Oli Bell has his best bets for Saturday's cards - with three of his selections running at Musselburgh.
Oli Bell's Saturday Yankee
2.25 Musselburgh, totescoop6 Borderlescott Spring Trophy Conditions Stakes, 5f 1y
Alpha Delphini knows precisely what it takes to win here and I’m backing the seven-year-old gelding to build on back-to-back wins from last autumn on his seasonal reappearance. Bryan Smart’s charge will have no issues with the good to soft conditions and if anything is likely to relish the cut in the ground. He may be a relatively short-priced favourite but he's at the top of the market for a reason. I believe he can get our afternoon off to a flyer.
3.00 Musselburgh, totesport.com Royal Mile Handicap, 1m 2y
I was really impressed by Fake News when he won by more than two lengths on his return at Wolverhampton almost a month ago and I think he can follow up on Saturday. He’s still relatively unexposed and despite a fairly mixed year as a two-year-old, really caught the eye when taking winning at Carlisle in August.
David Barron and his other connections will no doubt be expecting more progress in 2018 and he is likely to enjoy the return to turf after sharpening up on the all-weather in March.I think he can run a big race on Saturday and maake sure Fake News is in the headlines for the right reasons.
3.35 Musselburgh, totepool Queen’s Cup Handicap, 1m 5f 216y
American Gigolo is an eye-catching entry as not only does jumps ace Harry Fry rarely have runners on the Flat, but he’ll also be making a staggering 870-mile round trip from his yard on the Somerset-Dorset border for this start.
However, as interesting as he is, I’m siding with Mark Johnston and Time To Study. He’s another one that has experience of the winners’ enclosure at this track and performed admirably in competitive handicaps over this trip last season. Despite those runs, I still think he’s relatively well treated with a rating of 102 and he will be very hard to beat this weekend.
5.45 Chelmsford, Bet Placepot At totesport.com Handicap, 1m
My final choice comes in an interesting-looking opening contest on Chelmsford's card. Hipz is looking to add a third win in Essex to her name, having triumphed over seven furlongs on both previous occasions. She’s now back to her previous winning mark and although George Margarson’s seven-year-old has a bit to prove over this extended trip, I believe she has a live chance. With jockey Jane Elliott also taking off a valuable 5lbs, connections will be hopeful Hipz can take top honours almost a year after her last victory.
• Oli presents Saturday’s The Opening Show from 9.30am on ITV4
• Live coverage of four races from Musselburgh and three from Haydock gets underway on ITV4 at 1.30pm