Our form expert had an 8/1 winner on Good Friday, don't miss his four selections for Saturday's ITV action from Haydock and Musselburgh.
The Verdict: Saturday April 4
1pt win Bellarchi in 13:55 Musselburgh at 11/1 (Paddy Power, 10/1 General)
1pt win Marche d’Aligre in 14:12 Haydock at 14/1 (General)
1pt win Baileys Khelstar in 15:05 Musselburgh at 14/1 (William Hill, 12/1 General)
0.5pts e.w. Heavenly Heather in 15:42 Musselburgh at 20/1 (bet365 1/5 1,2,3,4)
Back Baileys to return in style
A week on from the Lincoln we’ve a good Saturday card on the Flat from Musselburgh to get stuck into, but there with the favourite for the feature Virgin Bet Daily Price Boost Queen’s Cup Handicap is the British jumps champion trainer-elect, Dan Skelton.
Not content with his £4million-plus prize-money from the National Hunt season, he tries to muscle in on this £50,000 handicap with Gambino who has got an opening Flat mark of 83 after running behind Constitution Hill at Southwell.
That number is a bit of a finger in the air job, but more of a concern is his reluctance to settle which is a bit of a worry considering his inexperience now he goes out in trip.
His position as favourite underlines what a tricky race this is to assess and you can argue the case for many, but the one I think the market has underestimated a little is Charlie Johnston’s returning six-year-old BAILEYS KHELSTAR.
He hasn’t raced for 618 days, but if you ignore that he has quite compelling claims being a talented, unexposed stayer off a good mark for a yard that won this race in 2019 and 2021.
Of course, you have to factor in the absence, but Charlie Johnston has brought three horses back from over 600 days off since he took over the licence and two of them won; The Gatekeeper (9/1) at Newcastle in March 2023 and Qitaal (14/1) at Doncaster in March 2024, while Baileys Khelstar himself has won well off a break of 264 days.
That gives confidence Johnston can bring one back after a long break and Baileys Khelstar was one of those typical improving stayers from this operation in the spring and summer of 2024, when winning at Southwell and Ascot before he finished a half-length second to Euchen Glen at Ayr from a mark of 81.
A returning mark of 80 gives the son of Cloth Of Stars a chance, then, and with Johnston and his father before him both targeting this early Musselburgh meeting over the years you can be as hopeful as you can be that he’ll be straight for this.
The excellent Jason Hart, who has a good record for the Johnstons, is booked for the ride, and with good ground at this 1m6f trip looking perfect for Baileys Khelstar he’s backed to go well at a price.
The Verdict: Back BAILEYS KHELSTAR in the 15.05 Musselburgh
Bell to ring for Tuer
Earlier on at Musselburgh BELLARCHI looks a danger to all over a course and distance that suits her well in the Livescore Bet Silver Arrow Handicap.
Two from three over seven furlongs at Musselburgh, the configuration of this test matches her style as the Mehmas filly has the early pace to get in a good position and the tenacity to see off the closers late on.
A winner here off a mark of 84 just last October, she runs off the same rating on Saturday and her recent run at Wolverhampton should’ve blown the cobwebs away.
Drawn in stall two, she’s perfectly positioned to attain a prominent sit from the outset and if she gets a lead off Goldmoyne and Gweedore coming across from out wide then all the better.
Trainer Grant Tuer has an excellent 22% strike-rate at Musselburgh and this looks to be the first major target of the season for the five-year-old, given she has won second time back from a break a couple of times.
The Verdict: Back BELLARCHI in the 13.55 Musselburgh
Heavenly tickle in Sprint Cup
The Virgin Bet Scottish Sprint Cup Handicap doesn’t look a race in which you can be too bullish about anything but I thought Tracy Waggott’s HEAVENLY HEATHER was worth a small each-way bet at 20s.
She has to prove herself on turf after racing mainly on the all-weather, but there’s no reason why she won’t be just as good on grass and there’s no doubt five furlongs looks her trip.
The best two runs of her career have come on the two occasions she has run over five furlongs at Newcastle and she’s a strong traveller who should be suited by getting cover in this big field.
She has proven stamina for further; this time last year she famously won over seven furlongs on All Weather Finals Day at Newcastle at 200/1, but she has improved since then and reinvented herself as a sprinter.
County Durham handler Waggott is another who does well with her runners at Musselburgh, a healthy overall strike-rate of 14% increasing to 21% when focusing on her runners in the first half of the season (April to July), so I wouldn’t be too keen on laying big prices about this filly, who will be hard fit from her all-weather campaign.
The Verdict: Back HEAVENLY HEATHER in the 15.42 Musselburgh
Marche looks a Snowden cracker
Finally, in-form Jamie Snowden looks to have laid out MARCHE D’ALIGRE for a crack at the Pertemps Network Challenger Two Mile Hurdle Series Final Handicap Hurdle at Haydock.
The five-year-old ran well when second at Wetherby and Sandown earlier in the season, his runner-up effort at the Esher track coming off a mark of 121, 3lb higher than the rating he runs off on Saturday.
Since then he was well beaten in a very good race at Ascot, but he shaped nicely in third on his return at Newbury, his first start since wind surgery, and I’d expect a career-best on the back of that in this field with the cheekpieces (wore them once on the Flat in France when running well) back on.
Joe Anderson takes off a handy 3lb to further help from a handicapping point of view and he’s got a tidy record for Snowden (nine wins at 19%), while a strong pace at two miles should bring out the best in this horse.
The Verdict: Back MARCHE D’ALIGRE in the 14.12 Haydock
Preview posted at 16:35 BST on 03/04/26
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