Betfred Saturday Horse Racing Tips: Matt Hulmes’ nine Saturday selections

A busy Easter Saturday awaits for racing fans with six meetings taking places across the UK plus elite fare from Meydan in Dubai.

Betfred TV's Matt Hulmes has focused on Musselburgh, Haydock and Meydan for his Saturday horse racing tips.

13:15 Meydan - Diligent Harry @ 9/1

DILIGENT HARRY will carry some of my cash, each-way, in the Al Quoz Sprint.

He was a very easy winner on both starts this year and going back up to six furlongs will be no problem. He looks fairly priced to me.

13:50 Musselburgh - Individualism @ 5/4

Three-year-old handicaps were always the most difficult races to price when I was compiling, as it's hard to estimate the amount of improvement over the winter from these lightly-raced types. Anything could win this small-field, mile-long contest and that's reflected in the market.

My tentative vote goes to INDIVIDUALISM, who represents Charlie Johnston who's won the last two renewals.

He's related to some very good stayers - namely Subjectivist and Sir Ron Priestley - and while heavy ground at Newmarket in November may just have been too much, he still performed admirably and I expect he will continue to improve as he moves up in trip.

14:05 Haydock - Playful Saint @ 10/3

The race we should have seen Playtogetaway in, but the Jonjo O’Neill yard are still represented by Holly. She is inconsistent though.

Brentford Hope tops the weights and was an easy winner at Newcastle last time, but he was outbattled twice previously and there's still a case to be answered when it comes to rolling his sleeves up.

There's next to nothing to choose between Milldam and PLAYFUL SAINT on their Stratford meeting on Cheltenham eve three weeks ago, but I'm siding with the latter to reverse the form on this more galloping track.

That was his first start for a year and he's still a pound lower than when a solid third in last year's Imperial Cup. On suitable ground, he can give Dan Skelton another £25k in his quest to be Champion Trainer.

14:25 Musselburgh - Gweedore @ 5/1

This seven-furlong trip at Musselburgh features a short run into the first bend and that can be problematic for horses drawn wide, even as low as nine where likely favourite Poet Master finds himself.

GWEEDORE looks to have an excellent chance of landing this race for the third year.

He ended last year in fine fettle, finishing third in the Ayr Gold Cup and filling the same spot in a big-field handicap at York. This easy seven obviously suits just as well and young William Pyle’s five-pound claim can see him edge home.

14:40 Haydock - Astronomic View @ 9/2

A wide-open staying handicap hurdle with 13 runners declared.

Tanganyika has performed well in similar contests this season and the Venetia Williams yard are back in excellent form, however he had a gruelling time at Uttoxeter a fortnight ago.

The handicapper may be in charge of Secret Trix, Doughmore Boy needs to prove himself on the ground and Judicial Law prefers it better too - while Shoeshine Boy is on a career-high mark for his hat-trick bid and Goshhowposh needs to bounce back from a poor effort at Exeter when pulled up as a well-backed favourite.

That points me to the consistent and admirable ASTRONOMIC VIEW for the Gardner family.

After being placed in his first four handicaps, he bolted up over three-and-a-quarter miles at Warwick three weeks ago, always in control and easing down for a 21-length success. The handicapper could have been harsher than the eight-pound rise for this improving and lightly-raced seven-year-old who is two pounds better off with Tanganyika than their Bangor clash back in December when beaten less than a length.

He ticks the ground and trip boxes and looks to be the biggest improver still in the field.

15:00 Musselburgh - Princess Karine @ 11/1

A chance here is taken on PRINCESS KARINE down the bottom of the weights.

She should get a good tow being drawn next to Silky Wilkie if breaking on terms. She has won two of her three starts here and was runner-up on the other occasion and wasn’t disgraced on her seasonal return at Newcastle recently at a big price.

The ground is an unknown, but she likes it here, gets weight of the rest of the field and, at a double-figure price, is worth an each-way interest if the dead eight stand their ground.

15:15 Haydock - Champagne Mystery @ 10/3

Although I'm concerned about his strike rate of just one victory in 17 chase starts, lots of other factors point to CHAMPAGNE MYSTERY being the likeliest winner of the Veterans' Chase.

He has plenty of heavy-ground experience from his French exploits, and his two latest efforts on these shores were very encouraging - fifth in a competitive handicap at Cheltenham on Trials Day and third at Kempton five weeks ago behind subsequent dual-winner Heltenham.

He has just entered the veteran stage and was rated much higher in his younger days when with Nicky Henderson. Tom George bought him for connections to run in France and this looks his easiest task to date back here.

15:35 Musselburgh - Sweet Fantasy @ 5/1

A big field of 14 stayers will tackle the Queen’s Cup on heavy ground.

SWEET FANTASY looked a progressive middle-distance performer on soft ground last year, but his rise was halted when stopping very quickly at York in September. That, however, didn’t dissuade James Owen and the Gredley’s paying 30,000gns for him and he has gone some way to repaying that with a pair of hurdle successes already this year.

It's interesting that they have decided to switch back to the flat for this prize and it's hard to see him not progressing beyond his current mark of 87, before the young jockey's three-pound claim... and I always forgive a poor run at York.

Metier likes to get his toe in and is just four pounds higher than his Chester Cup win last May, but he has been beaten a long way in just two subsequent starts and has a big weight to shoulder.

Charlie Johnston saddles four in a race his dad won in 2019 and 2021. Jockey bookings suggest Yorkindess is the number one hope, but there may not be much to choose between them.

Faylaq is without doubt the best-bred runner, probably of all those we see on Saturday including Meydan, being by Dubawi out of Arc winner Danedream, but he has never been at his best on a soft surface and is a very frustrating type - although he is becoming well-handicapped.

16:00 Meydan - Auguste Rodin @ 9/4

I think AUGUSTE RODIN could take plenty of beating in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Connections may head to the Breeders' Cup Classic at the end of term, so last year's Betfred Derby hero looks set for a globetrotting campaign and can start in the perfect manner - although he will need to be in top shape to lower the colours of super Japanese filly Liberty Island.