Horse Racing Tips: There’s set to be a Classic at Newmarket

There is plenty of action on the Flat and over jumps to get stuck into across the UK and Ireland on Saturday, with the headline being the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. 

Newmarket also plays host to three races live on ITV, with other meetings during the afternoon at Navan, Thirsk, Bangor and Wexford. Uttoxeter and Doncaster bring the day to a close. Among our Saturday fancies is one for trainer Paul Midgley who has dropped to a good mark and is going back to a track he relishes. 

14:00 Newbury - Saddadd @ 9/2

The London Gold Cup is well known for producing subsequent Group winners and one who looks capable of possibly taking that leap in the future is SADDADD. 

Roger Varian had a Derby trial in mind for the son of Pinatubo, but he knows what it takes to win this race, having landed it in 2017 with Defoe and saddled the unlucky third Exoplanet two years ago, so it's interesting that he has opted to run him in a handicap. 

Saddadd is bred to be useful, being closely related to smart Listed winner Almaqam, and he has already shown a good level of form. 

His debut win has been boosted by the runner-up, who has since bolted up in a conditions event and been placed in the UAE 2,000 Guineas, and he improved for stepping up to a mile-and-a-quarter last time, chasing home the well-regarded Gethin in a novice race over this course and distance. 

That rival was earmarked for the Derby before meeting with a setback and has an entry in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, so it was a fantastic effort to challenge him for so long, and a mark of 95 could underestimate Saddadd now entering handicaps for the first time.

14:15 Newmarket - Classic Encounter @ 7/4

Getting back on turf has suited CLASSIC ENCOUNTER, who backed up the improvement he showed when winning a handicap at Redcar last month by finishing second in a better race than this over course and distance two weeks ago. 

The form of that Redcar victory has been boosted several times since, with the runner-up looking an unlucky loser at Chester last week and the fourth and sixth both winning their next starts, while he was a comfortable winner of his side at Newmarket last time, just bumping into a well-treated one who was suited by dropping in trip. 

He remains unexposed on a fast surface, with his only other start on the grass seeing him chase home the now 102-rated Hand Of God in a juvenile maiden, and this represents a drop in class. 

His recent Racing Post Ratings of 85 and 88 suggest this lightly raced sort could yet rate much higher than his current mark of 83.

14:45 Thirsk - Burning Cash @ 6/1

It's fair to assume that the 5f handicap has been an early season target for Paul Midgley's BURNING CASH, who won this contest when it was just one division 12 months ago. 

The seven-year-old showed better form at Nottingham on his second start of the season than on his reappearance despite finishing last, but he has since been dropped 2lb which leaves him 3lb lower than his last winning mark. 

He clearly runs this track well, as he was a close fifth in a Class 2 contest on his last visit in June when fitted with first-time cheekpieces and looks to be running into form.

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