Saturday Horse Racing Tips: Mark Milligan's best bets at Ascot, Newmarket and York on a stellar day of racing

Ascot, 14:27 - Summer Mile: Back No Lunch @ 7/18.00

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No Lunch (Ire)

• J: Maxime Guyon
• T: Christophe Ferland, France
• F: 7811-1111

• SBK 8/1
• EXC 10.5

If More Thunder turns up in the sort of form that saw him finish second to Notable Speech in the Queen Anne last time then he'll clearly take all the beating here, but he did race a tad lazily that day and doesn't strike me as the type you want to be taking too short a price about.

A compelling alternative is the French win machine No Lunch, who is on a real roll having taken his last six races, including when beating Seagulls Eleven in a Group 2 contest at Saint-Cloud last time out.

At the time that perhaps didn't look the strongest piece of form, but the subsequent exploits of the runner-up have put a much better spin on it as he has won his last two in listed and Group 3 company.

With regular rider Maxime Guyon over for the ride, No Lunch looks overpriced at 7/18.00.

Newmarket, 14:52 - Back Wechaad @ 4/15.00

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Wechaad (Ire)

• J: Ryan Moore
• T: Roger Varian
• F: 63213-47

• SBK 7/2
• EXC 5.3

On what could be a good day for the Roger Varian yard, I'm siding with his Wechaad to win this 1m handicap in the hands of Ryan Moore.

The son of Oasis Dream was off the mark at the fourth attempt as a juvenile when winning a nursery at Doncaster and then stepped up on that form to finish third in the Group 3 Horris Hill on his final two-year-old start.

Making his comeback from a mark of 96 at Goodwood in May, the selection wasn't seen to best effect in fourth there but showed himself to still be well handicapped when finishing a fine seventh in the ultra-competitive Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot last time.

There are good races to be won with this one and hopefully he gets off the mark for the season here.

York, 15:12 - City Walls Stakes: Back American Affair E/W @ 6/17.00

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American Affair

• J: Paul Mulrennan
• T: Jim Goldie
• F: 0/1151-020

• SBK 11/2
• EXC 6.8

Jim Goldie's American Affair has had his share of problems since winning last season's King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot but he shaped as if retaining a good chunk of his ability on his second start back from an injury-enforced layoff when second in the Temple Stakes at Haydock two starts ago.

Connections will have been buoyed by that and would presumably have expected him to make a bold bid to retain his Ascot crown last time, but he simply refused to settle and failed to give his running that day.

I think he's worth giving a pass for that and, in the hope he drops his head better this time, I'm happy to give him another chance as he takes a marked drop in grade to listed company.

Stall 15 may not be ideal, but American Affair is proven on the course and should give a bold showing if back to his best, while four places on the Sportsbook makes him an attractive each-way proposition.

York, 15:45 - John Smith's Cup: Back Raammee E/W @ 5/16.00

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Raammee

• J: Ray Dawson
• T: Roger Varian
• F: 11-42

• SBK 9/2
• EXC 6.2

Not least because it's at my local track, but the John Smith's Cup is one of my favourite handicaps of the year and there are several progressive types in this year's contest who should come to the fore.

Warrant Holder and Yabher deserve the utmost respect, with the former going close from a big weight in the Duke Of Edinburgh at Royal Ascot last time, though that good runner-up effort has earned him no slack from the handicapper and he is once again asked to defy a mark of 105.

That would be some performance if he could do it, while the William Haggas-trained Yabher is only a pound lower on 104 but he too is on the upgrade.

However, they may both have their work cut out to contain Raammee, who could be a very well handicapped horse from a mark of 95.

He's had just the four starts and looks open to plenty of progression, while there was plenty of encouragement in his recent second to Beagle Bay at Sandown, with the timefigure fully backing up that solid effort.

Newmarket, 16:35 - July Cup: Back Satono Reve @ 3/14.00

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Satono Reve (Jpn)

• J: Christophe Lemaire
• T: Noriyuki Hori, Japan
• F: 12249-122

• SBK 3/1
• EXC 4.4

Satono Reve is rapidly becoming a hill I'm willing to die on but I'm convinced he has a big European sprint in him and this year's July Cup could well be the one.

The Japanese raider looked unlucky to be mugged late on by Almeraq in the shadows of the post in the Diamond Jubilee last time, with that one coming from further back, and the stiff Ascot finish seemed to play very much to his strengths as he rattled home to land the prize at the death.

Despite Newmarket also having an uphill finish, the overall profile of the track isn't as testing as Ascot and I suspect it will play more in Satono Reve's favour this time, while crack jockey Christophe Lemaire also jets in for the mount with Ryan Moore claimed to ride Mission Central.

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