ITV Racing Tips: TWELVE Saturday sizzlers LIVE on the channel

If you need distracting at all ahead of that little football match on Saturday night in Miami we've got just the thing. TWELVE (yes dear reader - 12) LIVE races are being televised by the ITV channel, starting with the 13:40.

There's Newmarket's July meeting crescendo, the G1 July Cup, plus further gems; a couple of crackers from Ascot; and just the four from the Knavesmire up at York, embracing Listed and Group action. Our cup runneth over with sporting beauties to savour today so please do just that - and enjoy!

Horse Racing Odds

Full ITV schedule;

Newmarket
13:40 - 7f fillies' maiden
14:15 - 7f fillies' handicap
14:52 – 1m handicap
15:25 – 7f Bunbury Cup handicap
16:00 – 7f G2 Superlative
16:35 – 6f July Cup

Ascot
13:55 – 5f handicap
14:27 – Summer Mile G2

York
14:39 – 1m handicap
15:12 – 5f Listed
15:45 – 1m 2f handicap
16:55 – 1m 6f G3

Rationale;

13:40 Newmarket - Al Wathba @ 2/1

Blue-blooded maiden two-year-olds, most of whom have yet to see a racecourse.

Charlie Appleby has found a welcome burst of form in recent weeks, and of course at his local track he's invariably deadly. He saddles Al Wathba, a Wootton Bassett colt out of a Dark Angel mare, sporting the Godolphin blue.

No fancy entries yet, but the yard have won this four times in the last 10 years and the horse cost 900,000  euros as a yearling. Will Buick is on top.

13:55 Ascot - Behike @ 11/2

We're in Berkshire today too, and this 5f sprint is a five places each-way event with Betfred.

Behike contests his first handicap after running very creditably last time in the King Charles III at Royal Ascot (beaten 5.5l). From four runs all told he's won a maiden and a novice, and still holds some fancy Group-race entries at Goodwood, York and Haydock.

He might have a decent draw in the 12 box - hard to be too dogmatic about that until we've seen some recent evidence, but it certainly looked that way a few weeks ago.

George Scott trains, at HQ, and David Egan, on top for all four starts, once again has the riding assignment.

14:15 Newmarket - Shallow @ 7/1

Saffie Osborne has become a real go-to jock of the highest quality. She rides for a stack of trainers unsurprisingly, one of whom is Richard Spencer here at HQ, and they combine this afternoon with the five-year-old mare Shallow.

She's by a Coventry winner out of a mare by a Coventry winner - so bred to be speedy. This 7f seems to be within compass but she's more often seen at 6f. A solitary effort at a mile last summer didn't go well but when last seen on this course 15 days ago she was finishing well, over six.

She's very consistent right now and in this grade at York the run before last was denied by just half-a-length. She's won here previously and Saffie has sat on her on a few occasions already.

14:27 Ascot - Zeus Olympios @ 3/1

Karl Burke sends this four-year-old Night Of Thunder colt down from North Yorkshire for this G2 Summer Mile, and Sam James gets to sit on him for the first time on a racecourse.

Zeus Olympios has won four of his seven starts, and ran Ten Bob Tony to 3l in the Queen Anne when last seen 25 days ago. Before that he was 2.75l adrift in the Lockinge, and 3.75l down in a Sandown G2.

Having had three runs then in 2026 he should be cherry-ripe for this, and the yard have had success at Newmarket this week. He's more than capable.

14:39 York - Cerulean Bay @ 11/4

Over to the fabled Knavesmire, definitely the course I've visited most in my life, and my personal favourite by a street. For this competitive mile handicap we're paying four places each-way.

He's got joint topweight of 10st 2lb to cart, but I still think Cerulean Bay is the most likely winner of this. One of York's leading trainers down the years David O'Meara trains, and the brilliant Danny Tudhope rides.

The horse has nearly taken two of these this campaign, at Haydock and here at York, and ran a blinder last time in the Royal Hunt Cup 24 days ago going down by 3.5l in a field of 28, trying both sides of the course in a bid to find the most advantageous route.

This could be a tad more straightforward, fingers crossed. He's off the same mark as Ascot (105), and is just 2lb higher than for those two near-misses mentioned earlier (by threequarters of a length and a neck respectively).

In-form, top connections, massive chance.

14:52 Newmarket - Eklleem @ 7/2

William Haggas is enjoying a fine season and saddles a three-year-old No Nay Never gelding here who's recorded one win from four starts so far - Eklleem.

Appeared to appreciate the step up to today's mile trip last time at Ripon 23 days ago when sluicing up in a novice by 4.25l. It probably wasn't much of a contest but the manner of the victory was impressive.

Starts life in handicaps off 87, and he's getting a nice chunk of weight from both his likely market adversaries - Moonfall and Wechaad. Last time was a clear career-high and stable jock Tom Marquand is in the plate.

15:12 York - American Affair @ 11/2

American Affair famously won the G1 King Charles III last year, and has certainly been highly tried since. The six-year-old gelding is in much calmer Listed waters here for trainer Jim Goldie and regular pilot Paul Mulrennan, and is a course-and-distance scorer on the Knavesmire.

He's still in the Nunthorpe, as well as possible Group engagements at Goodwood and Haydock too, but he'll need to be taking this if those plans are at all realistic. What's certain is that he's talented, and boasts a terrific sprinters' record of eight wins from 25 starts; a fine return in such a red-hot discipline.

Drawn 15 of 15, out on the wing, is a slight concern but I'm hoping Paul will be able to plot a suitable course and deliver him with a chance late in the piece.

15:25 Newmarket - Great Acclaim @ 13/2

The Bunbury Cup is traditionally a cracking betting heat and we're paying four places each-way.

Our pick is the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained five-year-old gelding Great Acclaim, by Aclaim (with only one 'c'), a high-class 6/7/8f operator in his pomp around a decade ago, when trained by Martin Meade.

Great Acclaim is pretty much as good as he's ever been right now and has a fine six wins from 28 starts career record (placed a further 11 times, too). Was beaten just half-a-length at the royal meeting in the Buckingham Palace and runs off the same mark, 100, this afternoon.

Regular pilot Charles Bishop is doing the steering. Terrific chance, and each-way is a compelling potential avenue.

15:45 York - Raammee @ 9/2

Huge handicap first prize of in excess of £100k for the John Smith's Cup, and Betfred are paying five places each-way.

Our selection is Raammee, from the in-form Roger Varian yard, with Ray Dawson on top. The four-year-old Persian King gelding out of a Scat Daddy mare didn't begin his career until last August and has had just four spins in total.

Last time at Sandown four weeks ago he was keeping on at the business end, going down by just half-a-length to a Ralph Beckett inmate now rated 94. It looks on the face of it to be the perfect prep for this and though being drawn out on Tadcaster Road in the 14 box isn't ideal he looks to have a nice racing weight of 9st 2lb, and has plenty going for him.

Races off the same mark as Sandown, 95, and with just four runs to his name has surely bags of potential for further improvement.

16:00 Newmarket - Al Hudaiba @ 9/4

Another juvenile heat with only snippets of form to go on but all the field have at least had one run.

Our fancy is one of the more experienced, with three - another Godolphin/Appleby/Buick conveyance, this time by Dark Angel out of a Dubawi mare - Al Hudaiba.

Crucially this colt has won here over this 7f trip. It was three weeks ago, on his last run, and was achieved with a degree of comfort and authority. Won here on debut too in May over a furlong less, and the runner-up went on to score at Lingfield then get within 2l of the winner of the Coventry at Royal Ascot.

This one does have some nice entries - York's G2 Gimcrack and the G1 National Stakes at the Curragh - and the Appleby yard has won the last two runnings. Huge chance.

16:35 Newmarket - Mission Central @ 6/1

The G1 July Cup - taken down the years by some real speed tools.

The likes of Oasis Dream, Royal Academy, Soviet Star, Habibti, Sharpo, Marwell, Moorestyle, Thatching, Abernant - while legendary jockey Lester Piggott won it on no less than 10 occasions. It's a real standout.

The 2026 incarnation looks very competitive, with a slightly smaller field (11 are due to face the starter as I write), helping us perhaps to find 'the one.'

I'm going for the old firm of Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien, and their three-year-old No Nay Never gelding Mission Central. He's won six of his nine starts, the latest of which was a pulsating head success in the G1 King Charles III at the royal meeting.

That was a massive career-best and he could be improving at a rate of knots. Finished powerfully, and could well do so again over this similarly stiff track and punishing final furlong.

16:55 York - Tabletalk @ 15/8

Mount Atlas is the likely favourite here, but I've backed him a few times of late and he keeps finding one or two too good. I know of course what's likely to happen now I'm deserting him but I can't help it - another five-year-old has caught my eye and might happily do the business for us.

Tabletalk is a gelded son of Derby winner Camelot and ran outstandingly well here when last seen four weeks ago. That contest was Listed class and this is a G3, but arguably it's not the most fearsome race in the grade ever seen.

The winner last time was Gregory, a neck ahead of our selection, and guess who was third, a further neck away? A certain Mount Atlas. Level weights again today, same 1m 6f trip, so I'm taking Tabletalk to confirm the form once again with the inestimable benefit of Rossa Ryan in the plate.

There didn't seem to be any fluke about narrowly getting the better of the Balding horse so I'll take him to do the same today. Tom Clover trains, at Newmarket.

NAPS Table with Betfred Insights.