Horse Racing Tips: Montassib the star selection among Saturday's best bets
There's a bumper day's racing taking place on Saturday with eight fixtures lighting up our screens with the feature event of the day being the Shergar Cup, which takes place at Ascot. There's alternative Group action in the UK at Haydock Park and Newmarket with the Sweet Solera Stakes and the Rose Of Lancaster Stakes, while the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes is the showpiece event at the Curragh. We preview all the action here and pick out some of the most eye-catching best bets from our host of racing writers...
One of the most fancied runners at the Shergar Cup today is the William Haggas-trained Montassib, who is a red-hot favourite for the Shergar Cup Mile at 15:55, and the 7/4 shot has been napped by four of our racing writers for today's contest. The likes of The Scout from the Daily Express and Templegate from The Sun have put up Montassib as the best bet of the day, as the four-year-old attempts to build on a fine fourth placed finish in the Bunbury Cup last time out.
Other eye-catching selections running at Ascot on Saturday include the Jessica Harrington-trained Jungle Cove, who is currently 15/2 for the same Shergar Cup Mile as above, and the Irish raider has been napped by Garry Owen from the Daily Record. A fine winner of the Golden Mile at Glorious Goodwood last time out, David O'Meara's Orbaan will attempt to follow up in the 13:35 at Ascot today and that charge has been napped by myracing.com, while The Score from Racing TV has put up the 10/1 shot Sterling Knight as the nap of the day in the 17:05 at Ascot.
There's quality action at the Curragh this afternoon and one of the most intriguing races is off at 15:15, and Jon Freeman from The i will look to notch up a fifth consecutive winning nap and that red-hot tipster has tipped up the Hugo Palmer-trained Dubawi Legend, who is a 7/2 shot. Taking Freeman on in that same event is Brian Flanagan from the Irish Daily Star, who has napped Go Bears Go at 11/4 in what should be a mouth-watering contest.
Naps table leader Expert Eye hit the back of the net yesterday with a winning nap and boosted a stunning profit to £50.61, and that high-flying tipster heads to Ayr's evening fixture for Saturday's best bet of the day. The Michael Dods-trained Blowing Wind remains a maiden after countless outings, but has been slipping down the handicap in recent times and off a mark of 65 the Markaz gelding could be a lively player at 91 in the 20:15 event.
The Group 1 Phoenix Stakes will see some of the premier two-year-olds lining up at 16:15 at the Curragh, and two horses have been napped for that prestigious event. Aidan O'Brien is bidding for a monumental 17th win in the contest and Mercury from the Daily Post fancies the Ballydoyle charge Little Big Bear, who won the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot earlier in the season, to prevail at 5/2.
Andrew Bladen from the Wolverhampton Express & Star is taking on that raider with Richard Hannon's Persian Force, who was a fine runner-up in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting back in June and then went to win the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket, and at 4/1 that British contender is a lively player in a race that will see the Coventry Stakes winner Bradsell line up as the one to beat.