Saturday racing tips: Andy Ayres picks out his best bet for the days racing while updating us on all the latest news from the tracks this week
Don't miss out on the best and hilarious take on this weeks racing by our resident Trackman Andy Ayres
THE mercury dropped lower than Black Friday prices and it was definitely an overcoat colder out on the track this week.
Globetrotting Oisin Murphy looked a tad chilly when he came home to ride at Kempton on Monday night, but warmed his cockles with a hat-trick that included a runaway win on heavily bet Silver River (9-4 to 13-8).
A well informed pal tipped me the wink that this gelding wouldn’t get beat and Murphy looked double confident throughout.
It was a similar tale in the next, where Murphy and Diocles Of Rome (5-2 to 11-10) landed a tidy little touch for Ralph Beckett and his rapidly expanding supporter’s club.
This horse had been suffering from a trapped testicle, which is enough to make any fella’s eyes water, and has turned a corner since being gelded. A stable insider reckons he’s still a couple of moves ahead of the handicapper so expect more of the same next time.
Only the needy, greedy and a couple of stray penguins hung around in sub-zero temperatures for the last, where Mayyasah (6-1 to 2-1) proved a proper money magnet.
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Richard Hannon’s filly left the grid quicker than Lewis Hamilton and looked home and hosed when still clear at the furlong pole. Sean Levey had to get off and push from that point and Mayyasah faded faster than a pair of cheap jeans to finish third.
That mullered the in-running punters and one of their unhappy band wore a face longer than a moose’s bonce when he told me that four grand had been done on the filly at 1-100 on the exchanges.
Shrewd Seamus Durack landed a double on this card and saddled an interesting horse in Para Mio in the kids race at Lingfield on Tuesday.
He was drawn out somewhere near the M25, came into the straight via the cape but still managed to finish fifth despite butterfingers Adam McNamara dropping his reins.
SATURDAY SELECTION
MIGHT BITE (3.00 Haydock) will love this track and should have too many gears for Native River.
This fella heads back to Lingfield for a weak 1m2f handicap (3.10) today and should run a massive race with cool-hands Martin Harley doing the steering.
It takes plenty to ruffle Roger Charlton, but he looked as if he’d been whacked over the head with a wet kipper after star two-year-old Headman was outgunned by Charlie Appleby’s Zakouski at Kempton on Wednesday night.
If this race wasn’t a cut above I’m a Dutchman and the front two both look class acts.
Jolly Joe Fanning wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of Darjeeling, but he’s dynamite from the front and got away with daylight robbery when allowed to make-all on Watersmeet in a hot 2m handicap here.
Fanning was headed for the winners’ enclosure while the other jocks were hitting the snooze button and has all his old sparkle despite being around since Dick Turpin was patrolling the highways.
Best bet on Saturday looks like MIGHT BITE and natty Nico de Boinville in the £200,000 Betfair Chase (3.00) at Haydock.
He’s just about the best jumper of a fence in training and should have more pace than his old mucker Native River.