Saturday Racing Tips from Steve Ryder

David Pipe has won this race for the previous two seasons with favourites and hopefully he can make it a hat-trick with WAITARA (NAP) (best priced at 2/1) this year. Koi Dodville was making his stable/hurdling debut when he won by 5 ½ lengths in 2021 and Free Chakarte was also making her stable/hurdling debut when she won by 23 lengths last year. 

Waitara has a similar profile to both horses and comes into this race having won on the flat in France in March over 1m2f. The David Pipe stable are in good form currently with a 21% strike rate and I expect him to prove hard to beat. 

The Richard Hannon trained HEREDIA (best priced at 10/11) won her first four races including the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot before slightly struggling in better company on her final three starts last season. She ran well to finish 2nd on her reappearance at Newmarket in the listed Kilvington Stakes when only beaten ½ length by Azure Blue. 

The form of that run has been boosted by the winner Azure Blue winning the Group 2 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes on her next start (now rated 114) and the third Perdika finished a close 2nd in a Group 3 in France. This looks an easier race on paper and despite not being top rated, I expect her to get back to winning ways in this race. 

This looks a fiercely competitive 0-105 handicap but preference goes to last year’s winner MR WAGYU (best priced at 4/1) who runs in it off only a 2lb higher mark this year. The John Quinn trained eight-year-old won this race by a short head last season having finished 15th at York and he comes into this race having run better in the same race at York where he finished 7th only beaten three lengths. 

Mr Wagyu returns back to Epsom well handicapped on form from last season (finished 3rd by ½ length at the Curragh off a mark of 104) and hopefully he can win this race for the second year in a row.