ITV Racing Tips: Three picks at up to 10/1 on Saturday

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Mark Milligan has a pair of selections at Newbury on Saturday

Mark Milligan continues his regular look at Saturday's ITV races and he has a trio of selections for you...

  • Stoute handicapper still has potential

  • Go low in Ripon feature

  • Kikkuli the best bet at Newbury


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15:00 Newbury - Back Starlore

With York's Ebor meeting just around the corner, this is one of the lower-key Saturdays in the flat racing calendar, but there's still plenty of exciting ITV action and hopefully we can kick off with a winner in this 7f class 2 handicap.

Sir Michael Stoute's well-bred Kingman colt Starlore won on debut at Sandown last season and hopes would have been high that he'd develop into a pattern-class performer on the back of that.

However, things didn't really pan out in his two subsequent juvenile starts, but he really caught the eye at Goodwood on handicap debut in May, meeting all sorts of trouble and doing well to finish seventh.

With that run fresh in the memory, he was well fancied in the Brittania Handicap at Royal Ascot last time but ran a rather flat race, ending up nearer last than first, racing a little more keenly than ideal in such a big field.

I'm convinced there's plenty of talent here and Starlore just needs to channel it correctly.

With that in mind, the booking of Tom Marquand in the saddle for the first time looks an ideal move and hopefully this Juddmonte blue-bred can finally start to fulfil his potential.


15:20 Ripon - Back Ramazan each-way

A bit of guesswork is required when it comes to the draw in the 6f Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon, but it's been won by horses drawn low for the last two years and there's every chance it could go that way again.

The pace seems stronger on that side of the track, with the speedy Radio Goo Goo drawn in seven, and she could give the perfect tow to Richard Fahey's Ramazan, who should be able to track her from the next-door stall.

Ramazan seems to thrive in big-field handicaps, as he showed when finishing a fine second in the Ayr Gold Cup last season, while he also occupied the same position in the Victoria Cup at Ascot back in the spring.

The four-year-old also ran well last time, finishing eighth in the Stewards' Cup at Ascot, and it's notable he was looked after when it was clear he couldn't get on terms with the principals.

It's likely he's being geared up for another tilt at Ayr's September showpiece, but this is a valuable pot in its own right, and Ramazan makes plenty of appeal at 10/111.00, particularly with five places available on the Sportsbook.


15:35 Newbury - Back Kikkuli

It's probably fair to say that Frankel's half-brother Kikkuli has yet to fully live up to that lofty pedigree, but he's still got time on his side and the 7f Group 2 Hungerford Stakes looks an ideal launchpad for him to have a good second half of the campaign.

He broke his maiden while still looking green at Newmarket in May before finishing second in listed company at Sandown on his next start.

He then went down only narrowly to Haatem in the 7f Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, and that was no disgrace given that one's previous showings in both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas.

Kikkuli then proved a bit too free stepped back up to a mile in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville, and it could be that 7f proves the trip to keep him at for the time being, with that Frankel family exuberance very much to the fore.

I like the booking of Oisin Murphy and there aren't many better jockeys at getting one to settle in the early stages of races, something that could prove key to unlocking Kikkuli's undoubted potential.

I retain plenty of faith in this horse and he could still prove top-class if his focus can be directed correctly, with this race hopefully providing a decent stepping-stone for him going forward.


Now read more horse racing previews on Betting.Betfair.com


Recommended bets

15:00 Newbury – Back Starlore @ 6/17.00

15:20 Ripon – Back Ramazan each-way @ 10/111.00

15:35 Newbury – Back Kikkuli @ 5/23.50

Mark Milligan

Mark Milligan is a Senior Horse Racing Analyst with Timeform Sporting Life and has been contributing to Betting.Betfair since 2021.

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