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Wednesday ITV Racing Tips: Best bets for York and Newton Abbot

The Musidora Stakes is one of five York races being shown live on ITV4 this afternoon, plus one from Newton Abbot, and we've a tip for each.

We've listed our outright selections below with the reasons behind them further down the page, while Planet Sport's Racing Live Centre is also worth a visit as it's here you'll find the highly informative race cards for York and Newton Abbot.

Selections:

Forza Orta (13.50 York)

Diligent (14.05 Newton Abbot)

Nomadic Empire / Aberama Gold each-way (14.25 York)

Minzaal (15.00 York)

The Algarve (15.35 York)

Mojomaker (16.10 York)

13.50 York - Forza Orta

Forecast favourite Gaassee represents last year's winning trainer and jockey combination and he has a progressive profile, having won three on the bounce on the all-weather towards the end of last year, albeit at odds-on on each occasion.

But we're tempted by the bigger odds available on Forza Orta, who is another progressive middle-distance stayer and hails from a stable with a good recent record (one winner and three places from just six runners) in this 1m4f handicap.

A consistent sort over shorter trips last season, he confirmed his stamina for this when winning over 1m5f at Hamilton earlier this month from another handicapper on the up, with the pair clear, and the 5lb penalty he picked up for that still leaves him on a nice low weight of 8st 3lb.
Versatile over the ground and ideally drawn against the far rail in stall one - such drawn horses have made the frame in three of the last four runnings - his jockey Rowan Scott will be able to save ground before hopefully unleashing him with a well-timed run.
Charlie Appleby's Global Storm, last seen finishing third in a Group race at Meydan and the mount of apprentice Harry Davies, who is claiming 7lb off his back, is another to consider.

14.05 Newton Abbot - Diligent

A tight-knit 2m2f handicap hurdle with none of the six runners easily discounted.

Both Thahab Ifraj and Get Back Get Back are entitled to strip fitter for their comeback runs at Exeter last month, while Paul Nicholls' Tulin has undergone wind surgery since disappointing at Wincanton in December and could be well treated.

But marginal preference is for Nigel Hawke's Diligent, an easy winner at Taunton in April off the same mark as today's before chasing home subsequent Sandown scorer Knappers Hill, who was well in on official figures, at a meeting here nine days later.
Clearly in good form and off a mark 9lb lower than his chase rating, with Kieren Buckley easing his burden by a further 5lb, he looks sure to give us a good run for our money.

14.25 York - Nomadic Empire

David O'Meara's four-year-old was a real eyecatcher on his seasonal reappearance at Thirsk 18 days ago, when he had to nowhere to go two furlongs out until inside the final furlong and went down as an unlucky loser in third.
Clearly a gelding operation over the winter has done him some good and he has to be of strong interest now returned to York, where he proved good enough to land a 6f handicap last September before finishing fourth of the 21 runners in the ultra competitive Coral Trophy over the same track and trip.
He wouldn't be the best handicapped runner in the field off a career-high mark of 103, but he's likely verging on Listed class and is potentially well drawn this afternoon in stall six with quite a strong bias towards low numbers emerging from recent sprint races run here.
Off those at bigger prices, Keith Dalgleish's Aberama Gold could go well as he's very well treated on a mark of 88 if recapturing his best form, which includes a defeat of the now 108-rated King's Lynn in October 2020, and having been as high as 103.
He's had a wind operation since disappointing as favourite on the all-weather back in February, and he too could benefit from being drawn in a single-figure stall (7), with Silvestre De Sousa (7-40, 18%, on the stable runners) an eye-catching jockey booking.

15.00 York - Minzaal

A field of 11 will go to post for the most valuable ever running of the Group 3 Duke Of York Stakes and it looks a good starting point for Owen Burrows' Minzaal, who could be a real flag-bearer for his stable in all the big 6f races this season.
An impressive winner of the Gimcrack over track and trip at two and sidelined through injury for much of last year, he showed that he retains all his talent on the two occasions he made it to the track last October, with the highlight being his third place finish of the 20 runners in the Group 1 Champions Sprint Stakes.
Physically stronger this year, according to his trainer, who clearly has his small string in fine form with three of his four runners in the last fortnight obliging at good prices (10/1, 9/1 an 5/2), he is fancied to overcome a lack of a run this term to outclass his rivals.
Of these, Richard Hannon's Happy Romance, who is coming off a fine second in a Meydan Group 1 at the end of March, having ran a big race in Saudi Arabia on her reappearance previously, is feared most.

15.35 York - The Algarve

Emily Upjohn couldn't have been more impressive when scoring by a wide margin at Sandown on her reappearance, with bookmakers promoting her to the head of the Oaks market as a result, and she's a deserving favourite to follow up in this established trial for the Epsom Classic, a race her trainer has won six times.
She'll probably win but she's hardly a bet at odds-on and it wouldn't be the biggest turn up if she were to be beaten by Charlie Appleby's Life Of Dreams, who hacked up in a Nottingham maiden on her racecourse debut and is also a single-figure price for the Oaks.
Aidan O'Brien's impeccably bred The Algarve can't be discounted either as there's every chance she'll improve massively from two to three, like several of her stablemates already this season, and when stepping up to middle distances given her pedigree.
With her stable mopping up Classic trials left right and centre and Ryan Moore on top, she's worth a small interest at the respective odds to show her current rating (88) and current big Oaks price all wrong.

16.10 York - Mojomaker

The Gosdens are represented here by the unbeaten (2-2) Samburo, who was value for more than his three-quarters of a length winning margin at Salisbury last month, having ran green when hitting the front under Frankie Dettori.

The son of Kingman looks smart and his entry in next month's Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes tells he's highly regarded at home, so he really ought to go close to winning this 7f handicap off a mark of 88 against fellow three-year-olds.

His lack of experience is a concern, though, and at skinny odds he's taken on with David Loughnane's Mojomaker, who was highly tried at two after a runaway victory in a Sandown novice in June, including when second in Listed company.

He failed by a whisker to make a winning return to action at Doncaster last month, having been recently gelded and undergone wind surgery since his last run, and the way he was was staying on over the 6f trip suggested he would appreciate this extra furlong, which is backed up by his breeding.

On a good handicap mark at present, he could give the favourite plenty to think about under William Buick, who won on his only previous ride for the stable.

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