Saturday Racing Tips: Key Timeform data including a couple of improvers

• Roi de France remains one to be interested in

• Puppet Master can build on reappearance

• Turquino looks a smart prospect

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The Ralph Beckett-trained Qirat is a well fancied second favourite to land today's feature race at Ascot, the Victoria Cup at 14:40, and the 4yo has never finished outside of the top six in all nine career starts.

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Drop in trip will suit Roi de France

2 (18)

Roi De France (Ire)

• J: Oisin Murphy
• T: John & Thady Gosden
• F:

A typically competitive renewal of the Victoria Cup but Roi de France strikes as a horse who has more to offer. He has been in cracking form on the all-weather, and has the potential to take his form to a new level back on turf.

He shaped well over a mile on All-Weather Finals Day, but this drop back to seven furlongs should help this strong-travelling type, and as a horse who has the potential to develop into a pattern-class performer later in the season, he looks interesting from his current mark. 

Furthermore, all-weather form often translates well to the straight course at Ascot and, in a race which is likely to be run at a strong pace, from a favoured high draw, he has plenty of ticks in all the right boxes. 

Another Derby trial winner for O'Brien?

4 (2)

Puppet Master (Ire)

• J: Ryan Moore
• T: Aidan O'Brien, Ireland
• F:

Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore won all of the Derby and Oaks trials at Chester this week and they also hold leading claims at Lingfield on Saturday with Giselle and Puppet Master.

The Lingfield Derby trial isn't a race O'Brien usually targets with one of his better three-year-old colts, but he has won it four times since 2013, including with Anthony Van Dyck in 2019, who went on to win the Derby.

Puppet Master sets the standard on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings and he didn't shape badly on his reappearance when fourth to stablemate Delacroix in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown at the end of March.

His other stablemate, Lambourn, finished second on that occasion, and he boosted the form by winning the Chester Vase on Wednesday, and Puppet Master seems sure to come forward for that effort.

He didn't really get the chance to fully unwind on that occasion, either, short of room a furlong out and not at all knocked about. This step up in trip will suit him well and he's capable of much better.

Turquino looks on a lenient mark

5 (3)

Turquino (Ire)

• J: Oisin Murphy
• T: Andrew Balding
• F:

Turquino was a 100,000 guineas purchase as a yearling and he made an impressive start to his career at Southwell in March, beating some fair rivals handsomely, overcoming clear signs of inexperience to be readily on top at the line.

Turquino built on that initial experience as expected when improving a chunk to follow up under a penalty at Newcastle later in March, greenness still very much apparent but he saw out the longer trip well to get the better of a more experienced rival for whom things went ideally.

Given how strong he was at the line suggests he is a horse who has plenty more to offer and he's likely been saved since with a turf campaign in mind. He has an excellent pedigree, is a nice type physically, and he is very much one to follow now entering handicaps from a mark of 86, which may well underestimate him quite a bit.

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