ITV Racing Tips: Oisin mounts big Scottish challenge

There's a lovely mixture of excellent racing to be enjoyed on Saturday, April 19, and the ITV cameras are once again in action after yesterday's marathon All-Weather Championships extravaganza.

They bring us four cracking handicaps on the flat from Musselburgh, plus three high-quality heats from Haydock's jumping card. Action on the channel kicks in at 13:50. Just a reminder, while we're talking National Hunt - it's the Irish Grand National on Monday (17:00), which again will feature within ITV's racing coverage.

Horse Racing Odds

Full ITV Schedule

13:50 Musselburgh - Royal Mile Handicap (Class 3)
14:25 Musselburgh - Silver Arrow Handicap (Class 3)
15:00 Musselburgh - Scottish Sprint Cup Handicap (Class 2)
15:35 Musselburgh - Queen's Cup (Handicap) (GBBPlus Race) (Class 2)

14:05 Haydock - Challenger Two Mile Hurdle Series Final Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2)
14:40 Haydock - Challenger Stayers Hurdle Series Final Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2)
15:15 Haydock - Veterans' Handicap Chase (Series Final) (Class 2)

Rationale;

13:50 Musselburgh - Wiltshire Lad @ 5/2

The first of champion jockey Oisin Murphy's five booked rides on the card.

Wiltshire Lad is trained at Kingsclere by Murphy's great collaborator and mentor Andrew Balding, and races in the familiar colours of longstanding supporter of the game Saeed Suhail.

He's a three-year-old Wootton Bassett gelding with a great deal of promise looking at his only four career starts for now-retired Sir Michael Stoute, at two. He's been with Andrew since October and makes his debut for the yard today.

He won his first handicap readily last backend off a mark of 78, his last run for the former Beech Hurst stables legend, and reappears in a slightly loftier grade (Class 3) and 5lbs higher, on 83.

With the yard in such great form, and Oisin certainly among the winners, his chance is there for all to see.

14:05 Haydock - Givemefive @ 2/1

Looks like this one will start favourite but in my view he thoroughly deserves to.

Givemefive is a five-year-old Holy Roman Emperor gelding out of a Mafki mare; so basically this one should be a 6, 7 or 8f champion. Never quite that black and white though is it, and our selection lines up in a near-two mile hurdle series final for a nice £20k pot and 'only' six rivals to put away in order to collect.

Harry Derham trains, receiving the horse from the Johnny Murtagh yard in November 2023. Plenty of action on the flat then too, highly appropriately given the bloodline alluded to earlier, but he's becoming quite a prospect over timber with nine runs yielding four wins to date.

Won easily off 128 five weeks ago, and a 4lb hike might not be enough to stop him. Regular partner Paul O'Brien is in the plate.

14:25 Musselburgh - Rockymountainway @ 5/1

I'd pencilled Waleefy in for this one, for Shadwell and Jim Crowley, but he doesn't go unfortunately. Fingers crossed that we've found a suitable stand-in!

Rockymountainway is a four-year-old Lope De Vega filly (what a prolific sire), out of an Acclamation mare. The Bamfords bred her and she races in their familiar silks.

Two wins so far from eight starts, and nicely progressive - best effort was the last time we saw her, on this course, last October. She was headed close home over this 7f trip and was beaten just a length off a mark of 86 at this Class 3 level.

Reappearing on the same figure she can go very well for Newmarket trainer Charlie Fellows and jockey Kieran Shoemark, seen to good effect at HQ this week and who rides both the Fellowes raiders on the card (he saddles Ivatt in the 16:10).

Already a nice filly; and potentially even better.

14:40 Haydock - Land Genie @ 10/3

Team Skelton need the money -  £20k for the winner - to help repel Willie Mullins in the Trainers Championship. Big chance in this of doing just that.

The selection is a seven-year-old Flemensfirth gelding, very lightly raced, and was with the O'Neills at Jackdaws until November last. Land Genie is quietly progressive, winning off 109 in December at Warwick and running respectably (beaten 6.5l) under a penalty in January at the same venue.

He's dropped one pound for this (116) and has a nice racing weight of 11st 3lb. Given the yard's expertise there could well be more to come and this would be a very timely moment indeed to show it.

Harry, who else, rides for brother Dan.

15:00 Musselburgh - American Affair @ 5/2

Lanarkshire trainer Jim Goldie is quite rightly a legend in these and other parts, and is particularly potent when Paul Mulrennan is engaged to do the pushing.

American Affair is one of his stalwarts; the five-year-old gelding boasting five wins from 18 starts and is a standing dish in some of the tastiest, high-quality sprint handicaps, invariably 'up north.'

The horse has won here previously, and reappears for the season (he goes particularly well fresh) just 2lbs higher than when beating good yardstick Apollo One in the Portland at Donny last September.

The one they all have to beat in my book.

15:15 Haydock - Numitor each-way @ 15/2

Seasoned warriors go 2m 4f over fences for a fantastic pot of just over £50k.

My selection Numitor is 11, just about par for the course in this veterans' affair, but is now officially rated 142 which equals his career-best figure from way back in November 2022.

Plenty of gas in the tank then, and he rocks up fresh from an impressive win last time at Ascot, another proper Grade 1 venue that demands plenty from both horse and rider. Overall he's eight-from-28, a very handy return, and all achieved over the larger obstacles.

He's up 4lb, but that might seem lenient come Saturday afternoon. Heather Main trains in Oxfordshire, and the excellent James Bowen, on top at Ascot, is once again booked to ride.

With only ten runners it's a standard three places e/w contest, but at the likely prices that's still the way I'm looking to play it - erring on the side of caution slightly while still believing the horse has a brilliant chance. Bit of insurance never hurts, eh?

15:35 Musselburgh - Align The Stars each-way @ 13/2

It certainly used to be a 'thing' - backing a Johnston (then Mark) horse to see off all-comers in staying tests, showing teak-tough reserves and admirable courage (see file marked Double Trigger).

Plenty of time for son Charlie to continue in similar vein and he fields one in this classy 1m 6f heat by the name of Align The Stars. No prizes for guessing he's by the beyond-magnificent Guineas, Derby, Eclipse, Juddmonte, Irish Champion Stakes and Arc hero Sea The Stars, and has the benefit of a reappearance run 10 days ago at Nottingham, just giving best narrowly in a Listed contest under today's pilot Joe Fanning.

Same trip today, and this mainly exceptionally consistent type looks to have a rock-solid e/w shout. He's in the Chester Cup, which is an interesting thought, but one challenge at a time.

Betfred are 1/5 the odds, four each-way places in this one.

ITV Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.