Saturday Racing Tips: Tony Calvin has left no Stone unturned at Lingfield today

• Ascot, Haydock, Taunton all fall foul of the weather

• Four races from Lingfield's AW track on ITV Racing

• Tony Calvin has a 9/1+ bet in the final TV race

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Haydock being abandoned at 6.13am this morning, following on from Ascot on Thursday and Taunton on Friday, gave us a Blankety Blank on the domestic National Hunt front - and Sunday's Lingfield card could well be abandoned after a 4pm inspection today, too - and that was a blessing in disguise in one very selfish respect.

It meant I undeservedly got my money back from my ante-post selection on Tuesday, when I should have done my cash in cold blood, as L'Eau Du Sud wasn't confirmed for The New One Hurdle at the overnight stage.

So I guess you can say I can have a free hit at my first bet and selection on the revised ITV schedule for Saturday.

As it stands, that is just four races from Lingfield, though I imagine Navan may well enter the terrestrial mix - surely they won't inflict Southwell on us, too? - now we are shown of the jumps stuff. I will deal with just Lingfield here though, for time reasons more than anything else.

Paris a worthy fav but Pistol can shoot for glory

Those who listened to Betfair's Racing Only Bettor podcast (link below this column) will already be aware of my initial thoughts on the card, but that was the thick-end of 24 hours ago, and a lot has changed price-wise since then.

And when odds change, so must your punting mindset - I cannot believe how any tipster could write their copy without mentioning and discussing prices, and not give any steers to their readers as to minimum values - so I make no apologies if what I recommend here differs from what you listened to on Friday afternoon.

It may not, but it will be fine is that is the case.

First up at Lingfield is the 1m2f handicap at 13:37, a race in which it is no surprise to see Paris Lights into as short at 2/1 with the Sportsbook (though a bit bigger at over 9/4 on the exchange).

He won over course and distance on his debut for George Boughey, whose trajectory in the racing game mirrors a betting graph of a Danny Brock non-jigger, and he certainly looks fairly treated on a 5lb higher mark here, with Ryan Moore in the plate (surely just say saddle, really).

He cost 650,000gns in 2020, as a full-brother to the top class St Mark's Basilica (and he is also a half-brother to the Guineas winner Magna Grecia), but Boughey picked him up for just 60,000gns last July, so you can definitely see him progressing way beyond his current revised mark of 80.

But I can leave him alone at his current odds in a 12-runner handicap from his midfield draw, and Pistoletto is potentially the each-way angle against him as a well-handicapped horse with course form, with this 1m2f arguably his best trip, and 7lb claimer of the moment Billy Loughnane up.

I am not a fan of these talented youngsters being talked up, perhaps prematurely, as we have seen plenty of promising individuals come and go in the past- Adam McNamara won the 2016 Ebor as a 5lb claimer, was similarly lauded, and is now retired and working with the PJA - but Loughnane is clearly no negative.

The problem is Pistoletto opened up at 10/1 and is now 11/2, so I can leave him alone, even with the extra place. And you'd want four places if backing him, as Pistoletto hardly has a winning profile.

Lots to like about Strength and Kill... apart from price

We have another obvious favourite in the 14:12 in the shape of another potential Boughey-Moore special in 9/4 poke All The King's Men, a well-bred French recruit for the yard and one rated just 79 as well.

He could well blow this race apart, as could another stable-switcher in the shape of Kevin Philippart De Foy's Million Thanks (KPDF is another upwardly mobile young gun, it seems), but I was immediately drawn to the claims of Secret Strength and Shoot To Kill in here when first looking at the race on Thursday afternoon.

Once again, the problem is they opened up at 20/1 and 16/1 respectively, and they are now just 9/2 and 11/2 respectively with the Sportsbook, so a hasty revision is now required.

Which is a shame as the booking of Tom Marquand shows connections of Shoot To Kill mean business here as a Kempton run earlier in the month, his first start since May, will have cleaned the pipes and he is now back to the same mark as when winning over course and distance last January.

He was ridden prominently there and I would expect Marquand to try to make use of trap one here.

Secret Strength is a touch harder to ignore, as the double-figure quotes about him probably should be dismissed as overly-generous, early-market nonsense.

There are negatives at the current price in that 11/2 could easily be classed as very short given the quiet nature of the Jim Boyle stable and the cheekpieces he wore for his better efforts last season are still not on, and his hold-up style will always mean he is a hostage to fortune over 7f around here, but the positives are plentiful, too.

He clearly shaped well over 6f here last time, his first start since September, and his close second off higher marks than this at Ascot and here last time paint him as a very fairly-handicapped horse.

I'd have rather backed him at 7s each way, four places, than Shoot To Kill if going down the fixed-odds route, but the 7s became 11/2 just after 8am and there endeth the interest. That was reinforced and then some when he hit 9/2 (amazingly he was trading as low as 7/2 in places at 9.15am).

It could well that both Secret Strength and Shoot To Kill drift back out to double figures on the fixed-odds front - unlikely with the former, granted - but I settle all exchange bets at Betfair SP, so I was going to suggest you have a very modest wager on Shoot To Kill on the exchange at 12.011/1 or bigger.

And then his price suddenly dipped three points around 8.30am - the 7s became 11/2 on the fixed-odds front, as well - and this no-bet re-write was necessary. To say I was annoyed was an understatement.

As for Secret Strength too, I just can't tip him either at 9/2, or at his current price of 6.411/2 on the exchange. Such is life.

That is the recommendation from this (overly) price-sensitive soul anyway - you have to draw the line somewhere or else you will be tipping without a price next up - though I will back Secret Strength if he hits 8/1+ again (likewise Shoot To Kill at 11/1+) and I may even do a reverse forecast on the pair, and hope Boughey is planning on doing his latest conjuring act further down the line.

The booking of Ryan Moore suggests not but we can but hope.

Look to Stone to be the Destiny of a Saturday winner

I normally need no second invitation to oppose a shortie but I struggle to see how the beautifully bred Al Agaila gets beaten in the 1m2f fillies handicap at 14:47.

Don't get me wrong, a price of around Evens is definitely not for me - not least in what is quite a competitive little handicap, as it should be for over 51k to the winner (they should be getting more than eight runners for the money, mind you) - but the way she is bred and the manner in which she won here last time suggests defeat may not be an option.

With bets falling by the wayside, I nearly lost my mind and stuck up Stone Of Destiny in the 5f sprint handicap at 15:22.

In fact, I have. Back him at 10.09/1 or bigger, or 9/1 win-only on the Sportsbook.

He is probably in many people's top three cliff horses of recent years since he last won at Doncaster in September 2020, but he can race off a mark of 83 back at the scene of two of his better career efforts, and he could well pop up again.

Owner Matthew Taylor is a very shrewd, and profitable, punter and it could well be that he has teed him up for this handy prize, having bought him for 30,000gns from Andrew Balding and King Power in October, after three opening spins at Southwell that have certainly not been without encouragement.

Taylor also bought War In Heaven from Balding last year and he has won two with that horse recently, after four exploratory starts for the Mick Appleby yard, and Stone Of Destiny could well follow suit at a very reasonable 9/1.

I nearly got a late grip of myself, reminded myself of the horse we are dealing with here, acknowledged the strong claims of Silky Wilkie and Strong Power at the head of the market, and resisted temptation.

Temptation, along with if, are very dangerous words when punting. But there is pace in the race to suit him and hopefully he can reel these in late.

Good luck on a very quiet day. Keep those stakes small.

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PROFIT AND LOSS (from March 26)

Staked: 322

Returns: 474.8

P/L: +152.8

PREVIOUS (April 14 2021 to March 25 2022)

P/L: + 183.1

*All exchange bets are settled at Betfair SP for sake of fairness