Horse Power: Under Siege can win the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket

UNDER SIEGE can win the bet365 Cambridgeshire (Heritage Handicap) (3.40pm) at Newmarket on Saturday afternoon. While on Haydock Park’s final Saturday Flat fixture of the season, ABERAMA GOLD can win the My Pension Expert Handicap (3.15pm).

The Cambridgeshire is one of the handicap highlights of the season and Andrew Balding’s Under Siege can land the prestigious 1m1f contest at big odds. With recent winners at 100-1, 50-1, two at 40-1 and the last two scorers being sent off at 25-1 and 20-1 last year the Cambridgeshire is one of the toughest races to try and predict. The success of 9-2 favourite Lord North in 2019 was the only the third by a market leader in the last 20 years. So looking further down the field is generally advisable and Under Siege is one of several outsiders to come into consideration. Like Lord North was, the son of Wootton Bassett is a fairly unexposed three-year-old with plenty of room for improvement, especially stepped up to this intermediate trip of 1mf with his only win in five career starts over a mile on the all-weather at Chelmsford City last month.

He was runner-up on his first two starts at Newbury and York but could only finish sixth on his most recent run over seven-and-a-half furlongs at Chester last month. Ground conditions look ideal and he is well-drawn in stall 35 – all of the last eight winners were berthed in 21 and much higher – the same place last year’s 20-1 winner Astro King came from. With the expected improvement stepping up in trip he is the selection to just come out on top.

But as we know this is a wide-open race and this year is no different. You could easily make a case for 10-plus runners. But others who look more than capable of being the mix at the finish are David O’Meara’s Bopedro (drawn in stall 22); the William Knight-trained Dual Identity (30); Jack Channon’s 2022 Cambridgeshire hero Majestic (36); and Mr King (33) – from the Iain Jardine stable.

At Haydock David O’Meara’s Aberama Gold can bounce back to form to win the My Pension Expert Handicap. The seven-year-old has been out of form this season, but when he gets his ideal conditions – soft or heavy – he still has the ability to triumph. He won the Stewards’ Cup at the Glorious Goodwood Festival last year – one of three big sprint handicap successes over six and five furlongs. He hasn’t won since his win at Doncaster over the minimum distance last October but has mostly been running on decent ground and has looked in the handicapper’s grip. But he is back down a handicap mark 4lb lower than his Stewards’ Cup success and on rain-softened ground, he may be able to get back in the winner’s enclosure.

Back at Newmarket Aidan O’Brien can win the Group One Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (3pm) for a record-extending eighth time with WHISTLEJACKET. The two-year-old son of No Nay Never was fourth in the Group Two Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, before winning the Kingdom of Bahrain Stakes at Newmarket’s July meeting the following month. Having been second to Babouche in the Group One Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, he grabbed his own first win at the top level in the Prix Morny at Deauville. The speedy colt looks made for this six-furlong Middle Park contest which the Ballydoyle maestro has won with the likes of US Navy Flag, Ten Sovereigns and Blackbeard in recent seasons.

The aforementioned unbeaten Ger Lyons-trained Babouche sets the standard in the Group One Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes (2.25pm), but a chance is taken on the improving and similarly unbeaten LAKE VICTORIA coming out on top to give O’Brien a big-race double. The daughter of Quiet Reflection followed up wins at the Curragh and in a Group Three at Newmarket with a first success at the top level when landing the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend two weeks ago, beating the likes of stable-mate Bedtime Story and the highly-regarded Red Letter among others. Lake Victoria looks capable of scoring again and lowering the colours of Babouche.

O’Brien may land a treble of Group successes with PUPPET MASTER – the son of Camelot, who was a winner of his second start at Galway last month – looking good for victory in the Group Two Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (1.50pm).

Others who can win at Newmarket are Balding’s recent Doncaster scorer GHOST RUN in the opener, the British Stallion Studs EBF ‘Jersey Lily’ Fillies’ Nursery Handicap (1.15pm); the Charlie Appleby-trained WILD ANGEL – under Godolphin stable jockey and Liverpool FC fan William Buick – in the Blandford Bloodstock Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (GBB Race) (4.15pm); and TELEMARK, from the Simon and Ed Crisford stable, in the finale – the Lope Y Fernandez Handicap (4.45pm).

Back at Haydock O’Meara’s Rhoscolyn bids for a quick-fire double after his back-to-form Goodwood success on similar heavy ground earlier in the week. But Ralph Beckett’s recent Ascot runner-up WHISKEY PETE may deny him in the opener on Merseyside, the Sky Bet For The Fans Handicap (1.30pm).

Yorkshire-based trainer O’Meara may have another winner at Haydock with veteran course and distance scorer COLD STARE who can land a first victory since March can win the Sky Bet Acca Freeze Handicap (2.40pm).

Liverpool FC fan, trainer Karl Burke, can score with OUR MIGHTY MO in the Sky Bet Build A Bet Nursery Handicap (4.25pm).

Charlie Johnston's debutant MERSEA ISLAND – son of the mighty Sea The Stars – may make a winning start in the Happy Birthday Matthew Pendlebury British EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes (GBB Race) (2.05pm).

Others who can triumph at Haydock are Sir Mark Prescott’s CONSENT – who won on his debut at Thirsk at the end of last month –in the Adapt Recruitment EBF Maiden Stakes (3.50pm); and the Tony Carroll-trained THREE DONS – who has won six of his last eight starts and is bidding for another hat-trick – in the finale, the Watch On Racing TV Handicap (5pm).

At Ripon Michael Appleby’s BALDOMERO can follow up his recent back-to-form victory at Doncaster with another in the Ripon Cathedral City Of The Dales Handicap (3.20pm).

Yorkshire trainer Tim Easterby may have a good day at one of his local tracks of Ripon with course and distance winner COUNT D'ORSAY good for another success in the Race Reads Expert Betting Service Handicap (2.45pm); stable-mate and veteran MUSIC SOCIETY can land Division One of the Michael Raby Memorial Handicap (4pm); and HAVANA PURSUIT make score in Division Two of the Michael Raby Memorial Handicap (4.40pm).

Wright Ones

HAYDOCK PARK

1.30pm Whiskey Pete
2.05pm Mersea Island
2.40pm Knebworth
3.15pm Aberama Gold
3.50pm Consent
4.25pm Our Mighty Mo
5pm Three Dons

NEWMARKET

1.15pm Ghost Run
1.50pm Puppet Master
2.25pm Lake Victoria
3pm Whistlejacket
3.40pm Under Siege (NAP)
4.15pm Wild Angel
4.45pm Telemark

RIPON

1.35pm Dothan
2.10pm Blessed Star
2.40pm Count D’Orsay
3.20pm Baldomero
4pm Music Society
4.40pm Havana Pursuit
5.15pm Creatif
5.50pm Tokyo Bay

MARKET RASEN

2.53pm Listentoyourheart
3.30pm Torrent
4.05pm Safe Destination
4.35pm Got Grey
5.10pm Small Bad Bob
5.45pm United Front
6.15pm Good Bye

CHELMSFORD CITY

4.10pm Bascinet
4.50pm Havana Club
5.25pm Sapphire Valley
6pm Bint Mohaather
6.30pm Tiana Rose
7pm Happy Tears
7.30pm Time Patrol
8pm Edergole’s Gift
8.30pm Kinematica

CURRAGH

2.35pm Lambourn
3.40pm Antelope Canyon

SUNDAY'S NAP: Magellan Strait (Curragh 4.25pm)