ITV Racing Tips: Saturday Each-Way Double for Sandown & York

In the Listed Molson Coors Scurry Stakes, I am quite keen on going against Great State with the George Boughey-trained PERDIKA (best price 11/4) who is a very smart filly and is fancied to supplement her success in Chantilly from two weeks ago by taking this Listed contest.

This three-year-old won four of her five starts last year, albeit they were all on the all-weather and while a spell in Meydan earlier this week didn’t materialise in success, she’s gone from strength-to-strength, winning a pair of Listed events in France, as well as placing in her three other turf starts.

Her close-up third to Azure Blue at Newmarket and second to Happy Romance in a pair of other Listed events is decent form. Her form looks stronger than the favourite, who had everything go his way at York last time. William Buick rides, and being only rated two pounds lower than Great State whilst getting five pounds, she has to be the bet.

The Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Grand Cup Stakes can go the way of QUICKTHORN (best price 15/8) who should be clear favourite for the Hughie Morrison team.

Somehow he finds himself second favourite behind Israr and while the winner was marginally denied in a Group 3 when last seen, the former wasn't disgraced when a three-length fourth of 6 in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup last time.

That was a good effort in defeat considering he was hampered and his 14-length win in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup at this course in August is undeniably the best form in the race as he beat Gold Cup favourite, Coltrane.

He won the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieul over this trip last July, gets his favoured ground, and is partnered by Jason Hart, who is a great jockey, especially on front-runners. Again, I cannot see why he isn’t a clear favourite when form is taken into account.

This smart six-year-old is the highest-rated in the field but comes out best at the weights and is likely to get a soft lead. Even if he doesn’t, he can just track the pace before Jason asks him to quicken up the tempo and I just feel he will have too much natural class for these.

Plenty in with chances and while the likes of Dream Harder, Kihavah and Saratoga Gold all hold chances, I’ll take an each-way chance on one of the rank outsiders PIECEDERESISTENCE (best price 18/1) who is probably one of the best-treated horses in the field.

A lot of his rivals are handicapped to the hilt on a strict reading of the form-book, unlike this seven-year-old, who is actually a pound lower than when winning at Pontefract last July under a big weight. He has shaped better than the results have suggested the last two times back on the Flat.

He ran well when sixth of 18 behind Kihavah over course-and-distance when last spotted and gets a huge six pounds pull at the weights with the winner this time for that seven-length defeat, so it is hard to comprehend why he is trading at such big odds, even if the winner from last time won well.

The fact that he is proven off higher mark, has the course experience to his name and has twice placed over hurdles under Becky Smith are positives rather than negatives and, with most of these needing more off their marks, Micky Hammond’s charge makes appeal at double-figure digits with four places on offer. 

Over at Sandown, the Aspall Cyder 1728 Handicap looks a good race to tackle from a betting stance.

I like the credentials about BALTIMORE BOY (best price 9/1) who has left the impression last time he has the potential to surpass this mark this season and could be ready to raise his game and play a significant role in the outcome of this contest.

Michael Bell’s four-year-old has thrown in a couple of lacklustre performances but his other five starts read well. It is easy to draw a line through his return in the Spring Mile as it was pretty apparent he hated the heavy ground, which is why he finished well out the back of the television.

Either side of that effort, he has run two good races at Ascot, which has its similarities to this course. He fared best of those held-up on his turf debut in September, his final run of the campaign, where he stayed on strongly on the flank of the field to take second behind course specialist Raising Sand who had the run of the race.

That was off a mark of 90, and he stepped up from his reappearance to finish a staying-on fourth of 15 over the same course-and-distance off the exact same mark last month. His chances were diminished when he dwelt out of the gates and was squeezed for room, which evidently put him on the back foot before the race had even started.

Nevertheless, he kept on very well to take fourth having been set with so much to do, as well as getting no cover throughout. The form has been upheld by the second and third though, who have both run really well in defeat since. From the same mark as last time, with Hector Crouch taking over from an apprentice this time around, he’s appealing at the odds with four places generally available.

The Sky Bet Handicap does have a competitive look to it but FORTAMOUR (best price 9/1) has been running well in defeat this year, which provides indication that Ben Haslam’s seven-year-old could be coming to the boil at the right time in order to regain the winning thread.

He won twice at Ripon last year off marks of 80 and 85 and his mark has dipped below 80 on the turf for the first in his career. He has placed efforts off higher marks to his name and would have finished much closer last time when fifth if he had a clear passage.

Paul Hanagan rode him when the pair finished seventh of 20 over course-and-distance two starts ago and again, he ran well despite not being seen to best effect. If they go at a good pace, he is sure to be competitive with his stable in good form and with four places generally available with bookmakers.

MILL STREAM (best price 16/1) should be all the better for his return run in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes and is strongly fancied to at least make an impact on his handicap debut.

Before his reappearance, he was being aimed at the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and even if connections have or haven’t changed their mind, he should be going close in a race of this nature given the form he’s shown to date.

He won on his debut at Doncaster and was then beaten half-a-length by the 117-rated Noble Style at Newmarket, who won a Group 2 next time out. His fourth in the Acomb Stakes over track and trip is another solid piece of form which couldn’t have worked out any better.

The winner Chaldean has since won the 2000 Guineas, while the second Indestructible won the Craven Stakes, plus the third Oviedo recently won the Zetland Cup at Redcar. The form has continued to be boosted time and time again and is the best overall form in this race.

This son of Gleneagles remains partnered by Marco Ghiani and while a mark of 98 might look stiff at first glance, he is naturally the best horse in the race, will come on for that latest run and is a solid each-way price with six places generally available.

ROUSING ENCORE (best price 22/1) is wildly overpriced at the forecast odds. Following a good third on debut at Leicester, he won at Beverley and at Pontefract before he turned up in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, finishing an excellent sixth of 17.

He did well to finish as close as he did, as he raced keenly, and that form has a nice look to it, as the first four home have all respectively boosted the form in their own way since. His second in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes is quality form as well, as he split Roger Varian’s duo Sakheer and Charyn.

He hasn’t been at his best in three runs this year but this is a drop in grade ahead of his handicap debut and his form, alongside Mill Stream, is the strongest in the race. He might be a touch vulnerable to less-exposed types but he’s one of the classiest horses in the field and should outrun his odds with six places on offer.