Horse Racing Tips: Sam Turner fancies Knight to take Newcastle by storm

• Step up in trip looks just the ticket for Newmarket raider

• Owen gelding can dominate Plumpton rivals

• Sea Invasion fancied to repeat course and distance success

Newcastle, 16:00 - Back Tilted Kilt @ 15/44.75

2 (5)

Tilted Kilt (Fr)

• J: Cieren Fallon
• T: William Knight
• F:

Aidan O'Brien has won more trials than a top-flight barrister this spring and Delacroix is a prohibitive price to win yet another Derby audition at Leopardstown today.

For what it's worth, I felt Chester scorer Lambourn was one winner of a Derby trial in the last few days which remains relatively overpriced at 25/126.00 heading towards Epsom, but another competent display from Delacroix is sure to book his ticket for the first Saturday in June, while the vibes ahead of Lion In Winter's intended reappearance in next week's Dante are very positive.

An 18-runner French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp provides further quality on a low-key domestic day and I'll be fascinated to see how Hotazhell fares on his reappearance from stall two. His connections have not hidden the fact he is well named as he can be willful and headstrong, but he is extremely talented, and the form of his Futurity Trophy win last October is starting to work out well.

One at a price which could also go well is Chelmsford scorer Detain, but he is yet to reach the same level on turf as he has managed on a synthetic surface, so he is reluctantly overlooked here, even at 16/117.00.

There is no such quality on show in the UK, with punters fed a diet of two summer jumping fixtures, featuring small fields, and an all-weather card at Newcastle.

It is to Gosforth Park I go for Sunday's first selection where I'm hoping Tilted Kilt can vindicate the view that there should be some improvement to come now that he tackles 10 furlongs for the first time.

There are winners over that trip in the selection's pedigree and William Knight's gelding arrives in the north east on the back of another encouraging effort, this time at Sandown in the Esher Cup where, after being squeezed out at the start, he raced on the outside of the field without cover.

To his credit, Tilted Kilt stuck to his task in the straight, keeping on gamely to finish on the heels of the main protagonists, reversing Southwell form with Dividend on a stiffer track.

Hopefully, he can translate that form back to a synthetic surface and make an impact in this interesting handicap.

Plumpton, 16:10 - Back Hecouldbetheone @ 9/43.25

1

Hecouldbetheone (Ire)

• J: Cameron Iles
• T: James Owen
• F:

A return to a small field and Plumpton could see Hecouldbetheone live up to his name in this Conditional Jockeys' Handicap.

A decisive winner from the front at today's venue on his penultimate start when making all, the eight-year-old again adopted those tactics in a deeper race at Warwick last time but was overhauled from the last and could only finish fifth.

He looks the likeliest pace angle in this field and is taken to register a third course win by defying top weight on ground which should be ideal.

Plumpton, 16:45 - Back Sea Invasion @ 11/82.38

5

Sea Invasion (Ire)

• J: Rex Dingle
• T: Anthony Honeyball
• F:

Even though just four runners remain for this 0-120 handicap chase, there could well be a pace duel with Smugglers Heaven and Camino Rocio both favouring front-running tactics.

The former still has some potential to be better than a rating of 114, but Camino Rocio has previously looked better on a right-hand track (5-9) as opposed to racing this way round (0-7).

The one negative with backing Sea Invasion is Sean Bowen's record on Camino Rocio which stands at 4-4, but the selection bounced back to form with his best performance over fences over course and distance last time and might find further progression with the visor replacing the blinkers.

Now read Katie Midwinter's Saturday tips here