Best bets for the horse racing this weekend at Newmarket and Newbury

The weekend is nearly upon us and it is another busy one with plenty of Stakes races across the globe but I will not be getting involved in the action from the land down under where they have meetings at Randwick and Caulfield. Newbury and Ayr are the main meetings in the UK with Newmarket, Newton Abbott and Wolverhampton also racing. It is of course Ayr Gold Cup day but with the jolly being available at near double digits tells you all you need to know about what a minefield the race is for us punters. If you have backed one good luck to you, I am steering well clear, in fact I aint having a bet at the meeting. The four bets I am having follow; a Saturday Yankee if that is your thing.

I have tipped up the Lazuli a couple of times as a two-year-old and this season when fifth in the G.3 Coral Charge at Sandown behind the likes of A’Ali and Liberty Beach. The gelding runs on Saturday in the 1.40 at Newbury the 5f Dubai International Airport World Trophy Stakes. I'd like to see him bust out the stalls like he did when winning the Listed Scurry Stakes at Sandown in June and fingers crossed, he’ll make every yard. The jockey with the best strike-rate in the game at the moment William Buick rides and this might be his best chance of a winner today. You can get around 3-1 as I write.  

It is a tried and tested theory for me to back Godolphin newcomers at HQ and Charlie Appleby sends the Dubawi filly Sayyida to make her debut in the Mile Close Brothers Motor Finance EBF Stallions Fillies' Novice Stakes at 2.05. Out of UAE Oaks and Derby winner Khawlah this filly is a half-sister to Epsom Derby winner Masar. She has the Group One entry for the Fillies Mile next month suggesting big things are expected all being well and it would be no surprise to me if she proved too strong for this small and select line-up first time out. No-one has chalked-up at the time of writing Friday afternoon (lazy bookies) so grab the best price you can as and when they all wake-up. 

At 2.40 they face a mile at HQ for the Close Brothers Asset Finance Fillies' Handicap. Manaabit has really been getting g the hang of the game recently and won a fair looking fillies handicap at Ascot last time easily enough. I think the daughter of Kodiac may have more to offer yet and the fact the Haggas yard is in fine form and Dano O’Neil rides again are both seen as added bonuses. The 5-2 looks fair and I certainly won’t be offering you bigger!

Arguably the race of the day is the Group Two 6f Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury with eight decent two-year-olds lining-up at 3.25. I like a few of these but when going through the race kept coming back to Rhythm Master. He won at Haydock on debut looking a decent prospect and the form of the race is pretty strong. Pitched straight in to Group One company he was third in the Prix Morny at Deauville last month behind Campanelle and Nando Parrado which sets the form standard here. At around 11-4 he looks a decent punt to me with the potential improver Fivethousandtoone the danger but this is a very different proposition from the Novice Stakes at Newcastle that colt won.  

Be lucky