Saturday’s Horse Racing Tips: Tom Collins hopes July Course winner can strike again at Newmarket

With Aidan O’Brien likely to train another short-priced winner of an Irish classic over at the Curragh, I have decided to zone in on the UK action in search of some better value.

Value and the Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes (3.35 Newbury) go hand-in-hand and, although William Haggas’ Relief Rally looks very hard to beat at the weights after a great second in the Queen Mary, there is a nice chance to get a bang for your buck by backing a rival at an each-way price.

Horses drawn middle-to-high have dominated this race in the last decade - there hasn’t been a winner from a single-figure stall in that timeframe - and, although Beenham only just fits that trend from gate 11 this year, I’m going to back her to hit the frame at big odds.

I was really impressed with how this daughter of Havana Grey dispatched her opposition on her second start at Goodwood - she showed excellent early speed and a good turn of foot to quicken clear on rain-softened ground. The Millmans decided to pitch her in the deep end last time in the Listed Marygate at York, and she ran better than the form figure and margin suggests.

Beenham raced all by herself towards the stands’ side and the lack of cover and perhaps slightly slower ground didn’t help her cause. Nevertheless, she travelled powerfully up until half way and was given an easy time of things once her chance had gone.

This is a step down in grade, albeit the likes of Relief Rally, Bobsleigh and Juniper Berries are proven in higher company, and the booking of Oisin Murphy provides a good bit of confidence. The Millmans have a knack of going close in two-year-old sales races (they trained 80-1 runner-up Woolhampton in this last year) and Beenham shouldn’t be overlooked.

It’s over to Newmarket for the second pick, which is Cloudbreaker in the Listed Aphrodite Fillies’ Stakes (4.15). Previous winners on the July Course are heavily factored into my betting strategy here and I’m hopeful that this three-year-old can replicate her novice success last season. She was in tight for a lot of that race, but accelerated nicely once her rider found daylight and took the uphill finish with ease. 

She hasn’t won in four starts since then, but she proved she had trained on by finishing a fantastic fourth at Newbury in May behind Irish Oaks contenders Warm Heart and Bluestocking and subsequent Listed winner Crack Of Light. She then filled the same berth in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot on her first try at this trip.

Perhaps 1m4f is her limit - she faded in the final 50 yards after looking likely to win last month - but she has the talent and stays well enough to go very close off a mark of 93 here.

Hopefully the balance will be looking healthy by the time we get to the Darley Fillies’ Novice Stakes (4.45 Newbury) as I fancy Richard Hannon’s Maman Joon to get off the mark at the fourth attempt.

This Amo Racing-owned filly has always been highly regarded and she made an eyecatching debut when second at this track in mid-May. Instead of opting for a quieter and easier route, Hannon decided to pitch her straight into the deep end in the Group 1 Oaks and she rewarded that ambition by taking fourth behind Soul Sister.

On that evidence - and the fact that she’s rated 100 - she should win a novice event with ease. However, you have to overlook a pretty poor display at Royal Ascot last time out. Nevertheless, I like the drop back to 1m2f and she will take a lot of beating unless there’s a well-above average newcomer in the pack.

Saturday’s Horse Racing Tips

Beenham (3.35 Newbury) @ 27 each-way
Cloudbreaker (4.15 Newmarket) @ 12
Maman Joon (4.45 Newbury) @ 4.1