ITV Racing Tips: Four to back on a hectic Saturday

The highlight of the weekend is of course the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Sunday, but before that there is belting action on these shores from Newmarket, Chester and Haydock all live on ITV Racing. Six races in total will be broadcast on terrestrial television, with four from Newmarket and one apiece from the other tracks. Billy Grimshaw likes the look of four in particular and makes the case to back them here...

13:50 Newmarket - Royal Lodge Stakes

A Group 2 with quite the list of winners including Roaring Lion and of course the greatest of all time Frankel, the Royal Lodge kicks off proceedings on ITV Racing on Saturday afternoon. There may not be a superstar in this field but I am very sweet on the prospects of Aidan O'Brien's expensive son of Frankel Diego Velasquez, so the fact CAPULET pushed him so close last time out means he is the pick here.

Another Ballydoyle inmate, he ran with so much promise when front running and just being pegged back by his higher profile stablemate. This Justify colt is certainly no back number going forward however, and although there are plenty in here with potential as is the case in every Royal Lodge. Ghostwriter and Aablan come here unbeaten after two starts although this is a marked step up, while Defiance in particular looks smart and is definitely overpriced at double figures, but I think the one best bred, trained by the master and the horse with the best form in the book is the favourite and he is a confident pick to get the afternoon off to the perfect start. 

14:05 Chester - Watergate Cup Handicap

Despite not heading into the winners' enclosure for four years now, THE GRAND VISIR has been running some superb races in defeat and at the grand old age of nine shows no signs of stopping. Ian Williams's veteran likes it around Chester and after a smashing run in third in a big field handicap at Ascot on his penultimate start he ran better than the bare result suggests last time out in the Doncaster Cup. He could only manage fourth but the race was run at a snail's pace which doesn't suit this slogger, and he plugged on relatively well.

This race looks eminently more winnable than the ones he has been contesting most of the summer and I think he is overpriced at 10/1, certainly for the place part of an each-way punt. Baez is the favourite and I would be most fearful of her, despite the fact Jim Goldie's filly is out of the weights in this. She is chasing a five timer and seems to be thriving on her racing if her win here a fortnight ago is anything to go by, however this is a big step up while The Grand Visir is stepping down. I'll chance him each-way and hopefully the four year wait will end come Saturday.

14:25 Newmarket - Cheveley Park Stakes

I was burnt opposing Relief Rally when favourite last time out but it seems that I haven't learned my lesson as I can't be having her at sub 2/1 in here. The Cheveley Park often goes to a filly that is building to be a star three year old rather than the most precocious two year old of the year, and after a packed season Relief Rally could well find a few too strong for her in here. I'd respect both Ballydoyle raiders in Cherry Blossom and Pearls and Rubies, particularly with the team's strong record in the race, but will side with the French over the Irish and British and go with JASNA'S SECRET.

She has been slashed in price after being 20/1 earlier in the week, potentially down to a doubt over her participation, but I still think there is juice in her current price and Wathnan Racing look to have bought a good one. Carlos and Yann Lerner train the filly and I was taken by her win in a big Sales race at Deauville last time in which she put the race to bed in a matter of strides when rider Christophe Soumillon pushed the button. She is inexperienced having only run twice and obviously has to handle the travel but on talent I'd wager she is the best in here and so she rates a decent bet at 9/2.

15:00 Newmarket - Middle Park Stakes

Vandeek and River Tiber lock horns once more in what looks a brilliant renewal of the Middle Park, but the market seems to be paying the first two too much credit by making them such short prices at 7/4 and 9/4 respectively. Of the market leaders my leaning would be with Vandeek to confirm form from the last time these two met, but TASK FORCE made such an impression at Ripon last time out I have to keep him onside in this big Group One contest.

Apart from the favourite, Task Force is the only unbeaten colt in here but it is the way in which he has been doing his winning which makes me think there is something special in this Frankel colt for Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan. He was green as grass coming out of the stalls in that listed Ripon contest and Ryan will have been fearing a blowout from the favourite, but once the horse settled he put the race to bed so serenely the jockey did not have to do very much at all. He oozes class and with every run the greenness should hopefully fade, and in here where a strong pace looks almost certain Rossa Ryan can simply track them along before playing his mount late to take the spoils.  

He is an insultingly big price at 10/1 at the time of writing and I will be playing win only, although of course at that price I could put nobody off an each-way stab.