Our form expert has three selections for Saturday's ITV Racing action from Newmarket and Sandown Park on Coral-Eclipse day.
The Verdict: Saturday July 4
1pt win Miss Justice in the 14:40 Newmarket at 10/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power)
1pt e.w Claymore in the 15:15 Newmarket at 11/1 (bet365, Sky Bet, Paddy Power 1/5 1,2,3,4)
1pt e.w River King in the 14:25 Sandown at 9/1 (NON RUNNER)
Claymore looks up for the Cup
Haydock’s Old Newton Cup meeting has been moved to Newmarket with the Merseyside track undergoing repair work following hole-gate, with an August return pencilled in, but the feature handicap has held up well on Saturday.
William Haggas’ Klassleader is 6/4 after impressing with his finishing effort at York last time but, for all his promise, that looks short to me on this different track where hold-up tactics can be difficult to pull off.
I would rather have an each-way go against him on the fast ground and Jane Chapple-Hyam’s CLAYMORE makes plenty of appeal at the prices under Silvestre De Sousa.
The Chapple-Hyam yard is in red-hot form having won with five of her last 11 runners and Claymore was one of those as he appreciated a drop in class when bolting up at Windsor last week under Billy Loughnane (see free video replay, below).
He is up 5lb for that in a better race, but he’s clearly thriving and 1m4f on fast ground around the July Course is pretty much his optimum scenario, his sole run at this track resulting in a victory this time last year.
Add in stall one and Silvestre de Sousa, with a distinct lack of pace pressure against him on paper, and there’s every chance he’ll get to dominate on the rail.
He could be tough to pass in his current form in the type of older horse staying handicap Chapple-Hyam does so well in, and those double-figure prices getting four places looks a fair each-way bet.
The Verdict: Back CLAYMORE in the 15:15 Newmarket
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Don’t Miss Justice in Lancashire Oaks
Finally, Brian Meehan’s MISS JUSTICE looks underestimated in the Group 2 Betway Lancashire Oaks over 1m4f.
Tiffany is the hot favourite here but Miss Justice was not beaten far at all by her at Chantilly last time in the Listed Prix Pawneese (click on the link for video replay) and there’s every reason to believe she can reverse that form.
For starters, Tiffany has become difficult to win with, finishing second on her last four starts and Sir Mark Prescott switches the cheekpieces for a visor now which suggests she’s a bit of a thinker.
On top of that Miss Justice is improving, while she has had just the three starts over 1m4f and she is getting better with each experience over the distance.
Her defeat on her seasonal reappearance and stable debut on the Rowley Mile in May was the only disappointing run of her career and there’s every chance she simply needed it after seven months off the track.
It was an inadequate nine furlongs, too, but she ran loads better in France back over 1m4f, racing too keenly after carting Christophe Soumillon to the front and doing really well to hang in as long as she did on the back of those exertions.
Nabbed for third on the line, she was beaten a length and a half by Tiffany but if she can just relax a bit better she could well turn the tables.
The first-time tongue-tie could help in that respect and if she does race more efficiently she looks to have the engine to thrive over this distance.
The Verdict: Back MISS JUSTICE in the 14:40 Newmarket
Rivers to flow at Sandown (NON RUNNER)
Aidan O’Brien bids to continue his domination of both the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse and the current Flat season at Sandown on Saturday.
Constitution River looks the chosen one from Ballydoyle, with Ryan Moore riding, as O’Brien goes for his fourth consecutive Eclipse and 10th all told, but he confused the picture somewhat in midweek when pointing Hawk Mountain at the race, as well.
The two three-year-olds, first and second in the Prix du Jockey Club, form a formidable double act against the two standout older horses, Gethin and Saddadd, who are respected despite their lack of experience at Group 1 level.
With seven in the field no bookmaker has been tempted to offer three places, understandable with a couple of pacemakers in amongst the septet, and that makes taking the Ballydoyle duo on even less tempting.
Indeed, it’s no surprise to see Constitution River shorten into odds-on favouritism, as he did remarkably well to pull the French Derby out of the bag from stall 15, and he can add further depth to an already solid C.V.
The best betting race at Sandown is the Coral Challenge handicap over a mile featuring a maximum field of 17 and I like the look of Richard Hannon’s RIVER KING (NON RUNNER) here.
Hannon has won this race twice in the last eight years with Tigre Du Terre and Classic with the latter making all under Sean Levey 12 months ago.
Julie Wood’s horse is back to defend his title on Saturday but it’s of no surprise to see Levey jump ship onto River King who looks progressive.
On the back of 339 days off, during which he was gelded, River King returned at Chepstow in May with a good neck defeat despite being sent off 8/13 and it was no surprise to see him drop back to a mile after that given the way he travelled.
He bolted up at Newbury and then ran a belter when dropped again in trip to seven furlongs in the Buckingham Palace Stakes where he was fifth, trying to fend off the huge stands’ side group from the front.
It was a really game effort off his new mark and he should be much better suited going back out to a mile on this round track and from stall two he’s drawn to attack.
His style of racing is well suited to this course and with the interesting Sea Force drawn out wide I’d rather have a good each-way bet on River King rather than splitting stakes between the two.
The Verdict: Back RIVER KING in the 14:25 Sandown
Preview posted at 15:35 BST on 03/07/26
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