William Hill Futurity Day

Hi all,

Inside today's main you can read my thoughts on the flat action on ITV from Doncaster and Newbury.

ITV is all set for a fantastic Saturday of racing. The cameras will be at Doncaster for the final Group 1 of the British Flat season, the William Hill Futurity Trophy Stakes (2:45). This race is one of three live broadcasts from Doncaster.

It’s also Day 2 of Cheltenham’s Showcase Meeting, with ITV covering five races from the home of National Hunt racing. In addition, they’ll feature two races from Newbury—the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes (3:10) and the Group 3 St Simon Stakes (3:45). It’s a packed afternoon with plenty for racing fans of both codes to enjoy.

Saturday Racing

Cheltenham

It’s good ground at Cheltenham. It will be interesting to see how the ground has been riding on Friday. It’s worth noting that despite all the rain this autumn they’ve been watering to maintain good ground.

My Cheltenham race previews were sent out to Victor Value subscribers on Friday lunchtime. If you want them plus all my previews and selections for the next month you can get them here.

Doncaster

It’s soft at Doncaster for the William Hill Futurity and it was due to be dry on Friday on Saturday. However, it doesn’t dry out that much at this time of year so although some good to soft could appear in the straight it will still be on the soft side although not as testing as 12 months ago.

1:30 – William Hill Prospect Stakes (Doncaster Stakes) (Listed Race) – 6f

This looks competitive contest, with Diego Ventura and La Bellota leading on form, but Fast Track Harry’s debut win on soft ground suggests potential.

2:25 – Join Century Racing Club Today Handicap (Class 2) – 5f

Blue Storm brings solid form, but Pilgrim is back to favoured conditions and could challenge. Vintage Clarets and Aberama Gold have good chances, with Aberama Gold 13lb lower than when winning last year’s race. Designer might surprise with Jamie Spencer’s style working in her favour.

2:40 – William Hill Futurity Trophy Stakes (Group 1) – 1m

I previewed the William Hill Futurity Stakes in Wednesday’s column. Wimbledon Hawkeye heads the field, with Delacroix and Anno Domini poised to challenge. Royal Playwright offers value, while Detain, Nebras, and Seaplane bring potential for an upset. The latter in particular is well fancied by a number of shrewd pundits.

Newbury

At Newbury it's heavy, soft in places and I expect that to still be the case on Saturday.

3:10 – BetVictor Horris Hill Stakes (Group 3) (Colts & Geldings) – 7f

Yaroogh brings strong form on soft ground and should be tough if conditions match. However, Benevento is less exposed, improving, and bred to handle the ground, giving him a slight edge if he handles the going.

3:45 – BetVictor St Simon Stakes (Group 3) – 1m 4f

Al Aasy has all the ability but is a risky bet at short odds. Max Vega (2021) winner and Danielle are appealing alternatives, with both likely to appreciate underfoot conditions. Salt Bay needs to improve significantly with blinkers to win.

I won’t be doing a Sunday column, but I’ll be back on Monday with my look back at the weekend’s big race action.

Good luck with your Saturday bets.

John