ITV Racing Tips: In fair Chelmsford, where we lay our scene ..

Rain has been playing havoc with racing's fixtures, and it's an amended ITV offering we have on Saturday - but there's still fascinating action to savour. Losing Kelso has meant a reshuffle of the pack, and one of the super subs, a contest from the Curragh, is itself subject to the track passing a Saturday morning inspection. As we've discovered before, these things are rarely set in stone, particularly when the weather isn't playing ball, but this is what we understand to be the ITV picture on Saturday afternoon, April 6th.

Kempton - five on the flat, all-weather, including a Listed heat; a Curragh Group 3; and a Chelmsford Class 2 Conditions Stakes, with Shakespearean echoes no less.

Saturday's detailed ITV menu:

13:30 Kempton (to be delayed until 13:35) Virgin Bet Restricted Novice Stakes (Class 2) (6f)

14:05 Kempton Virgin Bet Daily Price Boosts Snowdrop Fillies’ Stakes (Listed) (1m)

14:40 Kempton Virgin Bet Every Saturday Money Back Rosebery Handicap (Class 2) (1m 3f)

14:55 Curragh Tote.ie Alleged Stakes (Group 3) (1m 2f)

15:15 Kempton Virgin Bet Queen’s Prize Handicap (Class 2) (2m)

15:30 Chelmsford Woodford Reserve Cardinal Conditions Stakes (Class 2) (1m)

15:45 Kempton Virgin Bet Daily Extra Places British EBF Fillies’ Conditions Stakes (Class 2) (1m)

The rationale;

13:30 Kempton - Kodi Lion @ 5/1

All about the promise of riches to come here, with precious little form to go on.

Kodi Lion has run just once, 252 days ago at Newcastle, finishing a decent, close-up third in a 7f maiden. He was gelded in the autumn, and reappears here over 6f.

His sire Kodi Bear peaked with a Group 2 success at Goodwood in the Celebration Mile, so it's to be hoped this trip isn't on the short side. He'll no doubt stretch out over further in time but you've got to stay strongly up the Kempton straight as they really fly over the last couple of furlongs.

Lovely race, full of intrigue.

14:05 Kempton - Many Tears @ 7/2

A former Irish-trained Showcasing filly, now in the care of James Ferguson at Newmarket. Her new owners reportedly paid a considerable six-figure sum recently to purchase the horse from the Ger Lyons yard, and her last start in November at Dundalk was eye-catching in the extreme.

Appreciating stepping up to this mile trip Many Tears left all previous form behind and sluiced up in a Listed contest. This one looks much deeper, but she could be a later-developing filly and I'm thinking her new connections will have very high hopes.

14:40 Kempton - Chillingham e/w (4 places) @ 13/2

Four places here e/w, so I'm taking advantage of that. Chillingham raids from Ed Bethell's Middleham Moor base in North Yorkshire, and this five-year-old Ulysses gelding is appearing for the first time since running a very sound race in November, at Wolves (close second).

The victor that day was Prydwen, brilliant recent winner of the Marathon handicap on All-Weather Championships finals day. I think it's significant that connections are having a dip at this handsome £50k+ prize and Callum Rodriguez, who knows the horse well, takes the mount.

14:55 Curragh - White Birch @ 9/4

The great Billy Lee is in the plate, for County Cork trainer John Joseph Murphy.

He's best in on official ratings for this Group 3, and in his Classic year kept some pretty exalted company. Another son of Ulysses, he ran a respectable third in Auguste Rodin's Epsom Derby, ran poorly here in the Irish equivalent, before a decent swansong for the season in a Group 3 at Leopardstown (close-up fourth).

He's got some nice entries, and I'm hoping the ten-furlong trip is suitable (he won the Ballysax and was second in the Dante, so prior to stepping up it suited just fine). Cracking contest.

15:15 Kempton - Spirit Mixer e/w (4 places) @ 8/1

A staying heat for the Queen's Prize, a famous old Class 2 handicap. Each-way is the suggested play.

This, in my book, is the very definition of wide-open. Spirit Mixer is my tentative suggestion, and the in-form Oisin Murphy is on top.

Andrew Balding trains, and it's always good to see the famous Jeff Smith silks. This one is a six-year-old gelded son of the mighty Frankel and had a little warm-up for this early last month at Lingfield, never getting competitive.

That was after a break of 328 days, but don't forget this is a stayer who ran Trueshan to half-a-length in the 2022 Northumberland Derby, so the talent is not in question. Eminently capable off 96, if he's right. Modest stakes for me.

15:30 Chelmsford - Capulet @ Evens

Nothing tragic about this three-year-old Justify colt, from the all-conquering yard of Aidan O'Brien.

Three excellent runs as a two-year-old, culminating in a close-up third in the Royal Lodge at Newmarket in September. Reappears here in a Conditions Stakes race, and should have too much class for his rivals.

Capulet holds some very fancy entries, as you would imagine, and his sire won the US Triple Crown. An exciting season could lie ahead - starting on Saturday. Unsurprisingly, Ryan Moore takes the mount.

15:45 Kempton - Devoted Queen @ 1/2

Not a betting proposition as I write, but it's very hard to look away from the Kingman filly from the Appleby yard, Devoted Queen.

Just the one start, a backend Newmarket maiden, and she hosed up over 7f on soft ground. Tries a mile here, on a much sounder Polytrack surface, and on breeding that should present no issues whatsoever.

Four taking fillies oppose but if she's wintered well this 1000 Guineas entry can confirm all that autumn promise.

If you're playing have fun, good luck, and as always, take care.

ITV Racing tips from Betfred Insights.