Six meetings to get stuck into this Saturday, and the spread is wide. Chester and Carlisle do the heavy lifting in the afternoon, Lingfield and Stratford take over once the sun drops, and there are a couple of names on the card that have no business being where they are. We have leaned into the each-way side at Carlisle, where the prices are generous and the fields are big enough to pay three or four places.
Carlisle is where we have spent most of our time. The 2:00 alone has three of ours in it, with Recency Bias the one we have gone in strongest each-way, and there is a genuine talking horse later on the card. Starlust won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar back in 2024 and was beaten less than three lengths when fourth of twenty in a Royal Ascot Group 1 last season. Lightly raced since, drawn handily in stall four, and dropping into this company he looks the sort to take some pegging back. We are happy to be with him at 4.5.
Chester is the puzzle that splits the day. The Roodee asks different questions to everywhere else, and we want horses with a course profile. Machadadorp drops to seven furlongs for Andrew Balding, who knows how to win round here, and with Oisin Murphy aboard a filly who shaped with promise on debut at Ascot, there should be more to come. Palmar Bay is the other Chester runner we keep coming back to. He won over this exact course and distance off a lower mark last summer, ran a close fourth in a Wolverhampton Listed race in March, and drops back into a handicap off 102 with his weight easing and a tidy draw in stall five.
The evening belongs to Lingfield. Pride Of Nepal won easily at Windsor last Saturday over this trip, is back on turf where he looks happier, and the speed figures are climbing even with a 6lb rise. Lucky Sevens has been going the right way too, second at Bath last time before stepping up in trip, drawn well with conditions to suit. Stratford and Catterick fill in the gaps for anyone who wants a longer evening.
Yesterday gave us a tidy return. Alpine Sierra and Carmers both obliged, and Argy Bhaji filled a place, so the staking plan came out the right side of the ledger.
Plenty to chew on before the first off at Chester. Get your books in order early, because the Carlisle prices won’t all last the morning.