ITV Racing Saturday Haydock & Beverley Preview

The first selection of the afternoon from Haydock comes in the Listed Achilles Stakes over 5f and the horse that takes the eye is the Keith Dalgleish trained Prince Of Pillo.

A horse who started his career last term at Ayr over 6f when scoring well on good ground and then dropped to 5f at Ripon in a Conditions Stakes he made it 2/2 against better company.

Sent to Doncaster on soft ground he finished a credible fourth of eight runners in the competitive Group Two Flying Childers Stakes behind the talented Trillium, The Platinum Queen and Crispy Cat.

Seen twice more before the end of the season he got back to winning ways at Ayr when bolting up in the Listed Harry Roseberry Stakes and then finished the term at Newmarket when third in the Group Three Cornwallis Stakes.

He makes his seasonal debut in this event and if improving for being a year older he has the youth on his side against others at the top of the market which sees him also getting 4lbs.

We are giving another chance to the superstar sprinter for John Quinn Mr Wagyu who loves winning in June and having ran well last time out can go well again.

You have to disregard anything this horse does before or after June or July as he comes into his own during these two months accumulating the majority of his wins in these months.

A 15 time winner for this yard and all of those have come in June or July and he also has six wins from 11 runs when being sent out within seven days of his last run.

The start of his campaign always sees him drop down the handicap and in the latter stages of the season he is too high in the handicap to be competitive.

The same has happened this term running three times in competitive 5f and 6f handicaps at Newmarket, Ripon and York without really threatening seeing his mark drop from 101 to 96.

That saw him well in by 4lbs from his last winning mark and he ran a cracker at Epsom in a race he won the year before to finish a narrow third behind two smart rivals being the only horse that went from the front and carried on to the line

Off the same mark he should go close again and he loves it at Haydock being 2/3 at the track, with his only loss at the track coming on heavy ground.

The first event on ITV from Beverley is the Hillary Needler Trophy Fillies' Conditions Stakes and Midnight Affair could be one of our strongest selections of the afternoon.

Owned by Clipper Logistics having been bought for 180,000gns, she is bred to have an abundance of speed and showed that when coming from the rear to fly home and grab second, only being beat by less than two lengths by Soprano in a good Maiden Fillies' Stakes at Newmarket during the Guineas meeting.

She looks a horse that will improve massively for that first experience and being with this trainer she could have a huge career in sprinting events.

It could be a good day at Haydock for Keith Dalgleish who has another big chance in the Class 2 Handicap over 1m4f with Good Show looking progressive.

Starting this term off in the Queen's Cup at Musselburgh over 1m6f when either not staying the trip or needing the run, finishing 10th of 14, but the form of the race has worked out with the top two since running credibly in better races.

Dropped back to 1m5f he ran a better race at Hamilton to finish a close third behind Postileo who looked well handicapped.

Last seen this term getting back to winning ways over 1m4f at Hamilton in a Class 3 Handicap off a mark of 89, he runs today off 3lb higher and staying at this trip which looks his optimum makes him interesting.

Next up from Beverley is the is the Class 4 bet365 Handicap over 7.5f and Ugo Gregory looks one of the more likely winners having been knocking on the door of late.

A winner over course and distance off 10lb higher during his career, this season he has been seen four times making his seasonal debut at Ripon over a mile when a fair fourth of 12 on soft ground off 65.

Dropped 1lb for his next run at Beverley over 1f further than this event he was a neck second in a Class 5 event, again on soft ground.

Over the same C&D but 2lb higher he could only manage fourth but dropped back in trip to todays C&D he finished a nose second when well fancied for the race.

He has been raised in the handicap to a mark of 68, but having a good record at this track and it looking a weak Class 4 event, he holds every chance.

The penultimate race of the afternoon from the Merseyside track sees the first Group race of the day with the Lester Piggott Stakes and we are going for potential over class shown with Modaara.

Making her debut over 1m2f at Yarmouth last term when a solid fourth learning a lot for the experience she was then seen once more as a three year old, getting off the mark at Chelmsford in good fashion.

She then put up an emphatic performance at Kempton when stepped up to 1m4f on seasonal debut, bolting up by 13 lengths in a Fillies' Novice Stakes under a big penalty.

Visually she looked seriously impressive that day and although she now needs to prove it in group company she could turn out to be very exciting.

Time Lock could be the one to beat having ran well on debut and will definitely improve for that, but we are taking a chance on Modaara being the horse in the field that we don't know just how good she can be.

The final event from Beverley on Saturday is their feature Two Year Old Trophy Conditions Stakes over 5f and in a field that could hold bundles of potential we are siding with Fusterlandia.

Making his debut 11 days ago over 6f at Leicester on good to firm ground when being collared late on by a very smart talent in Golden Mind for Richard Fahey.

Today he drops to 5f which should suit better than the 6f on first evidence and although the favourite Cuban Slide was visually very impressive we feel the race Fusterlandia raced in was better and if improving again can go close.

The feature event of the afternoon at Haydock is the Group Three John Of Gaunt Stakes over 7f and the horse that takes the eye is the Karl Burke trained El Caballo.

A very progressive horse earlier on in his career picking up six wins in his career, starting as a two year old when winning on his second start as a juvenile over 5f and then on his final start as a two year old he stepped up to 6f and beat the talented Navello.

Starting his three year old campaign off at Newcastle when easily winning a Conditions Stakes, he then went up to 7f at Lingfield in a Listed All-Weather Fast Track Qualifier and he took to the trip well to score by a length.

Dropped back to 6f for the All Weather 3 Year Old Championships, he made it five on the bounce to collar Tiber Flow late on for William Haggas.

Sent to Haydock over 6f in the Group Two Sandy Lane Stakes he showed his clear progression to make it six wins in a row, seeing off a late challenge from Flaming Rib.

Since then he has been seen on two occasions blowing out in both events, running no race in the Group One Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and on his seasonal debut this term he was last of 10 in the Listed Cammidge Trophy with the heavy ground going against him.

Getting back to a track he has won at before and now getting his preferred quicker ground, he has all the ingredients to bounce back.