Today's Racing Tips: Mark Milligan's best bets on Betfair Sprint Cup Day include a 6/1 fancy

Haydock, 14:30 - Back Asia Force @ 6/17.00

With a deluge hitting Haydock overnight Thursday into Friday, conditions looks sure to be testing on Betfair Sprint Cup day and this 1m 6f handicap is sure to provide a thorough test of stamina.

Favourite Mythical Bay will be looking to bounce back from a below-par effort in the Melrose last time, where he went into that race very much on the up. However, this will be his first try under very soft conditions and plenty has to be taken on trust.

Asia Force was an improved model stepping up to this trip for the first time at Carlise last month, where he scooted home by a wide margin having come in for positive ride, and I'm backing him to continue that progression.

This will likely be the softest ground he's encountered, but he looks all about stamina and plenty of Frankel's offspring go well in the mud, while the booking of William Buick looks a big plus.

Notable winners from Mark in recent weeks

Item @ 7/1
Zgharta @ 9/2
Pierian @ 10/3
Algaihabane @ 3/1
Kokbastau @ 11/4
Youdecide @ 15/8
Hoseki @ Evens

September Stakes, Kempton 14:50 - Back Tornado Alert @ 9/43.25

This will be one of the most eagerly awaited races of the day as we see the return of former star hurdler Constitution Hill as he bids to maintain his unbeaten start to life in his belated flat career. This will be no easy task, though, and he looks a woeful price at 9/25.50 given the level of opposition and that he'll need to find a minimum 10lb worth of improvement just to make the places.

If Nicky Henderson's charge does win, then connections can start dreaming big about what he might achieve in his new career, but for me it seems unlikely and I'm happy to look elsewhere.

Gethin is a deserved favourite on the balance of his form, but he's a free-going type and I have a concern about him getting home back over 1m 4f if he races too keenly.

The one to be with could well be Tornado Alert, who represents last year's classic crop and was a Group 1 winner in Germany on his final 2025 start. He went back over there for his seasonal reappearance last time and is entitled to come on for that fourth-placed effort.

I'm taking him to bag this for veteran Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

Betfair Sprint Cup, Haydock 15:40 - Back Kind Of Blue @ 7/24.50

Kind Of Blue has been second in the last two renewals of the Betfair Sprint Cup and I'm hopeful he can make it third time lucky with the testing conditions at Haydock likely to be very much in his favour.

It's probably fair to say that James Fanshawe's sprinter hasn't quite hit the same levels of form in the last couple of seasons that he was showing as a three-year-old, but he's still a smart performer on his day and he handles soft ground extremely well.

He won the 2024 Champions Sprint at Ascot on soft going and looked as though he had potential to go on and do even better in 2025, though his season was rather in out, running good races in Ireland and again in this race before disappointing back at Ascot.

It's possible he needs easy ground to be at his best nowadays and he performed with credit when second on his seasonal return in the Group 2 Minster Stakes at York in the spring before running poorly on much faster ground at Royal Ascot.

With Saturday's conditions very much to his liking, there should be no excuses, and he'll come into the race fresher than most having dodged the quick ground during the long, hot summer we've just experienced.

Mark's Bet of the Day: Haydock, 17:25 - Back Crown Office @ 7/24.50

Another that should be very much at home under testing conditions - and the bet of the day - is the William Haggas-trained Crown Office in the 1m handicap that closes the Haydock card.

This one looked very promising when hammering some good horses on his final juvenile start at Leicester (on soft ground) but didn't really build on that in the first part of this season.

However, he looked very much on the way back when second at Nottingham last time to one who's gone in again since, seeming suited by the step up to 1m 2f for the first time.

He does need to prove that he can be equally effective back down in trip here, but with conditions likely to place a premium on stamina, I have no concerns on that score.

Crown Office could still prove himself very well treated from a mark of just 82.

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