Saturday Racing Tips: Nothing Mythical about Guest scoring at favourite venue

• Well-handicapped Warrior can relish Newbury battle

• Mighty Mythical set to end Margarson barren run 

• Adventure can prove Best under Foley at HQ

Timeform Superboost

Last year's Irish 2000 Guineas and St James' Palace winner Rosallion is a strong favourite to win today's Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury (14:35), and if you fancy the high class 4yo to finish in the first two today you can back him at the super-boosted price of 1/12.00, from 8/131.61.

Rosallion has finished in the first two in six of his seven career starts (third in the other) and looks to have excellent claims today with his trainer reporting that he's expecting a big run. To take advantage of this superboost just click on the odds in the below bet banner to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

*Please Note:  This superboost is provided by the Betfair Sportsbook and not by any of our tipsters or writers.

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Newbury, 14.00 - Back Asmen Warrior each way @ 15/28.50

The London Gold Cup Handicap boasts a rich rollcall of winners with the likes of Israr, Bay Bridge, Headman, Defoe and Time Test just five of the classy winners the race has produced in the last decade.

Trying to identify the next Al Kazeem or Cannock Chase is a fun experiment, even if this year's crop doesn't appear at first glance to be the strongest field assembled in the race's rich history.

That statement could well be turned on its head should irish raider Genealogy bolt up for a stable that have only ever run two in the 10-furlong feature, one of which was winner Unbelievable two years ago.

However, in the hope he is no Ballydoyle superstar, and the fact my selection is three times the price, I'm happy to take a chance with Asmen Warrior who simply must be attractively treated on a mark of 82.

The training partnership of Richard Newland and Jamie Insole sent out their first juvenile winner this week at the first time of asking so this dual-purpose operation continue to go well, and the son of Saxon Warrior has twice caught the eye chasing home talented rivals in the shape of Convergent and Skimmer in two starts to date.

Convergent, who beat the selection by roughly five lengths at Redcar in early April, is now rated 102 after chasing home Derby-bound Lambourn in the Group 3 Chester Vase, while Skimmer, a half-brother to six winners including Logician and Okeechobee, is clearly a colt of immense potential given his pedigree.

Asmen Warrior's data has been impressive in both starts and appears primed to give his in-form team a big run in this event. Saddadd, second to a strong galloper in Gethin at Newbury last time, is my chief danger and the 5/16.00 looks very fair for a horse capable of better. My only concern was the yard are just a little subdued right now. 

Newmarket, 14.15 - Back Mythical Guest each way @ 10/34.33

A drop in class and a return to a favoured venue could see Mythical Guest regain the winning thread for the first time in 12 months.

Surprisingly, trainer George Margarson is searching for his first winner of the calendar year, albeit he has only had 21 runners, but the son of Make Believe has run two promising this races in better grade handicaps that he tackles here.

Although the selection has sustained two three-length defeats, for which he's received no respite from the handicapper, they have been at the hands of two upwardly mobile four-year-olds in Bullet Point and My Cloud with both of his conquerors likely to have designs on races like the Royal Hunt Cup in the short term.

Hopefully, there is nothing lurking of that level in this 0-85 event and, while Classic Encounter is very much respected with his form working out pretty well, Mythical Guest is fancied to end his stable's quiet run and deliver a much-needed victory.  

Newmarket, 16.00 - Back Best Adventure each way @ 9/25.50

Shane Foley enjoyed a successful sortie to the Knavesmire this week, partnering two impressive juvenile winners for Richard Hannon before heading back to Ireland to partner four mounts at Leopardstown's Friday evening fixture.

Both of Foley's York winners were for owner Zhang Yuesheng and the combination reunite for just one ride at Newmarket on Saturday when the popular Irish rider flies back into the UK to take the mount aboard Best Adventure for Andrew Balding.

The 37-year-old rider could surely have picked up rides at Navan - he rode Yeats Stakes entry Bonnie Moon on her debut for Jessie Harrington at Gowran - but he makes a swift return to England to link up with the selection who caught the eye with a fine effort at Epsom last month.

Slowly away in a well contested mile handicap, the Frankel gelding made steady headway in the straight, despite not appearing to enjoy the camber, to close on the main protagonists, looking sure to relish a more orthodox track and step up in trip.

Whether the Rowley Mile and its ridges and Dip is more orthodox is open to question, but a mark of 74 is surely exploitable for a horse who is a brother of a ten-furlong all-weather winner in Cow Chica, while he can also count Azmeel, a 10f Group 3 winner, among his relations.

Hopefully, Foley's trip is vindicated and a nice middle draw in five can give him chance to settle a horse that can race keenly.  

Thirsk, 17.40 - Back Captain Vallo each way @ 4/15.00

Supporting sprinters with a record of 1-25 on turf in 0-60 company is not my normal modus operandi, but a win and place approach, with the emphasis on the latter, might pay dividends with Captain Vallo in this winnable contest.

The selection falls between two stools really as he isn't quite quick enough for six furlongs on a flat turf track, while seven furlongs looks to stretch him a little so it's no surprise that Newcastle's stiff climb to the line seems to suit him well.

However, the seven-year-old has acquitted himself well on two occasions recently in a higher grade over today's course and distance as well as at Doncaster last time.

That last effort has begun to work out well with the winner, One More Dream, rather unlucky at Catterick on his subsequent start, while sixth-home Sir Garfield won on his next start at 16/1.   

Captain Vello is no good thing, but his Thirsk stats read 434324, while his five career wins have come after 7, 13, 18, 21 and 29 days so clearly takes his racing well and should give a good account for a yard that landed this with Scuzme in 2019.

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