Our top tipster, Daryl Carter brings a whopping eight selections for Saturday’s superb days racing, with the focus on Newmarket and York cards. Check out his tips below, along with an excellent 888sport sign-up offer of Bet £10 – Get £40 In Free Bets
ROBASTA – (1.10 Newmarket, 1pt win – 10/1)
There is plenty to like in this, but the double-figure price of ROBASTA is too hard to pass up given the strength in depth to some of his form lines. He caught the eye in the big Doncaster sales race last time behind the useful Harrow at odds of 33/1 when given plenty to do from off the pace.
He shaped as though a return to 7f was well worth another crack especially given his prior run over that trip at Goodwood saw him stop quickly when something was a miss. His handicap debut at Ascot has worked out well with the runner-up (Tyson) now chasing home Hierarchy at Wolverhampton before scoring comfortably in a Maiden on his latest start, and he looks well handicapped when he is out next.
The third is now rated 18lbs higher, and the fourth had previously been close up (3rd, 2nd, 3rd) behind Angel Bleu, Caturra and Fearby, all horses rated 104 plus. Robasta looks worth chancing with the move up to 7f, a source of improvement.
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HAMAKI – (1.30 York, 2pts win – 5/1) (NAP)
This is a good race, but HAMAKI looks one of the best-handicapped horses on the card at York, according to his time figures. He made a mockery of his opening mark of 76 at Sandown last time when fitted with the first time tongue-tie over seven furlongs backing up his tiring win on soft ground at Pontefract over 6f.
The form of that race hasn’t been boosted, but the time figure was really eye-catching. There were three races over 7f on that card (his the first), and he recorded the fastest overall time of all three and that included the 112 (not a true rating more like 106) Reach For The Moon, who won the Solario Stakes and Silent Escape a subsequent Listed winner rated 108.
He was also three lengths faster than the 86 rated handicap winner on the card (carried less weight). Given he is bred to excel at trips of 1m -1m2f, it’s a credit to him that he was able to show enough speed to get the job done over shorter trips. He runs off a handicap mark of just 82 here and steps up to 1m for the first time, and there is a very good chance he will leave that behind in due course.
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WITCH HUNTER – (2.02 York, 1pt win – 6/1)
WITCH HUNTER was a big eye-catcher just nine days ago when denied a clear run behind the useful Ribhi, and it’s highly likely he would have won snugly if getting the breaks. There was a big track bias that day favouring front runners and those hard up against the rail, so his hold up style of running was never going to suit.
That performance deserves an upgrade, and his debut run is likely to work out well. He doesn’t have much to find on the figures with today’s favourite Ever Given, so a chance is taken.
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SINJAARI – (2.37 York , 1pt win – 13/2)
SINJAARI is burdened with top weight here, but he confirmed himself a pattern performer when unlucky not to take the scalp of Migration off a 2lbs lower mark on return from a 22-day absence and on first start for his new yard.
That was an excellent effort, and his head defeat to Harrovian at Doncaster can be easily forgiven when the winner dictated a slowly run three-runner affair. He clearly likes it here at York, scoring in good style last year in the extremely strong John Smiths Cup. This is far easier than most of his assignments on paper outside of the favourite who returns from injury.
This 1m2f trip looks his optimum with form figures in his career of 2221312, and he is very lightly raced for a five-year-old. His last two efforts have recorded his career-high RPRS, and a big performance can be expected from a good draw from the improving sort.
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AKMAAM – (2.37 York, 0.5pt each-way – 20/1)
A small saver is had on AKMAAM given the good record of three-year-olds in this contest and the unexposed nature of this well-drawn and well-bred gelding. He made a promising start to his career, destroying a good field as a two-year-old at Ascot in which the second, third and fourth (twice a winner) are rated in the mid ’80s.
Thrown in at the deep end next time, he wasn’t disgraced when 5th in the Autumn Stakes in a race that is now full of horses rated 100 upwards. His two efforts in the Craven and the Britannia can be easily forgiven, and this drop into calmer waters could see him bounce back off 3lbs lower from a good draw in stall 1.
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BERKSHIRE SHADOW – (2.55 Newmarket, 1pt each-way – 22/1)
Native Trail will improve for a trip, and he faces some speedier types than he is used to in this contest over 7f. A chance is taken with Royal Ascot Coventry winner who has become a forgotten horse somewhat after two below-par performances since that eye-popping victory.
He bumped into a subsequent Group 1 winner at Goodwood, but he didn’t look entirely at home on the soft ground there, but he closed right to the line on the winner, looking unlucky in the run.
He is better suited to a stiff track such as today’s Newmarket one, and his flat run at York last time when on the wrong side of the track was clearly not his running on all known form, including that of Eldrickjones, who reversed Goodwood placing with him. He is well worth another chance on his early-season form and should get a race run to suit here. He looks a wild price, really.
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ELYSIAN FLAME – (3:35pm Newmarket, 0.5pts each-way – 16/1)
Confidence will not be high on either of the two selections for this race, but I can’t let them go unbacked at the prices. ELYSIAN FLAME is rock solid for each-way purposes and continues to improve with each run. He was a big eye-catcher back in July at Goodwood behind Calling The Wind when given far too much to do from the rear of the field.
The fifth gave that form a good boost in the SkyBet Handicap at York when third of 14, and there is strength in depth to that race. He is 2lbs higher here, has little to find with the favourite on their meeting in the Ascot Stakes, and he will run his heart out.
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MAKAWEE – (3:35pm Newmarket, 0.5pt each-way – 40/1)
MAKAWEE is a huge price for David O’Meara and rightly so on most of her efforts this term. However, when looking at just her handicap starts over 1m6f plus, her form figures read 70130221.
Her latest 7 was a step back in the right direction when needing a stronger tempo from the rear of the field when slowly away at Goodwood. Her 0 was in the Ebor, and her win came off a handicap mark of 100.
Her third prior to that was behind subsequent 2020 Cesarewitch runner-up Summer Moon. She runs here off a handicap mark of 99 (due to go down 5lbs), for which she is capable given her form lines and at the prices it may pay to roll the dice.
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DARYL CARTER’S BEST BETS
ROBASTA – (1.10 Newmarket, 1pt win – 10/1)
HAMAKI – (1.30 York, 2pts win – 5/1) (NAP)
WITCH HUNTER – (2.02 York, 1pt win – 6/1)
SINJAARI – (2.37 York , 1pt win – 13/2)
AKMAAM – (2.37 York, 0.5pt each-way – 20/1)
BERKSHIRE SHADOW – (2.55 Newmarket, 1pt each-way – 22/1)
ELYSIAN FLAME – (3:35pm Newmarket, 0.5pts each-way – 16/1)
MAKAWEE – (3:35pm Newmarket, 0.5pt each-way – 40/1)
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