ITV Racing Tips: ELEVEN of the best on Saturday afternoon

Saturday is one of those ultimate winter mouth-waterers! ELEVEN races are being beamed LIVE on the channel, embracing two Grade 1 crackerjacks from the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, six from Sandown including the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase, and three from Musselburgh on one of their standout racedays of the whole season.

Here's our idea of one or two to look out for, and a run-down of the where-and-when. Fingers crossed of course that the weather Gods are on our side - there are Saturday morning inspections at Sandown, and over in Leopardstown. I'm previewing the day as if we're going to be lucky enough to see everything - enjoy!

**Sat am update - NO LEOPARDSTOWN UNFORTUNATELY - SANDOWN AND MUSSELBURGH GO AHEAD

Horse Racing Odds

Full ITV Schedule;

12:55 Sandown - Novices' Handicap Chase 2m 4f
13:25 Sandown - Novices' Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f
14:02 Sandown - Handicap Chase 2m
14:40 Sandown - Scilly Isles' Novices' Chase (Grade 1) 2m 4f
15:10 Sandown - Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 7 1/2f
15:42 Sandown - Handicap Chase 3m

13:10 Musselburgh - Scottish Triumph Hurdle (Listed) 1m 7 1/2f
13:43 Musselburgh - Scottish County Hurdle (Handicap) 1m 7 1/2f
14:20 Musselburgh - Scottish Champion Chase (Handicap) 2m 4f

14:55 Leopardstown - Irish Arkle (Novices' Chase) (Grade 1) 2m 1f
15:30 Leopardstown - Irish Gold Cup (Grade 1 Chase) 3m

Rationale;

12:55 Sandown - Bollin Thou @ 5/4

Harry Cobden rides for Nick Schofield, making his way in the training ranks after a terrific career in the saddle. Bollin Thou is rapidly improving, up in class, and chasing a hurdling four-timer after joining Nick in November.

The eight-year-old Bollin Eric gelding only began his career two years ago and has had just the nine starts. Making up for lost time with a vengeance, he has a delicious racing weight of 10st 13lb - plus the fantastic Cobden.

13:10 Musselburgh - Lord @ 9/2

The Scottish Triumph Hurdle no less, and I'm siding with a visitor from the Cheshire yard of Donald McCain - the four-year-old German-bred gelding Lord.

Four-from-eight so far so knows how to win, and last time at Aintree was a career-best, an emphatic 5l Listed success under Brian Hughes. The only others to have ridden him in public in the UK are Sean Bowen and Harry Cobden, so I'd venture to say connections think very highly of this fella.

Hughesie is claimed for a Gavin Cromwell raider here and the other two are elsewhere so Danny McMenamin gets the mount. A small field but a compelling heat.

13:25 Sandown - El Granjero @ 10/3

Trappy-looking novices' handicap chase, but El Granjero is in-form, and knocking loudly at the door right now after close-up efforts on his last six starts.

Richard Patrick gets along well with Clive Boultbee-Brooks' seven-year-old Youmzain (Arc runner-up) gelding, and last time at Exeter 22 days ago over 4f further, in this grade (beaten 2l), was a career-high.

Ticks plenty of boxes.

13:43 Musselburgh - Williethebuilder @ 3/1

Conditional Toby McCain-Mitchell is making quite a name for himself (21 winners this season), and he rides Williethebuilder here (as he has the last twice) for trainer Christian Williams.

Those last two spins have been wins - both at Kempton, not hugely unlike Musselburgh in terms of layout, and they were achieved with successive career-best performances.

The seven-year-old gelding is up 6lb today but still looks to have leading claims. Toby is great value for his 5lb claim and the long trip from Glamorgan might not seem quite so long on the way back.

14:02 Sandown - Escapeandevade @ 11/2

Absolutely wide-open affair, and I'm worshipping at the H Cobden altar again with Harry Derham's Escapeandevade.

The 10-year-old Westerner gelding is six-from-22 all told and since late November has run three crackers at Haydock, a teak-tough Grade 1 track, winning once and placing second twice, beaten by very narrow margins.

Brings admirable consistency to the table and shouldn't mind the testing conditions, because when it's soft at Haydock (as it was for his win, off 130 ) it's a real test of endurance (he races off 133 this afternoon).

14:20 Musselburgh - The Kalooki Kid @ 7/2

Greystoke-based Nicky Richards sends his eight-year-old course-and-distance scorer to the scene of his success in February last, and warmed up for this by finishing a 6l fifth on New Year's Day on just his second run of the season (and even that was after a further break of some 60 days).

Could be that this has been the plan for The Kalooki Kid, and dropped a pound for that last run can go mighty close for Danny McMenamin, having another ride with a massive chance on the afternoon.

14:40 Sandown - Kala Conti @ 9/4

Cobden rides a likely hotpot for the great Willie Mullins here but I'm siding instead with Kala Conti, sent over by another Irish maestro in Gordon Elliott, and ridden by James Bowen.

The selection races in the famous Robcour silks of Teahupoo and many other fine champions, and is an outstanding six-from-12 in her hugely progressive career. The six-year-old mare gets 7lb from the boys and is fresh from a little break of 55 days, after beating Kargese emphatically at Cork in an event confined to members of her own sex.

That was a scintillating career-high and she's sure to be Festival-bound - but as for which race, this one could go a long way towards deciding that. The Scilly Isles is invariably an arresting spectacle and we've got a small but high-class field chasing the handsome £56k winner's purse.

14:55 Leopardstown - Kargese @ 7/4

Small field for the Arkle, celebrating 'Himself,' the greatest National Hunt horse ever to look through a bridle.

My selection is Kargese, and if a few minutes ago at Sandown Kala Conti has run a cracker in the Scilly Isles, I'll be even more hopeful about this six-year-old mare from the WP Mullins yard.

Gordon Elliott's Romeo Coolio is likely to be the very prohibitively-priced fav, but since being put in her place by 'Kala' at Cork in early December the selection has won a little confidence-booster on this track at the Christmas meeting, which will have done her the world of good.

Let's not forget she was a very good hurdler too (rated 152, two in advance of 'Romeo'), so I'm going with the value - not a phrase often associated with a Willie Mullins inmate.

15:10 Sandown - Roaring Conquest @ 7/1

Very warm-looking handicap hurdle for another big pot.

The selection is Roaring Conquest, a seven-year-old gelded son of the great King George winner Doyen. He's trained in Warwickshire by Olly Murphy, and big-race Saturday assassin Gavin Sheehan gets the leg up.

Gav was on board last time, for the first time, at Carlisle 48 days ago. He pops back a furlong here and was only 3.5l adrift in Cumbria. A similarly stiff test awaits in Esher and as this is only his third race of the new season should be up for lots of potential improvement.

His trainer is going places, usually aided and abetted by the peerless Sean Bowen (away at Leopardstown unless the weather intervenes), but Sheehan really is a predator when it comes to these top weekend contests. Fabulous race.

15:30 Leopardstown - Affordable Fury @ 17/2

Plenty of runners for the G1 Irish Gold Cup, and a rock-solid option for favourite backers in Galopin Des Champs.

I'm looking elsewhere though and 34 days ago over course-and-distance Noel Meade's Affordable Fury took the G1 Savills Chase, with 'Galopin' back in third.

I'm hoping that was no kind of fluke for this improving eight-year-old and he's been a revelation this campaign, scoring too at Thurles prior to Leopardstown under today's pilot Donagh Meyler.

It's a fantastic renewal, and something of a who's-who of the top Irish chasers. I'm going for value, an improver with perhaps less Championship miles on his clock, and a legendary trainer who's been doing this better than most for over 50 years.

Each-way might be a decent angle - we're paying four places.

15:42 Sandown - Fortunate Man @ 2/1

This 3m will take some getting as with several other tests today, and it's very hard to ignore the fact that promising seven-year-old Soldier Of Fortune gelding Fortunate Man has a racing weight of just 10st 2lb.

JP McManus owns, and the O'Neills train - with soon-to-be JP's main man Harry Cobden having the riding assignment. Harry will presumably have been dining on lettuce leaves and fresh air to do the weight, but it could help put him in pole position as likely main rival Mr Vango must shoulder 12st.

The selection is four-from-11 lifetime, and took a good prize when last seen at Aintree on Boxing Day. He's up 5lb for that but looks to have a bright chance this afternoon.

ITV Racing Tips with Betfred Insights.