Saturday Racing Tips: Thunder forecast on scorching Saturday

Saturday's schedule, featuring eight meetings across the UK & Ireland, is red-hot. Literally too, with temperatures of 30 degrees and more in places.

I've studied the cards and landed on five Saturday racing tips - including a 7/2 NAP.

14:02 York - Boleto @ 5/1

My first interest of the day comes in the opener at York - a 0-85 nursery handicap over six furlongs. This can go to BOLETO for Clive Cox and Rossa Ryan.

I gave the son of Wootton Bassett every chance in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, but he was a modest 19th of 25, just over 10 lengths off the pace.

That can happen on the biggest stage of all, especially with juveniles, so I'm willing to give him another chance as he goes straight into handicap company off an opening mark of just 75. That could soon look very lenient.

The form of the selection's debut win at Pontefract is nothing special, but Middleham Park Racing's £105k purchase, who according to the syndicate's director of racing Tom Palin has "always been well-liked at home," obliged in the manner of a good horse.

At the prices, he looks a good bet to get us going.

14:15 Newmarket - Machadadorp @ 7/2

Just 13 minutes later, at HQ, it's another handicap debutant in MACHADADORP who piques my interest.

Andrew Balding's three-year-old daughter of Mehmas showed little on racecourse debut at Ascot on the first day of May, but her subsequent effort at Chester on the penultimate day of the month was much-improved, beating the 75-rated Town Queen who obliged on her next start.

She took another step forward at Wetherby just over a fortnight later, ending out Edward Bethell's Rogue Invincible - a winner at Wolverhampton earlier this week - in a battle. The pair drew over seven lengths clear of the rest of the field.

An opening mark of 86 looks fair and I wouldn't be at all surprised if this rapidly-improving filly completes the hat-trick on Saturday.

14:27 Ascot - More Thunder @ 6/5

One of the main events of the day is the Summer Mile Stakes at Ascot. A Group 2 for colts and geldings aged four and above, over a mile on the round course.

MORE THUNDER beat the reopposing Zeus Olympios and Docklands in the Queen Anne at the Royal Meeting, and I expect that form to hold up.

William Haggas' five-year-old is frustrating in the way he seems to do too little, too late in his races, but he's a proven Group 1 animal who already holds his main rivals as per the betting.

French raider No Lunch, who's got a lot of 1s next to his name, is dangerous, but this is his biggest test yet, while the likes of Seagulls Eleven, Jonquil, Holloway Boy and Naqeeb would be surprising winners in my book.

Third time lucky for More Thunder this season? I think so.

16:45 Ascot - Hot And Cold @ 7/2

We're staying at Ascot for the penultimate race on the card - a 0-90 fillies' handicap over the straight mile.

Ten go to post and the one that stands out to me is HOT AND COLD for Sir Mark Prescott.

The three-year-old Study Of Man filly wasn't totally disgraced in good company at Doncaster and Wolverhampton for the first two starts of her career in October and November last year, before opening her account at the third time of asking at Newcastle soon after.

She beat John & Thady Gosden's Brilliant Star in the North East, who's rated 102 after finishing fourth in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Unsurprisingly, looking at that particular piece of form, she defied an opening mark of 75 on handicap debut at Salisbury last month, on return from a 224-day layoff, and she looks to go in again on Saturday off just four pounds higher.

She must have every chance of doing exactly that, with plenty of improvement to come. I like her a lot.

18:15 Hamilton - Hell Of A Spin @ 6/4

Last but not least, I'm backing HELL OF A SPIN to put on a show at Hamilton.

Adrian Paul Keatley's two-year-old son of Naval Crown was just touched off by the unbeaten Barnaby Rudge on debut at Newcastle last month, finishing almost four lengths adrift of the rest of the field, and he drops in class on Saturday.

The €75k breeze-up buy holds an entry for the Gimcrack Stakes at York in August and if connections are to even dream about showing up on the Knavesmire, he ought to be winning this ordinary maiden in good style.