dot up here before maybe progressing onto bigger and better things as the season goes on. She is a very exciting horse for a trainer who does tend to send a good one for this contest.
- Selection - Tales Of The Heart (10/3 Win)
2.35pm Newcastle - Northumberland Vase
Now I don't particularly do well in the Northumberland Vase or Plate, but you've got to be in it to win it as they say. With that firmly in mind, I will side with a horse who is coming into this race in a rich vein of form, and that is Alphonse Le Grande for Hollie Doyle who takes the ride on him this Saturday.
A winner of his last two races, he was sent to Chester last time to run in the Chester Plate, which he landed by an easy 2 lengths or so, really appreciating the step up to 2 miles-plus. Chester and Newcastle are quite different in terms of tracks and running styles, as Chester is a windy fast-paced track, whereas Newcastle is a real galloping track with a long straight. However, given the fact that this horse won at Dundalk on the all-weather on his start before Chester, that could set him in good stead here as Dundalk and Newcastle do have a few similarities.
An 8lb raise in the weights since that Chester effort last time, and the fact he is pretty short in the market suggests there might be a bit of a plot job going on here with this horse, and given he is in a pretty rich vein of form at the moment, he might not be pegged back here.
- Selection - Alphonse Le Grande (3/1 Win)
2.50pm Newmarket - Listed Fred Archer Stakes
A difficult contest to decipher really, King Of Conquest could just prove too good here and win easily, but last year we saw a Godolphin first string only come 3rd behind Kemari, who does have a very good record in this contest, and although he is seemingly the 2nd string (judging by jockey bookings) it would not surprise me if he lands the race once again.
However, I am willing to side with a horse who arrives into this off the back of two wins in just two starts for Harry Eustace, and that is Crystal Delight who is in very good form at the moment. Previously trained by William Knight, he was rated just 88 when changing yards, and since he has done so he has won his first two races for Harry, taking his rating from 88 all the way up to 105, which is obviously a career high for this horse.
It was his performance at York last time that really impressed me enough to make me think that he could be pretty hard to stop now with a few wins under his belt, as he looks the kind of horse to improve with a change of yard and the winning thread.
He was sent off the favourite in the class 2 York contest last time, where he made all and soon forged clear to win by a little under 5 lengths in the end, looking really impressive when shaken up by Jim Crowley (who rides him again here today), winning the race like a group horse masquerading in a handicap contest.
I really like this lad, and given the form he is in currently, I think he is more than deserving of testing his abilities in this race, given the fact there are a few question marks on most of his rivals on Saturday. I am excited to see how he gets on stepping into Listed company for the first time with his new yard.
- Selection - Crystal Delight (4/1 Win)
3.10pm Newcastle - Northumberland Plate
A bit like the Northumberland Vase, this is a tricky race to pick the winner of, but this contest has 20 runners whereas the Vase only has 14, so that makes it even more tricky to decipher who will land the feature contest of the day.
Trooper Bisdee has been in ripe form for Sir Mark Prescott recently, and Hollie Doyle takes the ride in what is another very good chance for her to land this contest this weekend, plus he has a pretty good draw in 10 (6 of the last 10 winners have won from a double-figure draw, including the last 4 who were drawn 10 or higher).
However for a competitive race of this nature I feel he is a little too short in the market for me. With that in mind, I like the look of Too Friendly, who is currently a huge price given the fact he is a real dour stayer, so we know he will be there come the finish given he loves this sort of trip.
A winner over hurdles for James Owen, who has done very well with this horse, which includes a length-and-a-half win at Kempton over two miles in March, he has since come out and ran 2nd at Newmarket in a class 3 contest over 1m6f as well as a pretty decent fourth over 1m5f which is probably a bit on the short side for him.
I feel that last run at Hamilton was a sighter to put him right for this, and with Callum Sheppard onboard fresh off his first Royal Ascot winner last week, at the prices I really like the look of this lad here.
Cheekpieces come back on, and given it is his surface debut, that could bring a little more out of this horse who has been running pretty well this season. We know he stays, and although coming out of stall 8 does not really fit the trends, I think Too Friendly will be there or thereabouts come the finish of the race.
- Selection - Too Friendly (22/1 Each Way)
All prices are from Planet Sport Bet and are subject to change
All previews and tips provided by @ Jake Russell