Our form expert has three selections for Saturday afternoon's ITV Racing action at Haydock and York.
The Verdict: Saturday May 31
1pt e.w Pals Battalion in 1.48 Haydock at 12/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
1pt win Jane Temple in 3.15 York at 10/1 (General)
1pt e.w Kikkuli in 3.33 Haydock at 12/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4)
Can you Kikk it? Yes you can
It’s one of the quieter Saturdays of the Flat season when it comes to top-class action but there are no shortage of betting opportunities with good racing taking place at Chester, Haydock and York.
Haydock is drying out after rain earlier in the week and the Group 3 Betfred John Of Gaunt Stakes has held up really well resulting in a very strong race for the grade.
Indeed, Kinross and Audience have won at the highest level and then you have horses like Spycatcher who have regularly competed in the top grade, so if you were coming here hopeful of picking up a weak Group 3 then you’re out of luck.
However, there are grounds for taking the aforementioned on. Kinross saddles a Group 2 penalty and traditionally does his winning from August onwards, while Audience is a bit of a character and is seemingly at his best when getting things his own way.
It’s hard to see him dominating this field, though, with Mount Athos, Grey’s Monument, Quinault and Volterra all likely to be vying for the lead and a strong gallop at the trip looks likely.
That will be music to Harry Charlton’s ears and his KIKKULI looks a big each-way price at 12/1 as this should be run to suit.
The Kingman half-brother to Frankel needs a strong gallop to aim at and has even been put in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes over six furlongs in a bid to find a race that sets up well for him.
He’s a horse of serious ability, as you would hope for given his breeding, but he raced too inefficiently at three to get anything more than a maiden win on the board, though he did run well in the Jersey Stakes, Hungerford Stakes and Coolmore Turf Mile out in Keeneland.
Keen when beaten a short head in second by Haatem at Royal Ascot, he got there too soon at Newbury and got no luck whatsoever in America, but Charlton has a four-year-old to go to war with this campaign.
I liked his reappearance run in the Listed Spring Trophy over the John Of Gaunt course and distance, nothing more than a sighter for this race, and he settled nicely before being undone by a muddling gallop.
He can reverse that form with Alyanaabi and with Oisin Murphy taking over in the saddle he might even get that so far elusive second win of his career on the board.
The Verdict: Back KIKKULI in the 3.33 Haydock
Old Pals act in the Reverence
Earlier on at Haydock David O’Meara’s PALS BATTALION looks a good each-way bet in the Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Reverence Handicap over six furlongs.
He’s a big price for such a solid, improving, performer, the four-year-old bouncing out of his all-weather campaign and maintaining his upward curve on the turf.
Indeed, he looked an unlucky loser at Doncaster last time, looking most inconvenienced by the relatively slow pace, forced to wait for room before flying home – in front yards after the line but not on it.
A 2lb rise for that was fair enough and he looks to be in a place where he can very much compete off his career-high mark with the likely stronger gallop here looking sure to play to his strengths.
O’Meara won this race for the same owners with Cold Stare in 2019, another four-year-old who put in a career-best run at the time and the trainer likes this race, winning it three times in the last nine years (all four-year-olds).
Danny Tudhope takes over in the saddle and though the bigger prices were nibbled at on Friday I still think he’s a very fair wager at 12s.
The Verdict: Back PALS BATTALION in the 1.48 Haydock
Jane heir to Bronte throne
Finally, John & Thady Gosden’s second string JANE TEMPLE is worth chancing in the Group 3 William Hill Bronte Cup Fillies’ Stakes over 1m6f at York.
We’ve seen several fillies bridge a big ratings gap in this race over the years and that’s certainly something the 89-rated Jane Temple will have to do.
You’d think she might have a nice handicap in her off a mark like that, but owner-breeders like Anthony Oppenheimer are more interested in hunting black type so she’s parachuted into Group 3 company on just her fourth start.
Gosden and Oppenheimer teamed up to win this race with a similar type in Precious Ramotswe a few years ago and I thought there was an awful lot to like about Jane Temple’s win at Kempton earlier in the month.
The market couldn’t split her and stablemate Star Of Light, but she was much more professional, staying on strongly up the inside to win by over a couple of lengths from a pair of fancied three-year-olds, the trio well clear.
She gave 19lb to the three-year-olds, Star Of Light running well in the Listed Height Of Fashion Stakes subsequently, and she shaped like this test of stamina is just what she wants.
She’s swimming in deeper waters now, but the potential for improvement is significant and at 10/1 I want her on my side.
The Verdict: Back JANE TEMPLE in the 3.15 York
Preview posted at 1515 BST on 30/05/25
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