Ginger Joe’s Weekend Preview and Best Bets

13:25 Haydock – Superior Mile Stakes (Group 3) 1m

• Needle Match 11/4
• Dancing Gemini 3/1
• Persica 11/2
• Hankelow 6/1
• The Lost King 7/1
• 10/1 Bar

We kick off the day at Haydock with the Group 3 Superior Mile Stakes, and it’s a very open contest. If we look at the lineup and focus on the horse with the strongest CV, then you are immediately drawn to the Roger Tea-trained Dancing Gemini.

He is a Group 2 winner who also went close in the Group 1 Lockinge last season, so his form credentials are by far the best on offer here. The concern however, is that he has been really poor this season and simply hasn’t looked like the same horse.

It would be a good training performance if he were able to bounce back here, and if he does, he would certainly be the one to beat.

Outside of a peak Dancing Gemini, though, I think the race looks fairly open. One horse with plenty of upside is The Lost King for the Balding yard, and he is a horse who has been improving with every run.

He comes into this in really good form, and a mark of 107 is likely to underestimate him to some extent. He builds nicely into his races, finishes strongly, and may well be capable of stepping up to this level. The Lost King looks to represent good each-way value.

Persica is another who appeals from an each-way perspective for Richard Hannon. He has been rock solid for connections, and a mark of 114 puts him firmly in the mix. He hasn’t raced at Haydock before, but I think the track should suit him well, and I would expect him to be on the premises once again.

Needle Match also has to be considered after finishing second to Isaac Newton in the Group 3 at Leopardstown. He has plenty of upside and receives 5lb, although it is never easy taking on the older horses with a three-year-old at this level.

I think the way to play this is to back Persica each-way. It’s a race where siding with the percentage angle could work well. I haven’t got a standout fancy, but I do think Dancing Gemini is currently well below his best, while Persica is next best on the ratings, has been incredibly consistent, and gives us the option of each-way cover. I expect him to be there or thereabouts, so he will do for me.

15:40 Haydock – Sprint Cup Stakes (Group 3) 6f

• Almeraq 11/4
• Kind Of Blue 3/1
• Marvelman 11/2
• Coppull 6/1
• 14/1 Bar

We are going to stay at Haydock for the Group 3 Sprint Cup Stakes and this is a cracking lineup here. Almeraq is the market leader here for the Haggas yard, and they have plenty of firepower out today.

He is a Group 1 winner himself already this season, and even though he flopped last time out, I can forgive the run being at Newmarket, and these softer conditions will be no problem for him. He is a class act and sets the standard on peak form for sure.

Kind Of Blue finally has his conditions, but he has been an overall disappointment really. I suppose if he is to get back into the winners enclosure, it could be today in his ideal conditions, but he comes up against some class rivals. I don’t like the price at 3/1. I think he should be bigger. Coppull is also a nice type, but the three-year-old has a lot on his plater here.

I think the bet could be Marvelman each-way for the Andrew Balding yard. He is a horse that has slowly progressed through the season and he does look like he is gearing up for a personal best again on this soft ground.

He did the same last season at Doncaster in these conditions, and again this could be the time to catch Marvelman. Almeraw is absolutely the one to beat, but Marvelman is very likeable here, and again, you can also back him as an each-way bet at the prices. In an open contest, I like that option.

14:50 Kempton – September Stakes (Group 3) 1m4f

• Gethin 7/4
• Tornado Alert 5/2
• Constitution Hill 11/2
• Pride Of Arras 6/1
• 10/1 Bar

The final race I’m going to look at on Saturday’s card is the September Stakes at Kempton, which features Champion Hurdler Constitution Hill.

Since switching to the Flat, Constitution Hill has won both of his starts, but this represents his first step into Group company, so we’ll learn a lot more about where he is after this. He now takes on some seriously smart flat horses, and he will need to be at his very best to get involved.

Constitution Hill is currently priced at 11/2, which feels about right I suppose, although you can imagine plenty of punters will be backing him simply because they are fans of the horse. It would be fantastic to see him win this.

If I put my racing brain on, though, this is a proper test, and there are genuine Group performers in the lineup who make plenty of appeal. Gethin has looked like a horse with plenty of potential and is absolutely in the mix here based on his run behind Ombudsman. The form he brings to the table stacks up nicely, and there is every chance he still has more to come.

The one I think takes the world of beating though, is Tornado Alert for Saeed bin Suroor. This is a colt who already has a Group 1 on his CV, and his form has been consistently at a very high level to date. I expect another step forward from him here too, and if he gets that improvement, he will be seriously hard to beat.

So, as much as I’d love to see Constitution Hill win, I think Tornado Alert is the bet. Over this trip, he looks the best horse in the field to me, and I’m expecting him to prove too strong.