Saturday Racing Tips: Chuck a few quid at the Ces and hope that Jonny can be good

Is it really a year ago that I sat head-in-hands after watching Scatter Dice sluice up by three lengths the Cesarewitch at a Betfair SP of 170.0169/1?

Don't get me wrong, I had won a tidy four-figure sum on her, as I couldn't resist those colossal odds - well over double her 66-1 SP - near the off.

The only problem is that I didn't put her up in this column.

She had made my shortlist of four - I had tipped the horse at big odds twice earlier in the season, notably when she ran a good fifth Northumberland Plate, and was very interested in her in a first-time visor - but she didn't make the final cut.

I can't vouch for other tipsters or pundits but I genuinely would have preferred to have stuck up a 170.0169/1 winner, rather than copped the price of a holiday to Vegas so I could scatter the aforementioned dice (even though actually Craps is one form of gambling I have never understood and never will).

You may well be guffawing at that claim, but anyone who knows me will be aware that is 100% the truth. I'll bask in the glow before taking the dough every time.

Well, providing it isn't silly money anyway, and maybe I should be having more on him if that is the case.

This race has thrown up plenty of other shocks in recent seasons - the last six renewals have two 66-1 winners, as well as scorers at 50-1 and 25-1 - and I reckon there could be another surprise in the shape of Jonny Delta at odds of 40.039/1 or better in the 15:50.

There is no point in saying that he has been laid out for this race, because most of these will have been in some form or another, but I imagine Jim Goldie earmarked this race for him immediately after his seventh in this race last year.

He stayed on from an unpromising position to be beaten only six lengths there, a good performance considering he was 3lb out of the handicap.

He is only 1lb out of the handicap here after sneaking in at the bottom of the weights, and he tuned up for this with an excellent second at Ayr last time - in fact, he has been raised 2lb for that effort in future handicaps, so is effectively 1lb well in here - with the front two pulling clear of Moidore in third, where a feature of his performance was how kindly he travelled.

The ground shouldn't be an issue, whether it rains or not, and hopefully 3lb claimer Joey Haynes will sit cool and deliver him late.

In short, he is no 40-1+ poke.

There are some obvious horses at the top end of the market and I am pretty sold on the chances of Big Easy at around the 12.011/1 mark. The horse has shades of 2006 winner Detroit City all over it.

But for my second selection in the race I am going with Communicator.

He has been running with credit over 1m4f/1m6f in recent starts but I have been waiting for him to be stepped up in trip again since his third in the Chester Cup back in May, where he didn't have the tactical early speed to take advantage of his draw in two and was on the back foot in midfield thereafter.

I thought that he was much better than he was able to show there - he was staying on better than anything at the death - and he can race off the same mark here, despite a good third over 1m6f at Haydock last time. This long straight will suit him, too and he rates a bet at 23.022/1 or bigger.

Regular readers will know I tend not to have too strong an opinion in 2yo condition and group races, as there are too many unknowns for my liking, so I will sidestep the 14:05.

And the eyes glazed over when looking at the 19-runner fillies race at 14:40, though if I was pushed I would side with Vanity Rules dropping back to 1m2f.

The 3yo 1m4f handicap at 15:10 also looks a bit of a minefield, to be honest - I was half-tempted to give Penhill another chance after a poor run at Ascot, and the upped-in-trip Top Tug, too - and I just think we will have the two plays in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket.

Over at York though, I quite the look of Shot In The Sun in the opener at 13:50.

Granted, she is unproven over this trip and is 1lb out of the handicap.

But she has slipped back to the same mark as when a good second on good to soft over 7f here in May and there was enough promise in the way that she stuck on for third over 1m at Musselburgh last time - and indeed in previous efforts over a mile - to suggest this longer trip could be within her compass.

At odds of 11.521/2 or better, she rates a fair bet.

I quite like Gabrial in the 14:20 and Rosie's Premiere could be the one to beat in the 14:05 but for my only other bet at York, I am going with Highland Colori in the 15:30.

Aetna is the obvious and worthy favourite, back on his favoured soft ground and after a very promising pipe-opener after a lengthy break at Newmarket last time.

But Highland Colori is equally at home in the mud, has been dropped a very generous 3lb after a good fifth in a listed race over 7f here last time - which handily allows him into this 0-105 - and the return to 6f should be no problem whatsoever for last year's clear-cut Ayr Gold Cup winner (by 2 ¼ lengths from this year's scorer Louis the Pious).

He is a very fair tool on his day, and was rated 111 at the start of the season, so he is weighted to run a big race.

Back him at odds of 12.011/1 or bigger, and let's hope that Andrew Balding has a Saturday to remember.

Recommended Bets

Back Jonny Delta at odds of 40.039/1 or bigger in 15:50 Newmarket
Back Communicator at odds of 23.022/1 or bigger in 15:50 Newmarket
Back Shot In the Sun at odds of 11.521/2 or bigger in the 13:50 at York
Back Highland Colori at odds of 12.011/1 or bigger in the 15:30 at York