Racing Tips – Top Tipster Steve Mullen’s best racing selections for Saturday, August 12
Steve Mullen guides you through Saturday's racing from Ascot, Redcar, Haydock, Newmarket, Lingfield and Ayr
Get the Abbey habit in the Shergar Cup Dash at Ascot (1.05).
LEXINGTON ABBEY has touched lucky by drawing top Aussie pilot Kerrin McEvoy for this race where tactics will be vital.
He has plenty of experience of riding on these shores from his time with Mick Channon and Godolphin.
Jockeyship plays such a big part in this novelty day. I still have nightmares about the ride Kenechi Ikezoe gave Sea Of Heaven in the stayers race last year.
I actually could have done better myself — and I weigh out four stone overweight!
You can keep it pretty simple in the dash, especially in a small field and McEvoy should be able to sit nice and close to the pace.
Lexington Abbey likes Ascot as he showed when fourth in a big field last time and this trip is his best. A bit of cut in the ground will be fine too.
Jamie Spencer is a positive on Stake Acclaim who was tipped here for the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood last week but it wasn’t to be.
He’ll have no problem with this shorter distance and will relish the smaller field too.
Spencer has another good chance in the 1.40 with BERRAHRI who looks overpriced.
He had been going well over 1m2f with a game win at Epsom but he came into his own when upped to an extended 1m5f at Chester last time out.
John Best’s stayer travelled really well around the Roodee before picking up strongly in the closing stages.
There was no slowing down as the line approaching and another move up in distance could well bring more improvement.
He has run well on firm and soft ground this season so it won’t matter what the weather does.
Graceland ran a belter when second at Newcastle last time but Japanese jockeys are entitled to need a sighter of Ascot given how different it is from what they are used to.
With Keita Tosaki on board, we’ll wish Michael Bell’s mare the best of luck.
🏇 Steve Mullen's Top TV Tips 🏇
By Steve Mullen
Ascot 1.05 - Lexington Abbey: 'Has top Aussie pilot Kerrin McEvoy and tactics will be vital'
Ascot 1.40 - Berrahri: 'This step up in distance could bring more improvement'
Haydock 1.55 - Dance King: 'Gone well in similar races before and Rachel Richardson is in form'
Ascot 3.25 - Hold Sway: 'Comes here fresh and should be in the mix off this mark'
HOLD SWAY in the Shergar Cup Classic at 3.25.
Hayley Turner has every chance of picking up a win on board Charlie Appleby’s hope who has blinkers on for the first time today.
He comes here fresh from the Biblical scenes at Glorious Goodwood where downpours reduced the ground to mush.
Despite that he ran well enough in a tough handicap, coming home fifth and seeing out the 1m2f trip well enough.
He goes up an extra quarter-mile here and he shapes as though he has enough stamina to see it out.
He won a Newmarket maiden well in May before twice going well off this mark so should be in the mix.
MOST READ
DANCE KING can waltz away with the valuable lady riders’ race at Haydock (1.55).
Rachel Richardson is fast making a name for herself with some handy wins this season, many of them for Tim Easterby who trains this game seven-year-old.
Any horse that slogs home at Carlisle in soft ground deserves admiration and that’s exactly what he did last time out.
The handicapper hasn’t gone mad after that half-length success and an extra 3lb looks more than fair.
He’s gone well in similar races to this before and almost carried off a decent prize at York in June only to be run out of it right under the post.
Tapis Libre warrants respect on the back of a battling win at Epsom over this distance last time. He has gone up just 1lb for that effort.
Shamrokh was with John Gosden earlier this season and showed promise for Michael Appleby when sixth at Ascot last time.
He had a lot of ground to make up in the closing stages there and was never going to make it in time.
That has seen him drop 2lb further down the weights and it would be surprise to see him go close at a big price.
ASCOT
1.05 Lexington Abbey (NAP)
1.40 Berrahri
2.15 Mukhayyam
2.50 Basil Berry
3.25 Hold Sway
4.00 Golden Apollo
HAYDOCK
1.55 Dance King
2.30 Spark Plug
3.00 Mustarrid
3.35 Sea Of Grace
4.05 Fire Brigade
4.35 Russian Realm
5.05 Show Palace
NEWMARKET
2.00 Peace Trail
2.35 Dragons Tail
3.05 Eddystone Rock
3.40 Dance Diva
4.15 Von Blucher
4.50 Plutonian
5.20 Mark Hopkins
REDCAR
1.30 Silverlight
2.05 Bassmah
2.40 Kenny The Captain
3.15 Hajjam
3.50 Rashford’s Double
4.25 Hernando Torres
5.00 Vindicator
LINGFIELD
5.10 Golden Wolf
5.40 Falcon Cliffs
6.10 Atalanta Queen
6.40 Pacific Fleet
7.10 D’Waterside
7.40 Dream Farr
8.10 Buxted Dream
AYR
5.50 Jessie Allan
6.20 French Flyer
6.50 Hamidans Girl
7.20 Pomme De Terre
7.50 Archipeligo
8.20 Chaplin Bay
8.50 La Bacouetteuse