US Horse Racing Tips: Four selections for Saturday

Paul Quigley, our stateside aficionado, is back this Saturday to provide his four best bets from across the pond.

You can check out his latest US Racing Tips below.

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New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

21:30 Del Mar Race 5 – The Seabiscuit (Grade 2) - Almendares (3)

This is a competitive renewal. Stay Hot (9) may head the market. He ran second in back-to-back Grade 2’s to the same runner in August and September. The winner ran with credit In The Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup turf subsequently. He cuts back in distance here but has form over the trip. He’s been working well for his return. The comebacking El Potente (5) may challenge him for favouritism. He’s not been out since back-to-back victories at the start of the year. The latest was a clear-cut Grade 3 score in February. He has fired first time back before, and his trainer often has his turf runners ready for their returns.

A trio of these come out of a Grade 2 at Santa Anita in September. The winner is a standing dish in stakes in California. Cabo Spirit (8) did the best of them, running second. He has to be reckoned with going for a trainer on fire at this meet. Almendares (3) and Scoobie Quando (1) finished just behind him last time. The first named had a far from straightforward trip, pulling his rider in restraint. The race flow here may suit him better. He finished just ahead of Cabo Spirit (8) in a productive Grade 2 prior to that.

Sumter (2) is a tough read. He blew away a stakes field in a fast time at Santa Anita last month. The six-year-old doesn’t always pair up big efforts. He was well beaten in this race last year.

Old Pal (7) is a deep closer who may figure late if there is speed to chase down. Astronomer (6) will sit handier. He is on a long, losing run but has upside at a big price for the forecast at least. He’s had genuine excuses for his last few starts. His career-best effort came when narrowly missing in this race in 2024.

22:25 Churchill Downs Race 10 – The Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade 2) - Further Ado (6)

Further Ado (6) had looked pretty ordinary in two starts sprinting. Not so when stepping up to today’s distance at Keeneland. He thrashed a field of maidens by twenty lengths. The depth of that race can be questioned but his winning time suggested it was a super effort. If he runs anywhere near that, he will have too much for the field. He’s worked well since his last race and his trainer Brad Cox continues in fine form at this meet.

Further Ado (6) is likely to be odds on. He could bounce like a rubber ball on the back of that big effort. If he does, any of his rivals could be the beneficiary. Stablemates Universe (7) and Very Connected (5) filled the places in a Grade 3 over course and distance last month. The first named ran the better, pressing a pace that ultimately fell apart late on.

Dr. Kapur (3) and Cherokee Nation (3) come out of maiden races. The first named wired a field over seven furlongs at Keeneland last month. If he improves on more ground, he could be dangerous. Cherokee Nation (3) improved markedly the second time at the races to lose a tight one in a maiden at Santa Anita. The winner paid a compliment to that form by running second in The Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Bob Baffert could have found a much softer spot for him. The fact that he runs here is a positive.

Steve Asmussen is another trainer double-handed. His Spice Runner (1) won a Grade 3 here in September. He was put in his place by Ted Noffey in a Grade 1 at Keeneland next time. The winner went on to win at The Breeders’ Cup. His stablemate Soldier N Diplomat (4) trounced a conditions field here last month. Like all of these, if Further Ado (6) spins his wheels, he can win this.

22:54 Churchill Downs Race 11 – The Golden Rod (Grade 2) - Just Singing (3) each way

Unlike the male’s version run half an hour earlier, this stake is more open. It is likely to have a clear-cut favourite in Bob Baffert’s Explora (12). She is the class of this race with a Grade 2 victory and a pair of Grade 1 runner-up tries to her name. The latest came by less than a length in The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. She gets blinkers back on and jockey Flavien Prat. A wide draw and this race being an afterthought after Del Mar are possible reasons to look in another direction.

The only other stakes winners in this lineup are Life of Joy (6) and Letmecounttheways (5). Life of Joy (6) confirmed the promise of her debut win to beat The Grumpy Rabbit (13) in a $200k event over course and distance last month. Stamina seems her forte so if a few of these try to run hard with Explora (12), that will suit her. That is a possibility with the likes of Letmecounttheways (5) having shown speed in both her starts. She maintained her unbeaten record in a stake at Aqueduct last month. That was a state-bred affair but she won by six lengths in a fast time.

Trainer Brendan Walsh has two interesting runners. The well-bred Bella Ballerina (11) was a well-backed favourite on debut at Keeneland. She drew away from a field of maidens by four plus lengths. As she is a half sister to a Kentucky Oaks winner, she is likely to improve over today’s distance. Her stablemate Baracca (1) draws better. She has won both her starts over six and seven furlongs. Like Bella Ballerina (11), she is bred to come into her own over a trip.

Atropa (9) and Just Singing (3) both broke their maidens second time out. The first named was the more impressive, scoring by 10 lengths at Keeneland. Just Singing (3) won by three lengths. It was not a great field she beat but there are grounds for thinking she can run big despite the class rise. She did well to graduate, sat off very slowly in early fractions. More speed to chase down will see her in a better light.

23:30 Del Mar Race 9 – The Hollywood Derby (Grade 1) – Salamis (4)

The trend in recent years is shippers from the East Coast and Kentucky regularly win the graded stake grass events in California. Test Score (3) added to that list when taking a Grade 2 at Santa Anita last month. He showed a nice turn of foot to beat the staying on Maaz (1) by a length and a half. Graham Motion’s colt was supposed to win that race. He won The Grade1 Belmont Derby and then ran with credit with some of the best three-year-old turf runners in America. He will be odds on again and is clearly the runner to beat.

If Test Score (3) is to be beaten, it is likely to be by a pair of new faces in California. Tom's Magic (9) comes off a second and a first in two legs of The Canadian Triple Crown. His win was over 12 furlongs. He did take a stake at Monmouth over an extended mile in June. He’s a much better horse than the one trounced by Test Score (3) in April. He has to be reckoned with but Salamis (4) may be a tad more dangerous. He is a late bloomer, only breaking his maiden in August. In September, he beat a good yardstick to take a stake at Aqueduct. His winning run came to an end in a Grade 3 at Keeneland last month. He had a wide trip and did well to be beaten two lengths. Now drawn better and running over a distance he’s bred to improve over, he may give Test Score (3) a race.

The pace in this race is likely to come from Friendly Confines (2). He made the lead but was outfinished by Tempus Volat (8) in a restricted stake here last month. That form looks a cut below the best in here. If things go their way, either could get a minor award.

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Paul Quigley is a long-time US racing fan and tipster. He provides US Horse Racing Tips for Betfred Insights as well as working for Betfred TV...