Saturday Tote Placepot Tips for Newbury from Architect

Leg 1 Selections: Jack Darcy, Klondike

The 1st leg is the Group 3 BetVictor Geoffrey Freer Stakes and JACK DARCY is fancied to repeat his latest second to Hamish which would be good enough form to win this providing his stamina holds out. This four-year-old could get a soft lead and is open to improvement given his lightly-raced profile, so he does appeal the most. 

The William Haggas-trained KLONDIKE was a very good second to Gregory two starts back and was only beaten a couple of lengths in a Group 3 at Newmarket last time, form that has worked out well. After just three starts, expect more to come, so he should be competitive getting weight from all of his rivals. 

Leg 2 Selections: May Sonic, Punchbowl Flyer

MAY SONIC could run well in the 2nd leg, the Highclere Castle Gin Handicap. The seven-year-old capitalised on his reduced mark at Southwell and ran well on his first start in the turf in nearly two years when fourth at Windsor. He remains very well-handicapped on the pick of his form and cannot be ruled out. 

PUNCHBOWL FLYER could outclass these if back to his best on stable debut. 

Leg 3 Selections: Alpha Capture, Isla Kai

I really like the chances of bottom-weight ALPHA CAPTURE in the 4th leg, who has been given a cracking chance by the assessor. His second narrow second to Cold Case (rated 110+) and Shouldvebeenring (rated 110+) are two of the best pieces of form in the race. He has kept on well in all of his last three starts on the turf and has fallen to a really dangerous mark of 85 in a race that will suit his run-style. 

This Listed winner has to be high on my shortlist and is over-priced, while ISLA KAI is now a pound below his last winning mark and ran well when third at Goodwood last time, which was a return to form. If he can build on that, he will be tough to keep out of the frame at least. It is worth noting, his only previous visit to this course saw him finish fourth of 19 off a mark of 99 behind Modern Games and Migration, which is strong form ahead of this race.

Leg 4 Selections: Pogo

POGO is a very classy horse when at his best and gets the vote to take the 5th leg which is the feature race on the card, the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes. Despite not being at his best this year, his latest third was a return to form and I have an inclination that this has been his main aim this season. 

He was only fifth in this last year but connections skipped the Lennox Stakes this year to keep him a fresh horse for this and his win over Sacred in a Group 2 last year is a top-class piece of form. He has plenty going for him and will be hard to beat should he produce his best. 

Leg 5 Selections: Highland Spring, Brindley, Navy Jack

The 5th leg is wide-open with not a lot of form to go on but HIGHLAND SPRING didn’t look short of ability when fourth of 10 at Sandown on the testing ground. He kept on well in the closing stages and the winner has boosted the form by winning again since. He should improve and play a leading role with that experience to draw upon as he is up against some interesting newcomers. 

NAVY JACK has improved in each of his two starts and only found a decent prospect too good when runner-up at Sandown. He has more to come and William Buick’s presence does make him of interest. He goes on the list, as does debutant BRINDLEY, who wasn’t a cheap purchase for his connections and might be able to make some sort of an impact. 

Leg 6 Selections: Renardeau, Valsad

The 6th and final leg is the Brian Rycraft Memorial Handicap. Fitness does have to be taken on trust but RENARDEAU is nicely treated ahead of his return and has run well after a break in the past. He was marginally denied in second when last seen, which came on the all-weather, and is back on the turf from a three pounds lower mark. He doesn’t have many miles on the clock on the turf, so he could be ready to run a big race. 

VALSAD could make a mockery of this mark though, with William Buick in the saddle. This four-year-old opened his account in emphatic style last May and while he has been limited to just three starts since, his third at Haydock in the class 2 Brian Rycraft Memorial Handicap is quality form. He was just behind Giavellotto and is a pound lower for this easier race. He should strip fitter from his return and has a fair chance. 

How does a Placepot work?

The more people who play the Placepot at a given meeting, the larger the pool will be. If less people find the winning combination across the six races, the bigger the winning dividend will be.

When placing your Tote Placepot bet, you can choose whether to make one or more selections in each race, which are referred to as lines.

Adding multiple lines in a race increases your chances of picking a horse that places. However, your total stake is determined ‘per line’, so the more lines you place the higher the stake will be. 

To work out how much you have won, multiply your stake per line by the amount of winning lines you have. Your winnings will then be either that percentage of the published £1-stake winnings or a multiple of the published dividend.