Saturday Racing Multi Tips: Pilgrim to progress in Musselburgh 69/1 double

Musselburgh, 13:55 - Back A War Eagle EW three places @ 9/110.00

The opening of the Flat season at Musselburgh on Saturday will likely be staged on ground with soft in the description, and some rain is forecast over the next two days from Friday.

The Silver Arrow Handicap commences our double quest for Mick Easterby - and the lightly raced sort (the horse not Mick) A War Eagle might drift a little more for our each-way bet. He was at 9/110.00 as of Friday morning and he might be worth taking a chance on as the three rated 100 and above are not exactly rock-solid.

Midnight Gun's two runs at Doncaster last term give him a more than solid chance, but the 2/13.00 looks a little on the short side for quite a competitive race. A War Eagle clearly has to improve a fair bit but I rated his performance when winning at Beverley last season - taking a handicap in tidy fashion over 7f from 74 and went onto finish placed soon after at Hamilton and Kempton from higher marks.

They went a good pace at Beverley on the quick going and the 7f with a strong pace to run at suited him and his prominent racing style. Soon after his two subsequent efforts were both over 1m, at Kempton and the stiff Hamilton, and while he stayed well, the 7f trip could be his best option.

This will be his first run for Easterby having left Ed Bethell and with Shay Farmer claiming 7lb for the yard, he's off a very low weight to hopefully make a bit of an impact.

Musselburgh, 15:42 - Back Pilgrim EW four places @ 6/17.00

The feature Scottish Sprint Cup over 5f looks wide-open, and while I like the favourite Against The Wind as a quick front-runner who could blast off here, in my opinion he is a little better on the All-Weather.

Therefore I am happy to go with Pilgrim here for David and Nicola Barron - a yard I find tricky to read at the best of times. Pilgrim was good enough to plunder a Royal Ascot prize in 2024 - winning the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes from a mark of 92. Since then he struggled with his mark at 100 when he finished well beaten at York and the Ayr Gold Cup.

Last term he was seen just twice but he ran well fresh after a break of nearly 170 days to finish second at Ripon and clocked some serious fast fractions in that as his three furlongs at 2f, 3f and 4f were timed at 10.39, 10.53 and 10.88.

He's a prominent racer with his style as he was a little keen in his younger days, and he destroyed a field over Musselburgh's 5f in 2024 from the front, a race he made all to scorch home by over 5L.

There's a fair bit in his favour and I wouldn't judge him on his two All-Weather efforts this year. He's fit, goes at the track and races from a good mark. The draw in 14 could obviously be kinder, but as Arthur Daley said "There's always misery to set against good fortune Raymond."

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