Saturday's racing tips: Preview, best bets and odds for Ascot and York

Independent

25-07-2025

Saturday's Racing Tips
Flowerhead (Ascot, 13.40) – 0.5pt each-way @ 11/2 (Ladbrokes)
Chantilly Lace (Ascot, 14.20) – 1pt win @ 7/2 (William Hill)
Akkadian Thunder (Ascot, 15.00) – 0.5pt each-way @ 6/1 (William Hill)
Alzahir (York, 14.00) – 0.5pt each-way @ 11/1 (Bet365)
American Bay (York 15.20) – 0.5pt each-way @ 14/1 (William Hill)
Cosmos Raj (York 16.25) – 0.5pt each-way
Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes tips (Ascot 13.40)
There's a really competitive Premier Day card at Ascot and there looks to be a cracking each-way bet in the Group 3 Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes, contested over 6f, in the form of Flowerhead.
Charlie Clover's filly has improved significantly with each start so far, winning a Chepstow fillies' maiden over the minimum trip on her second outing and then running on to be an excellent second at 100/1 in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.
On that evidence, she looks made for this extra furlong. She won't be going off at triple figure odds this time but the layers are now taking a chance at price of 6/1 on horse racing betting sites on the back of her latest effort.
Charlie Appleby's Dance To The Music showed plenty of promise when scoring at Newmarket in May and the fact that she heads the market suggests she has come on plenty at home since. However, she's less than half the price of the selection, about whom we have at least some handle on her ability and she looks capable of at least a place again.
Longines Valiant Stakes Tips (Ascot 14.20)
It may not win any prizes for originality but the Longines Valiant Stakes, a Group 3 contest over 1m, can go to the likely favourite Chantilly Lace.
There's plenty of winning form among the field, as you'd expect for a race at this level and thus far only one of those successes has gone the way of the selection. However, trainer Ralph Beckett clearly thinks a great deal of this filly.
Made favourite for her debut, she was a wide margin heavy ground Salisbury winner over 7f last October, before being thrown in at the deep end.
Her reappearance came in the 1,000 Guineas, where she outperformed her 25/1 odds by finishing less than three lengths fifth. She then went on to match that effort in last month's Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Her chief opponents look to be Royal Dress for James Tate and Cajole for the Gosden stable but she looks significantly better off at the weights with them than if this were a handicap and we should take the hint. Betting sites have a price of 7/2 that we agree is the best pick for this race.
Moet & Chandon International Handicap Tips (Ascot 15.00)
The Moet & Chandon International Handicap looks a typically tricky big field Ascot sprint.
A look at its recent history suggests that the draw is not that important but the straight course, on which this is run, has still tended to see a greater percentage of higher numbered runners finish towards the front or win it.
That fuels confidence in Akkadian Thunder, who makes the trip back down to Berkshire from Yorkshire for trainer David O'Meara, having run a blinder second in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.
He had several of Saturday's opponents behind him that day, so we know he has their measure, he's drawn in stall 20 and he remains on a very competitive mark, while his trainer's string is also in good form. He looks worth an each-way play with solid odds of 6/1 available on betting apps.
Sky Bet Dash Handicap tips (York 14.00)
As ever, York puts on some first race action for bettors and the Sky Bet Dash Handicap is no easier than any other year in which to try to find the winner. The sprint course tends to favour runners drawn middle to far, side, which makes those with a single figure draw a bit more attractive.
In the past decade, nothing has won this race from higher than stall 14; there have been two winners from stall 12 and everything else has scored from a single figure draw.
There hasn't been a winning favourite for eight years now, so while Elmonjed can certainly have a case made, as a beaten favourite last time he become a less attractive proposition in terms of value.
One horse going places of late has been Alzahir, who has completed a hat-trick for trainer Jennie Candlish and at double figure odds, he looks worth sticking with on an each-way basis.
He stepped up to this level with an Ascot success last time, trip and ground are no problem and his draw in stall six suggests he has a fair bit going for him as he attempts to complete a notable four-timer.
Sky Bet 'Jump Jockeys' Nunthorpe' Handicap tips (York 15.20)
While this race has a bit of a novelty feel, with the jump jockeys riding in a sprint, it's a race that has served trainer Paul Midgley well in the past.
He's won three of its seven runnings and he could take a fourth, having booked Sam Twiston-Davies to ride American Bay.
Although the draw favours lower numbers, most of the fancied horses have double figure draws, so it's possible that this race could buck the trend and the selection comes out of stall 14, so will hopefully be less hindered than some.
At a double figure price we can afford to take the chance, as the form of his win at Thirsk on his penultimate start looks strong in context and he's worth a small each-way interest.
Sky Bet Go-Racing-In-Yorkshire Summer Festival Handicap tips (York 16.25)
Another big field handicap around the Knavesmire looks to present a good opportunity for the in-form Cosmos Raj to add to his useful CV at this level.
Admittedly, he's more of a Ripon specialist and won again around that right-handed track last time. He might have got off lightly after just a 2lb rise for that, he gets on well with his 5lb claimer Cian Horgan and he has run well around both this C&D as well as 1m1f at this track, so he is unlikely to be found wanting at the business end.
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