Horse Racing Tips: Lion In Winter to land big spring prize

We have another busy day of racing action ahead of us on Saturday, with no fewer than eight meetings taking place across Britain and Ireland. Newbury hosts the best of the action and their feature race is the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes. The event is run over a mile and should give us some Royal Ascot pointers. A field of 10 has been declared for this year’s renewal and it should be a wide-open affair.

We have three strong fancies on Saturday afternoon, all three of which run at Newbury, and chief amongst them is an Aidan O’Brien runner in the big race of the day. Read on for my horse racing tips.

13:25 Newbury - Kalpana @ 10/11

Andrew Balding has made a flying start to the season so far and the first-place prize for this Group 3 event would provide a welcome boost to his prize money total. KALPANA is easily the best horse in this contest and the fillies & mares allowance will make her hard to beat.

This very talented five-year-old has won two Group 1s and placed in several big races, including when second to Calandagan in the King George last summer. That form is absolutely rock-solid and a reproduction would surely result in an impressive success.

She wasn’t too prolific in the victory department last term but that’s mostly due to the high calibre races she contested. Returning to winning ways at Ascot when last seen, she won a Group 1 up against her fellow mares and should be much too good for the opposition here.

14:35 Newbury - The Lion In Winter @ 6/1

Aidan O’Brien has struggled to find a four-year-old miler to compete in the top races in recent years but may well have found one, in the shape of THE LION IN WINTER.

He showed a significant amount of potential at two and was initially campaigned as a Derby horse last term, so when that didn’t go to plan, connections went back to a mile.

The son of Sea The Stars would have been properly prepared for a campaign over a mile this term and we could see a significant amount of improvement with that in mind. He came close to winning at the top level twice last term and looks well set to do so this year.

O’Brien’s colt was second in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, with both of those pieces of form being right up there with the best on offer here. This isn’t the strongest renewal ever and The Lion In Winter can take full advantage.

15:10 Newbury - Albert Einstein @ 2/1

ALBERT EINSTEIN had a big reputation as a two-year-old last term and connections expected him to be their leading light in the division.

It’s unfortunate that injury led to him missing the majority of the season, after winning the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh, and things haven’t quite gone to plan so far this season. He was well beaten on seasonal debut and outstayed in the Greenham.

Coming back to 6f should suit with that in mind and whilst he’s running out of chances, it might be wise to keep the faith here. The drop in grade combined with the shorter trip are both positives and a return to winning ways could well be on the cards.