Saturday ITV Racing Tips: Best bets for Lingfield and Chelmsford
- Scott Allen
- 16 December 2022
The cold weather has wiped out most of Saturday's racing, so ITV are left with some all-weather action on December 17, and the Planet Sport tipsters have a selection for each of the eight live races.
Fingers crossed we'll get some racing in the UK this Saturday, but prospects hang in the balance.
Lingfield Park will hold a precautionary inspection at 7.30am to determine whether racing will take place.
The seven-race all-weather card - which features the Listed Quebec Stakes - is due to start at 12.05pm and despite overnight temperatures predicted to plummet once more, on Friday morning clerk of the course George Hill said the track was raceable.
Chelmsford will also be subject to a precautionary check, at 8.30am, in view of the forecast very low overnight temperatures.
The meeting scheduled for Fairyhouse on Saturday has been abandoned following an inspection.
If we do go ahead, here's a quick bit of detail on our key selections for Saturday's action, you can find a full list of tips for every race across all the tracks at the bottom of the page.
Don't forget to check out the racecards, results and live odds in the Planet Sport racing live centre.
Selections:
13:15 (Lingfield) Mick's Spirit
13:50 (Lingfield) Lothian
14:05 (Chelmsford) Vitesse Du Son
14:25 (Lingfield) Pablo Prince
14:40 (Chelmsford) Lord Paramount
15:00 (Lingfield) Sweet Fantasy
15:15 (Chelmsford) Elegant Ellen
15:33 (Lingfield) Harrovian
13:15 (Lingfield) Mick's Spirit
Mick's Spirit has been a consistent customer of late and it would be no surprise if the three-time course winner mounted a bold bid yet again.
The four-year-old gave a good account from the rear of the field when runner-up over course and distance last time out and he gets the tentative vote.
Yimou only found one rival too strong last time out at Chelmsford and rates the most immediate danger in these calmer waters. Bethersden Boy is also of interest.
13:50 (Lingfield) Lothian
With the bottom third of the runners set to race from out of the handicap, the task facing Lothian could have been a lot tougher in his bid to exploit a very lenient current rating.
Michael Attwater's gelding is 10lb below his last winning mark and is fancied to make the most of this good opportunity.
The in-form Admirable Lad is respected but needs a personal best on these terms, so Dazzerling may be a stronger player on this occasion.
14:25 (Lingfield) Pablo Prince
Previous course and distance winner Pablo Prince makes strong appeal from just 1lb above his last winning mark and, given that he's still unexposed at this trip, there is the likelihood of more to come.
Gary Moore, who sent out the winner of the 2019 renewal of this race, has another ideal candidate in the shape of Capricorn Prince, a four-time course winner who also merits consideration.
Ummsuquaim won well over C&D 17 days ago but must prove that 28/1 success wasn't a one-off performance.
14:40 (Chelmsford) Lord Paramount
Roger Varian appears to have kept a select band of runners back for the all-weather and is operating at a very healthy strike-rate.
He runs Lord Paramount in the Betsi Handicap at Chelmsford and there is surely more to come from the Ribchester gelding.
Lightly-raced, he started just over a year ago when fourth on debut at Newcastle before returning to Gosforth Park and was a beaten odds-on favourite when second three weeks later.
Gelded and then off for 299 days, he met a useful type in Brewing but got off the mark comfortably at Wolverhampton recently.
He starts life handicapping off a mark of 70 and remains unexposed.
15:00 (Lingfield) Sweet Fantasy
Sweet Fantasy can follow up a recent win at Southwell in the talkSPORT Winter Oaks Trial Irish EBF Fillies' Handicap.
Ralph Beckett's three-year-old was winning for the first time last time out, although she had been placed five times.
And the way she powered through the line that day suggests she could be a filly about to take off.
Having looked in the grip of a handicapper off a mark of 77, she appeared to have taken a big leap forward.
Given how strong she was over a mile and a half it is a little surprising to see her back over 10 furlongs, but Beckett is an excellent trainer of fillies and knows exactly what he is doing.
The very dry autumn means trainers were unable to get a lot of their two-year-olds into maidens that would normally be informative.
On the flip side of that is the all-weather maidens and novice races are much deeper in quality than would normally be the case.
15:33 (Lingfield) Harrovian
The Gosdens can add to their good recent record in the BetUK Quebec Stakes at Lingfield with Harrovian.
While the Clarehaven team's recent wins came when just Gosden senior's name was on the licence through Wissahickon in 2018 and Dubai Warrior the following season, his son Thady is now also on the licence.
There are two Gosden runners in the Listed affair, with Robert Havlin on Forest of Dean - but it is William Buick's mount Harrovian who looks to hold stronger claims.
Since finishing second in the Hong Kong Vase aboard Andre Fabre's Botanik, Buick has bounded straight back into life on the all-weather tracks with intent as from his first eight rides, only one finished outside the first two.
Harrovian is actually rated 3lb lower than Ed and Simon Crisford's Algiers, who had Harrovian some three lengths behind when the pair met last time out.
However, Buick rode in that race and will have been well aware that Algiers almost slipped the field, only to be reeled in close home by the classy Missed The Cut.
He is unlikely to be allowed such an easy lead this time and also Harrovian can be expected to strip fitter as he was having his first run since July 1, all of which means it would be no surprise to see him turn the tables.
