Saturday Racing Tips: Agent to double up at Yarmouth

Aintree's Grand National meeting is clearly the highlight on Saturday, but there's some competitive action elsewhere across Britain and Ireland, with a total of six meetings scheduled.

Chepstow's seven-race jumps card kicks things off at 12.35, closely followed by Aintree (12.45), Newcastle (12.55) before a slight break to Yarmouth (4.02). The two twilight fixtures at Bellewstown and Southwell get underway at 4.17 and 4.45 respectively. Amongst our Saturday fancies is one for trainer Dan Skelton who came from an impossible position to finish fourth at last month’s Cheltenham Festival.

13:55 Aintree - Soldier Reeves @ 7/1

Dan Skelton hit the target twice at last month's Cheltenham Festival, Madara and Supremely West both justifying strong market support in handicaps. However, the Champion Trainer elect had many others run really well in defeat, including SOLDIER REEVES, who thundered up the hill to snatch an unlikely fourth in the Grade 1 Turners Novices' Hurdle.

The five-year-old has shown a good level of ability throughout his first season over hurdles, winning a maiden at Cheltenham in December prior to finishing placed in Listed and Grade 2 company, the latest when a distant third to subsequent Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Old Park Star at Haydock.

He was tracking beyond 2m1f for the first time last month and appeared to relish it, coming from a mile back to get within three-and-a-half lengths of King Rasko Grey - who Willie Mullins believes could develop into a Champion Hurdle horse next season.

He appeared to be ridden to get the trip last week and, with stamina now proven, there's real hope he can kick on from this.

16:25 Yarmouth - Enemy Agent @ 10/3

The bare form that Simon and Ed Crisford's ENEMY ANGEL showed when landing a Kempton novice event last month isn't anything out of the ordinary, but it was a performance of some note by the chestnut gelding, who had acted up and shown repeated signs of immaturity in the preliminaries, including unseating Harry Davies on the way to post.

He was weak in the market as a result of his behaviour (15-8 from 6-5), but showed plenty of ability and picked up well inside the final furlong to a couple of well-bred newcomers from big yards.

We're surely only just scratching the surface with regards to what he could achieve and the experience of his last run should bring about enough improvement to see him defy a 7lb winners penalty.

16:48 Bellewstown - Personified @ 7/2

Joseph O'Brien's PERSONIFIED, a half-sister to several winners, including 2009 Dewhurst scorer Beethoven, is bred to much better than her current mark and makes plenty of appeal on this turf debut.

The daughter of Starspangledbanner was comfortably held in three maiden outings at Dundalk towards the start of the year, catching the eye on that last of those over 7f in February when keeping on from an unpromising position to finish fifth of the 13 runners.

She took another step forward when third on her handicap debut upped to a mile at the same venue last month, running to a Racing Post Rating matching her official mark of 67 under today’s pilot Declan McDonogh.

This switch to turf ought to suit and O'Brien has been churning out the winners with regularity this past week.

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