Saturday Antepost Tips: Back Fahey for more handicap joy with 14/1 and 16/1 chances

• York's Saturday card the focus for this week's antepost column

• Fahey's golden Epsom can carry on with 14/115.00 and 16/117.00 tips

• Alan Dudman previews three races this weekend 

York - 13:50: Back Our Havana E/W four places @ 14/115.00

Big fields are expected at York this weekend and the Knavesmire forms part of a busy trio for the ITV cameras with Chester and Sandown also included, and it's fair to say we can expect some rain ahead of Saturday.

6 (14)

Our Havana

• J: Oisin James Orr
• T: Richard Fahey
• F:

The opening 13:50 7f Macmillan Handicap has a horse I've had some belief in and the 14/115.00 on Our Havana appeals as a type to take well to the speedy circuit.

Our Havana came on my radar over the winter at Newcastle in a race where he finished second and travelled all over the field only to be denied - his early keenness cost him badly and his backers that evening.

He made no mistake on his next run by sauntering to victory at Southwell, where once again he travelled ever so sweetly and he showed a liking for Southwell again in March by winning a handicap from 83.

Rolling on with his three turf starts this season, he looked a non-stayer trying the 1m at Doncaster, but he did bounce back with a game win at Musselburgh - showing enough pace in mid-division on the inside before battling hard. His quickest times were all in the middle part of the race in Scotland off a good gallop and he still looks capable of winning one of these big pots over 7f from his current mark of 92.

His trainer Richard Fahey was operating in a golden cosmos down south at Epsom with two winners at big prices and a second at the Derby meeting and 7f certainly looks Our Havana's best trip at the moment.

York - 14:25: Back Heathen E/W four places @ 16/117.00

The Queen Mother's Cup is another potentially big field for Saturday and I've got two of my own virtual stable here with old chums Maghlaak and Heathen both holding entries.

10 (12)

Heathen

• J: Miss Serena Brotherton
• T: David O'Meara
• F:

Heathen, as readers of my double column will be aware of, is a horse I've always liked as a stayer with a bit of pace, and I watch him like a cat watches a mouse.

I don't want to desert him at such a big number although I feel a quisling for ditching Maghlaak - who has the honour of being Ghanaati's best son, but for now, he's hived off to another compartment.

On All-Weather form, Heathen should be a lot shorter than the 16s on the Sportsbook, but that's the nub of the matter here as he's shown all of his best work on artificial surfaces and has thus far, failed to win a race of any sorts on the turf in six runs.

For that reason we've got a well handicapped horse for the grass and 73 would make him look like a honey-limbed god if he was in a 0-75 on the All-Weather. His body of work includes a superb third off 85 in the All-Weather Championships Marathon Handicap Final behind the 100-rated Wonder Legend, and he was given a lot to do with in terms of coming from the back, but I cannot fault the ride or the tactics as he didn't look a two-miler to me before the race.

A strong pace over 1m4f for this will bring out the best in his smooth travelling style, but key to this horse is the fact he needs a break between races - and that's not a trade secret.

He's had 48 days to recover from his exertions over 2m at Southwell and it will be interesting to see who the Horse Watchers book for the this race which is exclusive to female amateur riders.

York - 15:35: Back Strong Warrior E/W four places @ 16/117.00

It's you again Mr Fahey!

Hopes lie with Richard once more although hope and some divine intervention from the man above is also required here with field stacked full of unexposed three-year-old sprinters.

The southern trainers are well represented with messrs Haggas, Beckett, Balding and Cox all potentially with runners, so some caution is to be advised here with Strong Warrior, but he's another big price on the Sportsbook at 16s for an each-way tilt.

Now this is a red-hot race too - with top weights Invictus Gold and Northern Ticker both rated three figures, but Strong Warrior adapted well to life in handicaps with his bow at Windsor last time.

Windsor wouldn't be the easiest track to make your handicap debut in, especially for a horse with little experience, and Strong Warrior wasn't helped by being drawn out wide and seeing plenty of daylight. You'd hope that experience will toughen him up and equip him for sterner tests, as I thought he did really well behind So Darn Hot who was vastly more experienced.

Indeed, there's a little form vignette here with So Darn Hot, who won at Windsor off 93, as he previously had finished third at Newmarket in a 0-100 with Fahey's Stormy Impact that day behind in sixth, and Stormy Impact won the 3yo Dash for Fahey at Epsom.

Strong Warrior holds an entry in the Commonwealth Cup, whether that is fanciful or not, Saturday will tell us more. He didn't exactly look a CC contender on his Pontefract victory in the spring and his first run for the season as he made quite hard work of the win, but he was ridden with confidence with an attacking ride from the front and York with a big field could bring out the best in him.

While he didn't blow me away at Ponty, his debut at Ayr was far more the visual diamond - as he bolted up over 5f on good ground and clocked a pair of fast mid-race times at 10.84 and 10.69, so rapid stuff.

As Evelyn Waugh said: "Give him the bread and butter and let him find the jam." Saturday's jam is a healthy 65k to the winner, and a good draw down on the inside would be nice.

Now read more tips and previews from Betfair's team of writers here!