ITV Racing Tips: SEVEN spectacular Saturday sizzlers

There may be a contest happening later today with only third place available to be secured but it's actual winners we're after this afternoon. The ITV cameras are covering four from Newbury, two summer jumping specials from Market Rasen, and an historic affair from Ripon with 'Town Crier' echoes.

SEVEN LIVE heats all told, and it all kicks in with Newbury's 13:55. Have a cracking afternoon's sport.

Horse Racing Odds

Full ITV schedule;

13:55 Newbury - 1m 2f Steventon Stakes (Listed)
14:25 Newbury - 2m 1/2f Handicap
15:02 Newbury - 6f Hackwood Stakes (Group 3)
15:37 Newbury - 5f Super Sprint

14:10 Market Rasen - 2m 1/2f Handicap Hurdle
14:45 Market Rasen - 2m 5 1/2f Summer Plate

15:15 Ripon - 1m 4f Bell-Ringer Handicap

Rationale;

13:55 Newbury - Persica @ 6/4

Regular readers will know that I've followed this one off the edge of the proverbial cliff of late, but in the immortal words of Daft Punk - one more time.

Richard Hannon's five-year-old New Bay gelding Persica is talented, consistent, and overdue a win in my book. In a similar Listed contest to this 15 days ago at Sandown he was a solid second beaten 1.75l, running on.

This 10f trip looks perfect and Sean Levey, on top on several occasions in the past, has the riding assignment. The selection has an enviable seven-from-24 career record and for me, he's due. It's time!

14:10 Market Rasen - Mojito Des Mottes @ 6/1

This summer meeting at 'Rasen' is well established, carries excellent prize money, and is invariably very well-supported.

This handicap hurdle is ultra-competitive and I'm siding with one of the sport's biggest owners, brightest trainers and most accomplished jocks.

Mojito Des Mottes is a four-year-old French-bred gelding with one success from five starts, and races in the legendary green and gold of JP McManus. Harry Cobden, the owner's relatively newly-acquired and highly-polished retained pilot, has the mount.

When last seen at Ascot in March 'Mojito' was second at a big price, beaten just a neck in a juvenile handicap hurdle, and carrying just 10st 9lb could be a handful to all this afternoon.

Trainer Ben Pauling will no doubt have the horse in fine order and getting weight from virtually everything he could be very dangerous indeed. He's admittedly the only four-year-old in the line-up, but these French-breds are so often very precocious and forward.

At this point it might be an idea to recall with great respect and affection one of the best examples of that - a certain Kauto Star, winning a Newbury novice chase for Paul Nicholls after shipping in from France at four years of age, in 2004.

If this fella turns out to be half as good ...

14:25 Newbury - Baileys Khelstar @ 7/2

Rossa Ryan doesn't have that many bookings from the Johnston yard, so it's of added interest to me at least that the Middleham Moor machine has engaged the title-chasing star again this afternoon.

Baileys Khelstar runs in the famous Baileys Horse Feeds colours, evoking memories of 2000 Guineas hero Mister Baileys. He's a six-year-old gelding by Cloth Of Stars who was twice-placed in the Arc, and I guess the selection is relatively lightly-raced with 19 starts, five of which have been winning ones.

He's on a hat-trick in fact, after taking a handicap here off 78 at around this staying trip in June; then following up at Kempton on the Polytrack when last seen 10 days ago, off 81.

He's up to 84 this afternoon and raised to a Class 2 event, but in such great heart why not? Oisin Murphy has been doing the steering of late so there's no watering-down on the talent front, calling for Rossa, who gets to sit on him for the first time.

Smashing race.

14:45 Market Rasen - Queensbury Boy @ 6/1

The Bowens are synonymous with this gathering, and Mickey saddles a gelded son of the mighty Doyen (King George winner at Ascot - incidentally next Saturday's big one).

His hope here is the seven-year-old Queensbury Boy, four wins from 13 starts, and already in action this term. Three appearances after a wind op in February; a walkover in May, a neck defeat a few days later; then appearing not to stay in a valuable Uttoxeter three-miler in late June.

This 2m 5.5f trip is hopefully much more like it and you can bet he'll be primed to the second to run a big one. The family runs a couple of others, including one ridden by the magical Sean (Pour Les Filles), but I'm happy with my pick.

Betfred are paying four places each-way, and that could be a very sensible way of approaching this one. Brother James rides.

15:02 Newbury - Soldier's Tree @ 5/2

G3 action now, and for me (dangerous statement alert), a standout contender who really ought to be taking this. Newmarket handler James Owen saddles the five-year-old gelding Soldier's Tree, by Soldier's Call out of a Catcher In The Rye mare.

He's a bit of a late starter, with only five career appearances since debuting in December 2025 at Dundalk when trained in Ireland by M J Tynan. He joined James in April this year and has run twice for new connections; highly tried in a Listed heat at Salisbury (beaten 0.75l), and then the red-hot Wokingham at Royal Ascot (just 1.75l adrift in a field of 27).

Terrific efforts so far then, and on what could be a pivotal third start in England steps up to Group company as very nearly the highest-rated in the field (only outsider Noble Champion has a loftier official mark).

Sean Levey, for whom this could be a real red-letter day, is on top. Yet another superb contest on a brilliant day's racing.

15:15 Ripon - Yafreh @ 9/2

We're off to beautiful Ripon for just the one contest, where racing can be traced back over many hundreds of years.

One of their most quaint events is this Bell-Ringer handicap, honouring the Bellman, who is invariably involved in heralding Ripon's bustling market scene these days but way, way back in the day the incumbent could be found amongst other things assisting husbands who were looking to sell their wives in the Market Square. I kid you not.

The Bellman could be on course today to help with the ceremonials, but as to the race it's a cracking 1m 4f Class 3 handicap for three-year-olds and upwards, and my pick is a lightly-weighted three-year-old trained about 40 miles away at Musley Bank.

Richard & Peter Fahey are top-drawer handlers and their Yafreh is a colt by the peerless Frankel no less out of an Iffraaj mare, that's had four extremely promising runs so far without quite yet breaking his duck.

His last run was his best - not that far away at Thirsk 17 days ago, beaten 0.75l at a slightly lower level in a race restricted to his age group, at this trip. Stepping up today means he's not only in a deeper pond ability-wise but he's taking on older horses.

As the solitary three-year-old in the field he's getting weight from everything - and chunks of it. That's my angle into this - he might have plenty on his plate in several respects but with just 8st 3lb on his back he could be very dangerous indeed.

Cam Hardie takes the mount.

15:37 Newbury - Rollthedicebaby @ 15/2

The famous Super Sprint, as two-year-olds bought or sold at certain specified sales events compete for fabulous prize money including a winner's purse of some £135k.

A stable that has successfully targeted this over the years is the Wiltshire yard of Richard Hannon, and he saddles five - one of whom is my selection Rollthedicebaby.

The Soldier's Call filly has had two starts; a fine, close-up second on debut at Goodwood, then am emphatic success at the same track when last seen 36 days ago, scoring by 3.75l in a £10k maiden.

She looks smart, and after that romp was presumably put away for this. She's 'only' rated 81 but the feeling is that there's a lot more to come. It's always an exciting cavalry charge and there's prize money for the first 10 home.

Jockey Sean Levey is going to be right at the sharp end of what he can manage, weight-wise, at 8st 10lb - his lowest over the last 12 months. His abstinence is a recommendation in itself and I hope it will be duly rewarded!

NAPS Table with Betfred Insights.