ITV Racing Tips: NINE of the best for Super Saturday

A superb Saturday in front of the ITV cameras awaits. We've got NINE LIVE races to enjoy, from terrific, competitive cards at Carlisle, Beverley and Chester.

Some of our most historic, quirky, and frankly brilliant tracks. It all kicks in at 13:30.

Enjoy!

Horse Racing odds

Full ITV schedule;

Carlisle
13.30 - 1m 3f Handicap
14.00 - 6f Reverence Handicap
14.33 - 5f Achilles Stakes (Listed Race)
15.10 - 1m 3f Lester Piggott Stakes (Group 3)
15.45 - 7 1/2f Silver Bowl (Handicap)

Beverley
13.45 - 1m 2f Handicap
14.15 - 5f Hilary Needler Trophy
14.48 - 5f Beverley Two-Year-Old Trophy

Chester
3.30 - 7f  Handicap

Rationale;

13.30 Carlisle - Opportunity @ 5/4

James Doyle rides, for the ownership model that retains his services, Wathnan Racing.

Opportunity is a four-year-old gelding by Frankel no less out of a Pivotal mare, with one win from five starts thus far. Made a sound seasonal reappearance at Ascot three weeks ago over a furlong further than this, and finished as though he'd possibly benefit from the outing.

The assessor was certainly impressed, raising him a pound up to a mark of 92, but after the gelding op last summer he might just be a different proposition this campaign and in due course start targeting Listed and possibly Group prizes.

He had a look at both last term but arguably wasn't equipped at the time to make a mark in them.

Interestingly he's entered up in next month's Northumberland Plate (at just over 2m), and this stiff test (1m 3f) given the nature of the track could be right up his street if staying is being viewed as potentially his game.

The excellent William Haggas trains.

13.45 Beverley - Urban Glimpse @ 5/2

Older horses go 10f in this Class 4 handicap.

The legendary Mill Reef colours, these days registered to Kingsclere Racing club, are worn by the four-year-old Cityscape gelding Urban Glimpse.

Andrew Balding, who else, trains, and so often the yard's 'man in the north' PJ McDonald has been booked to ride. The selection is lightly-raced (one win from seven starts), and after being gelded last autumn reappeared for the 2026 season at the beginning of May.

It was just a cobweb-blower seemingly, at Goodwood, never able to venture further than mid-division in a warm Class 2 handicap. Highly-tried then, and these Class 4 waters should be a lot calmer to operate in.

He's unsurprisingly giving everything weight, but might just have that touch of class.

14.00 Carlisle - Wild Clary @ 11/2

Trainer Richard Hannon is having a good season and saddles Wild Clary here, with Sean Levey on top.

The selection is a four-year-old Dark Angel gelding with one win in 14 starts. He's had two runs since reappearing; a 4l defeat in this grade at Kempton, and a fine effort at Ripon 44 days ago in a class below, failing by just a neck in a field of 16.

He appears to stay this 6f really well and again on this testing course that quality could be a godsend in the latter stages, up the hill to the jamstick. He's been raised a pound for that last run, and might just be poised to strike.

14.15 Beverley - Cosmic Mystery @ 2/1

5f at Beverley means a low draw if possible please, and in this two-year-old fillies' conditions stakes we're pretty well served having secured the two box.

Our pick is the Archie Watson-trained unraced daughter of Havana Grey, Cosmic Mystery. She reportedly cost 85,000 guineas as a yearling but changed hands for 220,000 guineas as a two-year-old.

She's another representing the mighty Wathnan Racing ownership team, and in Archie Watson we have a trainer highly adept in every respect but with a particular gift for developing juvenile talent.

The experienced Paul Mulrennan is on board and likely main rival Kodi Bear Light is drawn out in stall 10 - not remotely terminal but a nuisance perhaps nevertheless.

Some speedy fillies line up, some harbouring Queen Mary hopes no doubt, and it's sure to be highly instructive going forward.

14.33 Carlisle - Starlust @ 4/1

Trainer Ralph Beckett is a top-drawer talent, and has a wonderful touch with sprinters. He saddles five-year-old entire Starlust in this Listed heat for owner Mrs Fitri Hay, whose colours have been gracing many a winner's enclosure for quite some time.

Starlust is six-from-21 all-time, a very respectable tally indeed in such a competitive discipline, and has mixed it in far loftier company than this. He was last seen in the G1 King Charles III at the royal meeting, going under by just 1.5l an a race worth over £400k to the winner.

If he's straight, after an absence of some 347 days, he must have a fantastic chance; and is unsurprisingly best-in on official figures. His target once again appears to be the royal gathering, but I'm hoping he can show his class and take this nice prize en route to Berkshire.

The brilliant Rossa Ryan, who knows him extremely well, has the riding assignment.

14.48 Beverley - Arapaho Gold @ 4/1

Another 5f dash for two-year-olds; colts and geldings this time.

Several of these have already got their heads in front on the racecourse and it's one of those that I'm looking to this afternoon.

Trainer Michael Dods saddles Arapaho Gold, a Bayside Boy gelding who won on debut in a Thirsk maiden four weeks ago in taking fashion despite looking green at times, entirely understandably.

He'll know much more now but there was no disguising that he's got an engine. The second that day, Kodiac Breeze, has since sluiced up at Redcar and his trainer Kevin Ryan will therefore have something of a handle on our selection regarding his entry here Matteo, who has been well found in the market and has an obvious chance.

Michael Dods is a superb trainer and is another possessing a sweet touch with the speedy types. Connor Beasley, on board at Thirsk, again takes the mount.

15.10 Carlisle - Estrange @ 10/11

G3 action now, over 11f, for a first prize of around £70k.

One horse really stands out on official figures, and that is Estrange. The five-year-old Night Of Thunder mare (dam by Oasis Dream) is trained in North Yorkshire by David O'Meara, and will be ridden by regular partner Danny Tudhope.

She's not run for 224 days but won first time out last term, and David had a winner at Beverley the other day. She was mixing it with the likes of Kalpana and Minnie Hauk at G1 level in the latter stages of last term and wasn't remotely disgraced.

She'll probably be plenty short enough for this but does tick plenty of boxes in terms of being by far the most likely winner.

15.30 Chester - Elements Of Fire @ 11/2

A solitary visit to the historic Roodee, and a fiendishly-tricky 7f handicap worth around £25k.

Hugo Palmer is deadly here and saddles May Festival meeting winner Roman Dragon, getting the inestimable benefit of Oisin Murphy once again. He's got a 5lb penalty to shoulder though and that makes life tricky, so I'm looking to Elements Of Fire to hopefully run a cracker for us.

Archie Watson again trains, and the excellent Pierre-Louis Jamin is in the plate. Our selection is a four-year-old Too Darn Hot gelding with a brilliant four-from-six career record, the first two of those runs being for John & Thady Gosden.

Elements Of Fire ran last time out over 6f three weeks ago, and I'd contend it didn't suit as well as the 7f trip which accounted for every other engagement. He's up in class this afternoon but until Ascot had been very much on an upward trajectory and back at 7f, plus bagging the coveted one stall, could make him extremely hard to catch and/or pass around this super-tight circuit.

15.45 Carlisle - Crest Of Fire @ 4/1

A red-hot 1m handicap to close, and a raider making the near-300 mile trip up from Berkshire in pursuit of a handsome £51k first prize.

Trainer Jack Channon saddles three-year-old Phoenix Of Spain gelding Crest Of Fire, and our selection when last seen recorded a career-best when blowing a Southwell maiden apart by a yawning 10l.

That was in March, after being gelded last winter, and this is of course a huge step up in class. Jockey Dave Probert was on board in Hayley Turner country and is once again in the plate this afternoon.

I've made mention several times that Carlisle is a stiff track. Big uphill finish, which is very obvious to the naked eye. Crest Of Fire has run really well already, finishing stoutly, at the likes of Ffos Las, Haydock, Ascot, and Southwell - all venues where you really need to be able to 'get home.'

That resolution could be heaven-sent this afternoon.

NAPS table with Betfred Insights.