ITV Saturday Racing Preview - 26/06/21

The first runner on ITV for us later is the Charles Hills trained Fleeting Prince who looks to have a big chance of taking out this six furlong Handicap event.

The four year old has been a consistent runner for the yard over the years and this season has been running well in defeat to suggest he will be winning soon enough.

Having been tried in Meydan during February and March in Listed and Group company, he came back to England and was last seen finishing a good third over seven furlongs at Newmarket.

The gelding drops to six furlongs for this event and it is the distance that has seen his only win of his career.

Down 1lb from his latest third.

Going over to Newmarket and the first event on ITV from flat racing HQ is the Listed Empress Fillies' Stakes and the horse that takes the eye at an each way price is the Tom Dascombe trained Delmoma.

The filly has been seen once to date and got off the mark at the first time of asking when taking a Fillies' Novice Stakes at bath over five furlongs.

She was doing her best work late on that day to suggest the step up to six in this event will suit and having won on firm at bath she will love the quickness at the ground on Saturday.

One of the feature races at Newcastle at the weekend is the Group Three Chipchase Stakes over six furlongs and the horse we are siding with is Pholas.

At a huge price of 40/1 the George Boughey trained filly is getting back onto the all weather where recently she has done her best work, slightly struggling on the turf.

Back in March the filly won over a mile at Newcastle and then backed that up Lingfield over 7f when taking out the Fillies' And Mares Conditions Stakes at the all weather championships.

Since then she has struggled back on turf but last time out at royal Ascot finished a decent fifth of 16 in the Kensington Palace Stakes and that is something to build on in this.

At 40/1 she is a live each player.

One of our best bets of the day at Newmarket on Saturday is the John Gosden trained Logician who steps down to Listed company fo the Fred Archer Stakes over 1m4f.

Logician was unbeaten is his opening six runs up until his second to last run, boasting a classic win in the Doncaster St Leger (Group 1, 12f) which is easily the pick of the form in this field.

The son of Frankel suffered a life threatening bout of peritonitis in December 2019 however and it was a great miracle to see him run again, winning a minor two runner contest on his return.

The Cumberland stakes followed with Logician going off 1/3 favourite however he finished last of four, weakening in the closing stages, beaten by an eventual 10 lengths.

He then returned this term in May taking on the superstar Al Aasy in the Group Three Al Rayyan Stakes finishing a good third, just tiring late on.

The older he has got the less of a superstar he has become, but he is a through stayer that is still good enough to take out a Listed event and this field is made up of horses he should be beating.

The Consoloation race for the Northumberland Plate comes next over two miles at Newcastle and the horse that should run a big race is the Mark Johnston trained Rochester House.

The five year old is a big price to us at 25/1 having been contesting harder races than this and now dropping down the handicap to a mark of 88 it sees him only 1lb higher than his last winning mark.

In April the gelding was seen finishing a very good third of 14 at Newbury in the Silver Bar Handicap, but since then has tried to go from the front in the Chester Cup and Ascot Stakes and been found it.

This race is not as deep as those and now 5lb lower than his last run he looks well in here.

The feature race on the show from Newmarket is the Group Three Criterion Stakes and again at a nice each way price we like the look of Mums Tipple for Richard Hannon.

As a juvenile he was a very smart horse getting off the mark on his debut at Ascot in a decent event that has seen second since go on and land a Listed contest.

On his second start he put in one of the flat performances of the season when taking the Sales contest at York's Ebor meeting by 11-lengths off top weight looking like a Group horse in a handicap.

Hannon then sent him into his first black type race and something seemed a miss when finishing seventh of eight runners in the Group One Middle Park Stakes and from there he has slightly struggled.

His three year old campaign was nothing to shout about, but this term he has got back on track winning a Listed event in good style at Wolverhampton and then when sent up to a mile finished a good second in the All Weather Mile Championships behind Khuzaam.

He was a good second again behind Pogo two starts ago at Leicester, but lost his way again last time out Salisbury in tough company.

The gelding does need to bounce back in this event but at 16/1 looks overpriced if getting back to anywhere near his best.

The big race of the day at Newcastle is the Northumberland Plate over two miles and in Trueshan for Alan King it has attracted a Group horse in a handicap.

He unsurprisingly warrants plenty of appeal after his Group Two success in the Long Distance Cup over two miles at Ascot on his final run of last season.

He is clearly a talented stayer and holds great claims for this event with him supposed to have ran in the Group One Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last week put was pulled out because of the ground.

The gelding has been seen once this season at Chester in the Group Three Ormonde Stakes over 13.5f and was a good second behind frequent Group One winner Japan.

He should be class above this field having been backed heavily for the Group One contest before he was bought out.

Star Attraction.

The final event on ITV on Saturday is the Group One Irish Derby and this year we think the British will take home the glory with Hurricane Lane having a big chance for Charlie Appleby.

The three year old son of Frankel made his debut last term at Newmarket in a decent Novice Stakes over a mile on heavy ground and he ran out an easy winner.

Saved for this season, he was stepped up in trip on seasonal debut in a good Conditions Stakes over 10f and again ran out a good winner, doing his best work near the finish.

The form of that race does not look bad with the second since placing in a better event and the fourth placed runner since winning.

He also backed up this form line last time out when landing the Group Two Dante Stakes at York, staying the 10.5 furlongs well.

He saw off smart runners Megallan and High Definition that day and was sure to head to the Derby having plenty of stamina in his family.

The colt managed to finish a good third in the Classic event behind Adayar and Mojo Star, with the form of those runners working out and the Irish Derby looks an slightly easier contest.