Saturday racing tips

• Shrimp Shady (Ascot, 14.10) – 1pt win @ 10/3 (Ladbrokes)
• Night Breeze (Ascot, 14.45) – 1pt each-way @ 4/1 (Coral)
• Thunder Call (Ascot, 15.20) – 2pts win @ 2/1 (Ladbrokes)
• Ebt’s Guard (Ascot, 16.30) – 1pt each-way @ 8/1 (bet365)

Some of the world’s top jockeys are heading to Ascot on Saturday afternoon for what looks set to be a competitive renewal of the Shergar Cup. I’ve been through the card and all the best betting sites to come up with four racing tips for the team event.

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers (Handicap) (14.10, Ascot)

I know, I know… it’s a bit of a ‘marmite’ day for racing fans but we’re having a go at the Shergar Cup meeting and this race looks a good starting point.

My selection is trained by a man with both a good record at the track per sé, as well as at this meeting, Andrew Balding. He’s also partnered by the peerless Ryan Moore and I’m hoping both, along with the horse’s recent form are sufficiently positive to get us off to a good start.

SHRIMP SHADY arrives on the back of a narrow Newbury success over an extended 2m and, as a 2m2½f winner, he’ll not be fazed by this stiff 2m around Ascot. That latest effort shows that he is still improving bit by bit, making it trickier for the handicapper to gain the upper hand.

True, he’s yet to back up one win with another but that would concern me more if the races in between had been backward steps. On the contrary, they have still shown improvement and I am happy to side with him on horse racing betting sites to raise the bar ever so slightly again.

Saturday racing tips 1: Shrimp Shady – 1pt win @ 10/3 (Ladbrokes)

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge (Handicap) (14.45, Ascot)

This looks open but I’m going to side with the tried and tested in the form of last year’s winner NIGHT BREEZE. Trainer Ian Williams’ calling card has become sending out older horses (in particular, albeit not exclusively) to win races over trips like this and further. He’s got the knack and clearly knows the type he needs for such targets.

Last year’s success came when the now six-year-old was sent off as the favourite but I think we’ll get a bit better price on betting apps about him this time, mainly because he’s 11lb higher in the handicap and he’s not coming into the race off the back of a win.

However, he’s not 11lb higher than last year for nothing. He won at Epsom (1m4f, good) in April and has bettered that form in all three of his starts since then, without getting his nose in front again.

Ah, he’s exposed, I hear you cry and I couldn’t deny that it may be so but he is holding his form well. That, coupled with his form here, which reads 1-2-1 (all over C&D and on good to firm) suggests that he’ll still be in their pitching come the business end.

He’s also got Dylan Browne McMonagle up and regulars will know I am more than happy to have him on board selections, so there are a few reasons why Night Breeze may be good enough to stage a repeat success. If his price holds, he’ll be an each-way play to nothing.

Saturday racing tip 2: Night Breeze – 1pt each-way @ 4/1 (Coral)

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint (Handicap) (15.20, Ascot)

Another competitive-looking contest on paper and a potential blot here could be the handicapper newcomer Anyasi, who has won at both Yarmouth and Leicester (latter under a penalty) over 6f in novice company, on route to this.

Strictly on that bare form the handicapper is asking a fair bit in giving him a mark of 90 to go handicapping from but it’s likely there’ll be more to come, so don’t rule out the hat-trick.

However, I’m siding with the William Haggas-trained THUNDER CALL. This three-year-old, by Pinatubo, got off the mark at the third attempt in a Kempton maiden (6f, AW) in May and you’d have to be impressed with his first effort in this sphere when he went to York on a mark of 85, beating 21 opponents home (6f, good) in mid-June.

Sent off as the favourite at Newmarket last time (6f, good to firm), he came home a 1l third. It’s a race that the horses who finished both immediately in front and behind him have since given a very solid look to. It was also a race in which he was the best of those that came from off the pace, so it was still an improved effort.

I definitely think he’ll be effective over 7f, so this stiff 6f should be right up his street and I am happy to side with him.

Saturday racing tip 3: Thunder Call – 2pts win @ 2/1 (Ladbrokes)

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile (Handicap) (16.30, Ascot)

We’re going to finish this Saturday’s tips with one who doesn’t know how to run a bad race at this track. We’ll ok, he’s run one but that came over 7f. I challenge you to tell me if he’s ever run a bad race here over 1m, whether that be the straight course or the round course, over which this event is being staged.

His name is EBT’S GUARD and his record over this trip at the track is: 3-1-7-1-3-2-4 and even that seventh-placed effort from an unhelpful draw in last year’s Royal Hunt Cup was pretty good.

His most recent race at this venue was in this year’s renewal of that same race, when fourth behind Rogue Diplomat. He bettered that at Sandown next time, when 2l third to Indalo (1m, good to firm) in the Coral Challenge, before finishing ninth of 18 (beaten 4½l) in another competitive event at Glorious Goodwood last week.

The handicapper is beginning to ease him slightly again and I think he must have each-way claims returning to this venue.

Saturday racing tip 4: Ebt’s Guard (Ascot, 16.30) – 1pt each-way @ 8/1 (bet365)

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