Saturday racing tips: Lezoo can get Frankie back on track
Our best bets for Saturday's racing at Newbury include two each-way selections in the Super Sprint.
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It's a busy day of racing action across Britain and Ireland on Saturday with the Irish Oaks headlining at the Curragh and Newbury's Super Sprint card the main dish in the UK.
Newbury's seven-race card includes some excellent supporting races, the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes amongst them, and we've got selections to follow on what promises to be a cracking afternoon at the Berkshire layout.
Frankie looking to return with a bang
Frankie Dettori missed out on his final chance to win a July Cup at Newmarket last Saturday and the Italian will be eager to make up for his time spent on the sidelines serving a suspension.
LEZOO (15:00) was a one-time potential contender for July Cup glory but Ralph Beckett's filly skipped that contest as connections instead put Kinross into the mix.
This filly was a little disappointing in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last month, finishing ahead of only three of her 12 rivals. She was well-fancied for that Group 1, starting as 5/1 second-favourite, and on reflection it is fair to suggest she wasn't done any favours breaking from stall 14 of 14 as the first five home were all drawn fairly low.
Shaquille's bludgeoning July Cup win suggests that Royal Ascot contest was strong and Lezoo may well take advantage of this drop in class now.
The Beckett team are in rude health of late – boasting a 22 per-cent strike-rate across recent weeks – and Lezoo's previous non-staying effort in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket is easy enough to overlook.
She was excellent in sprints last season, including winning the Cheveley Park at Newmarket, and is fancied to make her mark taking on older horses for the first time now.
Hannon's team respected for Super Sprint
Relief Rally is set to be a strong favourite in the Weatherbys Super Sprint (15:35) and there's no doubting that the William Haggas-trained Kodiac filly may have the ability to bag this valuable prize.
Her first two starts were promising wins at Windsor and Salisbury and, after attracting market support for the Queen Mary at Ascot, she was denied in a head-bobber by American filly Crimson Advocate.
She is a player taking on the boys for the first time but Maria Branwell carried similar credentials into this contest a year ago coming from Ascot and was well held and, at the prices, the market leader is overlooked with a suspicion she will be racing over six furlongs sooner rather than later.
Juniper Berries is closely matched with Relief Rally on form and has claims for Eve Johnston-Houghton, who also saddles the likely-looking Bobsleigh.
Richard Hannon has won this race four times since 2014 and the Marlborough trainer comes with a strong hand yet again in his quest to make it four wins in six years.
ZIGGY'S PHOENIX is a Kodiac filly that could have something to offer for Hannon's team here at a big price.
She won the Lily Agnes at Chester (5f, soft) in May, justifying favouritism, and has contested strong Listed races at Chantilly and Newmarket in two of three starts since. She didn't appear to get home at HQ last time, while the track at Newmarket may also have been against her.
Dropping back to five furlongs around here can be a plus and any rain that falls will do no harm. Jim Crowley is a positive booking and while improvement is required, this filly may have more of that in her.
Another potential improver is the Karl Burke-trained WORLD OF DARCY , the mount of stable jockey Clifford Lee here.
The Soldier's Call colt made a winning start over this five-furlong trip at Pontefract in May and then chased home stablemate Elite Status in the National Stakes at Sandown – the Burke runners finishing as the market suggested they would.
He was only midpack in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot since, having started at 5/1, and has scope for improvement with Lee taking over in the saddle and the team thriving right now, with a recent strike-rate that exceeds 25 per-cent.
Selections
Lezoo (Newbury 15:00)
Ziggy's Phoenix (Newbury 15.35)
World Of Darcy (Newbury 15.35)