Saturday Racing Cheat Sheet: Best bets for Newcastle, York and Curragh

• Saturday Racing Cheat Sheet for Newcastle, York and Curragh

• Get our tipsters' best bets and ambassador insight

• Katie Midwinter's best bets for the ITV races plus Mark Milligan and Timeform

Timeform Superboost

East India Dock is a very consistent horse and has now finished inside the top six on his last 10 starts with five wins coming in that sequence, including victory in the ultra competitive Chester Cup last month. 

Today's Northumberland Plate at Newcastle is another long-distance competitive handicap in which you can back East India Dock at the super-boosted price of 6/42.50 (from 8/111.73] to finish in the top six once again. To take advantage, just click on the odds in the below bet banner to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

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Saturday horse racing tips and insight

13:40, Newcastle - Katie Midwinter: Strike Red can land the opener at a big price

A consistent performer over this course-and-distance, Richard Fahey-trained Strike Red is one to note in this competitive handicap.

The seven-year-old finished a creditable fifth of 14 runners in this contest twelve months ago when rated 1lb lower, running on strongly in the finish despite losing momentum when struggling to find a clear run. It was a performance that could be upgraded and, if able to have some better luck in-running, he holds strong each-way claims once again from a rating of 96.

This season the son of Dark Angel has been performing well generally, and the form of his second to Completely Random has been franked multiple times, including by the winner, who went on to finish fifth in the Wokingham Stakes from a 6lb higher mark, the third-placed Billyjoh as well as Akkadian Thunder, second in the Buckingham Palace Stakes when last seen, and Rousing Encore, a winner at York since.

There's plenty of evidence to suggest Strike Red enjoys himself at Newcastle which is a huge positive coming into this race, and he has run well twice in the contest previously. Luck is usually needed at the track, but a draw from stall 11 could prove advantageous as it has provided two of the previous four winners, with high draws often achieving success in the race.

At a price of 11/112.00, Strike Red is a reliable selection who should be able to put in a competitive effort under Billy Garritty.

14:55, Curragh - Timeform: Trustyourinstinct has clear claims on ratings

Trustyourinstinct proved himself a smart performer on the Flat last season, notably winning a Group 3 at Leopardstown. 

It took him a few runs to find his feet this season but he ran well when third behind Los Angeles and White Birch in the Mooresbridge Stakes and then proved at least as good as ever when a dominant winner of a listed race here last month.

Trustyourinstinct could be called the winner a long way out, impressing with how he travelled, and he quickened clear to win by four lengths. That enhanced his good record at the Curragh - he has Timeform's Horses For Courses Flag to highlight his effectiveness at the course - and he stands out as the one to beat on these terms. Even under a penalty he comes out 5 lb clear on Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings. 

15:00, York - Sam Turner: Jm Jungle to prove he is a class above at his beloved York

John & Sean Quinn can be a powerful force with an improving sprinter and Jm Jungle is the latest in a long line to thrive under their guidance and tutorship.

The progressive five-year-old has climbed from 88 to a rating of 101 in less than a year and again showcased that improvement at Epsom in the Dash last time on Derby day when running out one of the cosiest winners of that contest for some time.

Jm Jungle returns to the scene of some of his best career performances here and his record on the Knavesmire, or even in general, may read even better if he hadn't bumped into the subsequent Group 1 winning speedster American Affair here in May and at Musselburgh back in April.

There doesn't appear anything of that level in this field and, as admirable Regal Envoy, Habooba and Azure Angel have been in winning of late, this looks another excellent opportunity for the Quinn's star sprinter to star at York.

15:15, Newcastle - Alan Dudman: Golden Rules can go one better in 2025 Northumberland Plate

With form in the race and a good mark, I am happy to take the chance on Golden Rules here as from 90 the assessor has thrown him a lifeline. He's drawn well enough too in 11 considering the higher numbers' record and from 8-11, he gets just over a stone from Onesmoothoperator.

As a win bet at 13/27.50 I think that's fair enough.

Zanndabad was 9s from 11s pre-lunch on Friday, and Tony Martin won the old turf race with Arc Bleu in 2008, and he does know what it takes to win these staying races now considering his exploits with Alphonse Le Grande in fresher times.

Martin is in form at the moment too - with 2-6 at 33% albeit jumpers, and he's 10% for the Flat season with four winners in total.

Zanndabad will stay I am sure as an Aga Khan bred, and his sixth in the Irish Cesarewitch in a field of 30 was from 94 and he met trouble in that. He's 1lb lower here and shaped well on his return over 1m6f in a nice spin and prep at the Curragh last time, and we shouldn't have too much worry about him acting on the All-Weather as his sire Iffraaj is 12% win and 30% place on UK AW tracks.

I'll also throw in Tribal Star as he is from such a low weight and ran a cracker in the Newcastle All-Weather Championships Marathon Handicap in April from 88. He couldn't get his favoured lead position and had to come from off the pace - which ultimately led to his downfall as he suffered traffic congestion.

He's only 2lb higher for that and from stall six, we might get a good early position with him under apprentice Jamie Powell who can claim, if he decides to revert to his usual front-running tactics. He also had a nice prep in the Curragh race behind Zanndabad last time.

1) Golden Rules
2) Zanndabad
3) Tribal Star

15:30, Curragh - Mark Milligan: Whirl to have too much for older rivals in Pretty Polly

The Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes is the highlight on the second day of the Curragh's Irish Derby meeting, and it features one of the first top-level clashes of the generations as Andrew Balding's Kalpana takes on Aidan O'Brien's Oaks runner-up Whirl.

Kalpana was most progressive as a three-year-old, making the step up from handicap company before taking the Group 1 Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day. She showed she retains all that ability when third to Los Angeles and Anmaat on her comeback over this C&D in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and will clearly be a tough nut to crack.

However, she faces no easy task in trying to give the 12lb weight-for-age allowance away to Whirl, who confirmed all the improvement she showed when winning the Musidora at York by finishing a narrow second to stablemate Minnie Hauk at Epsom last time.

The feeling is there could still be plenty more to come from the daughter of Wootton Bassett and I'm expecting a positive ride from Ryan Moore as she drops back in trip here.

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