ITV Racing Tips: Ryan can keep massive Haydock prize in the north

Lovely to be back in the Saturday saddle. ITV are bringing us lots of action from Haydock, including their huge Group 1 sprint; we've got a couple from Ascot too, plus a Group 3 from Kempton, the September Stakes.

NINE live races in total, and as always we'll look at each with a view to finding one to run well for us on what's always an exciting day for our sport. If you're playing good luck, take care, and above all have fun. Here are Saturday's ITV Racing tips - with the first scheduled to be off at 13:15.

Horse Racing Odds

Today's Horse Races

Today's ITV menu

Haydock
13:15 Betfair Exchange Superior Stakes 1m
13:50 Betfair Plays Differently Handicap 1m 6f
14:25 Betfair Old Borough Cup Handicap 1m 6f
15:00 Betfair Be Friendly Handicap 5f
15:35 Betfair Sprint Cup (Group 1) 6f

Ascot
13:35 bet365 Handicap 7f
14:10 Lavazza Stakes (Handicap) 1m 4f

Kempton 
14:35 Unibet September Stakes (Group 3) 1m 4f
15:15 Unibet London Mile (Handicap) 1m

Rationale

13:15 Haydock - Witch Hunter @ 9/2

A regular, dangerous and consistent player in these contests this term.

Witch Hunter was arguably unlucky not to take the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes at Newbury three weeks ago, going down by a nose. Richard Hannon's five-year-old gelding invariably comes with a telling late rattle and won't mind a little cut in the ground.

Sean Levey can arrive accordingly in the shadow of the post for a richly-deserved Group 3 success.

13:35 Ascot - Blue Prince each-way @ 10/1

Trainer Dave Evans raids from Monmouthshire, and has booked terrific Welsh-born jock David Probert to do the steering.

Blue Prince took a good Class 3 at Goodwood in July under this pilot off 4lb lower, then ran another blinder to be third in this grade at the same track 13 days ago. All at this 7f distance, which seems to suit beautifully, and he handles soft - which is the predicted going.

We're paying four places e/w - you know the rest.

13:50 Haydock - Road To Wembley each-way @ 15/2

We're again paying four places, so let's make the most of that.

Road To Wembley represents trainer Richard Hughes and has been in great nick of late, predominantly on the all-weather. He's creeping up the handicap accordingly, but I like that he gets two miles nicely.

This 1m 6f trip if 'soft' is anywhere in the going description will take plenty of getting, especially if you've credible thoughts of winning. This is a step up in class for the three-year-old gelding owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, and hopefully the great man will be present to see his charge take it in his stride and run a cracker.

14:10 Ascot - Goodwood Odyssey @ 7/2

Terrific Class 2 middle-distance handicap for a handsome prize (£50k+).

Goodwood Odyssey is a three-year-old son of Ulysses, trained by David Menuisier, and will be ridden by Benoit De La Sayette. Basically he took one of these very convincingly at Goodwood appropriately enough two weeks ago, and bids to follow up under a 5lb hike.

That was on soft ground, so fingers crossed that the forecast for similar today is spot on. Last time was a career-best and this is an improving colt from an excellent yard.

14:25 Haydock - Epic Poet each-way @ 4/1

This five-year-old Lope De Vega gelding arrives fresh from a superb fourth in the Ebor handicap at York a fortnight ago.

David O'Meara's charge endured some hardships in the run on the Knavesmire and finished with great purpose. He handles easier ground and seemed to relish the step up to this trip. For me they've all got him to beat and he races off the same mark as York, 100.

Epic Poet is back to showing the kind of form on display in his younger days with Jean-Claude Rouger in France and he's my nap of the weekend, though I'm sensibly making full use of the four places each-way.

14:35 Kempton - Lion's Pride @ 9/4

I'm very reluctantly deserting Hamish for this one in favour of a younger pretender.

The aforementioned old warrior won the John Porter at Newbury in April but hasn't for me looked in the same form in two subsequent spins. I'm siding therefore with Lion's Pride, a four-year-old son of Roaring Lion and a horse who has excelled at Kempton previously.

Arguably his best performance on Racing Post Ratings anyway was achieved here in taking a Listed contest last backend at this trip, and in the famous Oppenheimer silks Kieran Shoemark can notch a deserved Group success for the Gosdens.

15:00 Haydock - American Affair @ 4/1

I like Shagraan very much but I'm not sure that the likely juice in the ground will suit.

American Affair however has winning form on good-to-soft, and is in career-best order by some margin. Jim Goldie's four-year-old gelding nearly took one of these at this very track in early August off 88, then ran almost as well at Ponty two weeks later off his revised mark (92, same as today).

It's another four places race and I wouldn't put anyone off having that little bit of insurance. Cracking heat, and the very capable Amie Waugh claims a vital 5lb.

15:15 Kempton - Rhythm N Rock each-way @ 7/1

Four places each-way - and an experienced course-and-distance scorer well up to the task in my view.

Rhythm N Rock arrives from John Butler's Newmarket yard, and Arc-winning pilot Luke Morris is in the plate. He's been ultra-consistent off 85/86 in his last three outings and from 86 again today, with a cracking draw in the four box, he can get very competitive.

He didn't cover himself in glory in this last year but has been in totally different order since then. Quite lightly-raced for his age, I think this has been the plan all season and a 108-day absence shouldn't be an issue as he goes very well fresh.

15:35 Haydock - Inisherin @ 7/2

The big one - the Sprint Cup.

It's been won by some absolute legends in the past, some of whom I've been lucky enough to witness. The likes of Be Friendly, Habibti, Dayjur, Sheikh Albadou - it's a very serious horse race.

My selection Inisherin let us down a little last time at Newmarket in the July Cup but he wasn't beaten far and might not have been suited to HQ. This flatter terrain holds no terrors and he sauntered to a Group 3 win here in the Sandy Lane in May at this 6f trip.

Tom Eaves rides for Kevin Ryan, and I fancy the prize will be staying in the north. Owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum holds a strong hand as he also runs Elite Status, but Inisherin is second-top on ratings and can take the £230k+ first prize back to North Yorkshire.

ITV Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.