Horse Racing Antepost Tips: Three to back at Haydock on Saturday including a 14/1 each-way play

• Stack sprinter on the up and has a big chance in the Achilles 

• Bubble Gum for Twomey a double-figure price for Haydock

• Alan Dudman has three tips for this weekend at 7/24.50, 10/111.00 and 14/115.00

Listed Achilles Stakes - Haydock, Saturday, 14:23: Back Two Stars @ 7/24.50

The best of the action on Saturday looks to be at Haydock for the ITV races with The Listed Achilles Stakes, the Group 3 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes and the John Of Gaunt Stakes. From an antepost view however, double entries and the likely change in weather this week make for a tricky Saturday.

It doesn't help that two of the fillies' race for the weekend with the Lester Piggott and Bronte Cup at York over similar distances are within 17 minutes of each other.

If the forecast is correct for Saturday at Haydock with the bulk of the rain on Tuesday and Thursday, we have to be basing bets with at least some ease in the ground and Fozzy Stack's Two Stars won't mind that at all.

His profile is very much one of a soft and heavy going performer and he's never raced on anything quicker than good to soft.

Stack tends to be a trainer who gets going early in the season and Two Stars has done just that with a two-out-of-two campaign so far following wins at the Curragh and Naas.

The Naas win last time was at Listed level and was something of a career best - he had My Mate Alfie (rated 112) and the legendary Big Gossey in fourth.

Two Stars is a big old unit but he travels well through his races so I can see a nice flat track like Haydock suiting him, and with the front well clear of the third at Naas last time, he looks to be hitting his straps and might be able to improve again in a better race.

He also produced a smart display winning a handicap at the Curragh on his seasonal bow - breaking well to lead to win easily from a mark of 91.

Lester Piggott Pinnacle Stakes - Haydock, Saturday, 14:58: Back Bubble Gum each-way @ 10/111.00

And now we get to the double entries. Beautiful Love is entered for both the Haydock 14:58 Lester Piggott Pinnacle Stakes and the York Bronte Cup, but she's 13/82.63 for the former and 10/111.00 for the Knavesmire, so taking the guide from the market, Haydock will be the port of call.

Bubble Gum is another Irish raider and at least has just the one entry for Haydock this weekend and I was quite taken with her performance last time.

She's priced at 10/111.00 for the weekend on the Sportsbook so the antpost each-way angle comes into play and might be a little overpriced here for a yard that seems to have the magic touch with fillies.

Paddy Twomey has also been in rampant form of late - and he's 16-43 at 37% for the season and even his City Of Memphis ran a decent race at the weekend in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at a big price.

Bubble Gum was a French recruit and started off for Twomey with a win in the Listed Noblesse at Cork over 1m4f and she was pretty smooth throughout that race with a good staying kick too.

Now, the Irish entries are coming out later (after the time of filing) but with the forecast as it is, a bit of cut won't be an issue for this mare who raced in France and won twice last year at Longchamp and Saint Cloud on good to soft and heavy.

The 1m4f distance was proved emphatically last time as he'd previously raced over shorter, and with Cork being her first run for Twomey, there's every reason to believe she can improve again.

Her sire Cloth Of Stars also has a superb record in terms of a win percentage on soft and heavy, with a 22% win and 40% placed record from his runners.

John Of Gaunt Stakes - Haydock, Saturday, 15:33: Back Room Service E/W @ 14/115.00

The presence of Audience as the 6/42.50 favourite for the John Of Gaunt is likely to scare a few off, and he is the right price as a Group 1 winner of the Lockinge last May.

Quite where that front-running performance came from is a mystery, and his price reflected the surprise at 22/123.00 that day. The only negatives apart from the price is that the bulk of his form is on good to firm.

Kinross is prominent too, and while a tough and hardy sort and he's held his form remarkably well, he is eight years of age now and won this back in 2021 when positively fresh-faced.

A tentative each-way pick here would be Room Service for Kevin Ryan, and that's based on the possibility of cut in the ground as he looks a better horse with rain (two career wins on soft and one on good to soft).

I remember putting him up in my multiples column for the Ayr Gold Cup last term and while in 11th that day, wasn't beaten far and it was fine effort for a three-year-old from a mark of 105.

He ended his 2024 campaign with a win on soft at Doncaster in the Listed Wentworth Stakes, and he ran on well in that to suggest he might be worth trying over 7f.

Room Service does hold an entry for the Wokingham, so this could be a tee-up run for Ascot but he's too big a price to let go with the possibility of rain. He does remind me of Absolutely So, a former winner of this race for Andrew Balding in 2017, who finished sixth in the Ayr Gold Cup the previous year.

With run styles, they are not too disimilar and I often think a 7f horse does well in the Ayr race, so there's every chance Room Service will get the 7f as he ran on strongly at Doncaster.

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