Saturday ITV Racing Tips: Best bets for Cheltenham and Lingfield
Cheltenham racecourse before the 2020 Festival
The ITV cameras are back at Cheltenham for day two of the November meeting and also at Lingfield, so the Planet Sport tipsters have a selection for each of the six live races on offer.
First up a quick list of our hot tips for Saturday's action, with the feature race the Grade 2 Paddy Power Gold Cup (1420). You can find more detail on each of our selections further down the page.
Don't forget to check out the racecards, results and live odds in Planet Sport's racing live centre.
Selections:
13:45 (Cheltenham) Banbridge
14:20 (Cheltenham) Stolen Silver
14:35 (Lingfield) Judicial
14:55 (Cheltenham) Shearer
15:10 (Lingfield) Bolshoi Ballet
15:30 (Cheltenham) Unanswered
13:45 (Cheltenham) Banbridge
Cheltenham Festival winner Banbridge gets the vote in the Grade Two From The Horses Mouth Podcast Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial.
Joseph O'Brien's Irish challenge charged up the hill to land the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle in the spring and was thoroughly impressive on his chasing debut at Gowran Park at the start of October.
He has a bit to find on ratings with both Monmiral and Tommy's Oscar, but the former has been off the track since April and makes his fencing bow while the latter blew out in the Champion Hurdle on his only previous visit to Cheltenham which has to be a worry.
All in all, Banbridge has the least to prove and looks the most sensible option
14:20 (Cheltenham) Stolen Silver
Stolen Silver can provide Sam Thomas with a third big-race victory in as many weeks in the prestigious Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
The leading jockey turned trainer was quoted as saying he felt his horses may need their first runs of the season late last month, but there has been little evidence of a lack of sharpness on track.
A fortnight ago Our Power and Before Midnight finished first and third in the London Gold Cup at Ascot, while Good Risk All Impressed over hurdles at Carlisle the following day.
Having since been involved in a helicopter accident, Thomas has been recovering at home, but will doubtless have been heartened to see Al Dancer claim a thrilling victory over the Grand National fences in last weekend's Grand Sefton at Aintree.
Stolen Silver remains relatively unexposed over fences following just nine attempts and particularly over the Paddy Power Gold Cup trip of two and a half miles.
He has also proven he handles the undulations of Cheltenham, with six course starts yielding one runaway victory on his most recent appearance in April's Silver Trophy, two runner-up finishes and a fourth placed finish at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The seven-year-old has to contend with a 7lb hike in the weights on his reappearance, but with the yard in such good form and track and ground to suit, he is expected to be in the thick of the action.
14:35 (Lingfield) Judicial
Summerghand has been in tremendous form this season and will no doubt be popular after backing up his Ayr Gold Cup triumph with a second in the Bengough Stakes at Ascot, but preference is for Judicial.
Julie Camacho's stable star won this in 2019 and found only Good Effort too strong in last year's renewal. He is drawn ideally in stall three and should get a nice tow into the race from the likes of Tippy Toes and Logo Hunter.
Course and distance winner Harry's Bar appears to hold every chance too.
14:55 (Cheltenham) Shearer
The safest option looks to be Shearer, with the form of his latest win over course and distance being well franked by the runner-up.
The six-year-old has always been highly rated by connections and it may be only now that he is beginning to realise his full potential as a stayer.
Fourth in a strong renewal of the 2021 Betfair Hurdle when last seen over the smaller obstacles, Annual Invictus is of interest as well as Sidi Ismael, who did it nicely at Worcester last month.
Irish raider Zoffanien and C&D winner On The Blind Side cannot be ruled out either.
15:10 (Lingfield) Bolshoi Ballet
One-time Derby favourite Bolshoi Ballet makes a return to action on the all-weather track at Lingfield.
The Galileo colt disappointed as a warm order at Epsom last year, but did go on to win a Grade One in America and was not beaten all that far in the Breeders' Cup Turf.
He has been off the track since contesting the Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin last December, but with blinkers fitted for the first time, Aidan O'Brien will be hoping for a big run from Bolshoi Ballet to potentially earn himself another foreign jaunt later in the year.
15:30 (Cheltenham) Unanswered
The Tony Martin-trained Unanswered creeps in at the bottom of the handicap and there could be more to come from the Irish raider after he was last seen romping home by eight and a half lengths in this sphere at Punchestown in May.
Wiseguy is an intriguing rival on his first start in a handicap and the six-year-old may give the selection most to think about, while Elle Perfecta is another to note.
