Saturday Racing Tips: Victory awaits for Verse

Six meetings are scheduled to take place across Britain and Ireland this Saturday.

First off the new turf Flat season commences at Doncaster, then they race at Bangor-on-Dee, Newbury and Navan over jumps, before two all-weather evening cards from Wolverhampton and Newcastle.

Amongst our Saturday fancies is an unexposed mare making her handicap debut for Fergal O'Brien in the Grade 2 Mares' Novices' Limited Handicap Hurdle from Newbury.

13:30 Bangor - Pickanumber @ 11/4

Olly Murphy is 8-21 in the past 14 days and his representative PICKANUMBER has strong hat-trick claims in the Class 2 extended 2m3f Handicap Hurdle which opens Bangor's card on Saturday afternoon.

Murphy has a 17 per cent strike-rate with his hurdlers at Bangor and the selection won well on his last two starts on testing ground at Catterick and Lingfield in February and March.

He has been raised 7lb ahead of this contest, but Dylan Johnston takes the mount, who is 10-39 when riding for the Murphy yard, and he negates the rise to a certain degree.

The six-year-old Shantou gelding is also open to further improvement after 11 career starts and the extra 3.5f in distance should suit given there is plenty of stamina potential in his pedigree.

14:25 Doncaster - Expressionless @ 14/1

EXPRESSIONLESS is a strong each-way suggestion in the 18-runner Class 2 William Hill Epic Boost Spring Mile Handicap from Doncaster.

His Newmarket handler Dylan Cunha's latest runner before racing on Friday performed well when third at Kempton earlier this month and soft ground on his spring reappearance could be the perfect time to catch Expressionless.

He won going away on his seasonal reappearance on testing ground at Nottingham in April 2023 and improved to win going away again over an extended 1m on soft ground at Epsom later that month.

A reproduction of the level of form he displayed in that victory on the Downs may suffice.

15:15 Newbury - Lilting Verse @ 14/1

LILTING VERSE makes plenty of each-way appeal in the 17-runner Grade 2 extended 2m4f British EBF BetVictor 'National Hunt' Mares' Novices' Limited Handicap Hurdle from Newbury on Saturday afternoon.

The seven-year-old reached a close third in a Worcester bumper on her debut under rules in October 2022 and the well-held fourth Magic Seven is now rated 124 over hurdles.

Lilting Verse won a Huntingdon bumper that December and got off the mark over hurdles at the second attempt when clearing away for victory over an extended 2m5f on good to soft ground at Ludlow in November.

She raced wide throughout and performed better than a fourth placing suggested when attempting to defy a penalty back at Ludlow on more testing ground in December.

The Yeats mare may have some more improvement in her after a small break on her fourth start over hurdles and an opening mark of 115 may underestimate her claims entering handicap company.

Her trainer Fergal O'Brien is 6-21 in the past fortnight and he has a good handle on what is required in the mares' novice scene through his talented Dysart Enos, who unfortunately had to miss the Cheltenham Festival last week at short notice.

Find more Horse Racing Tips here at Betfred Insights