Racing tips: Mutasaabeq can trump the Godolphin favourite in the Cazoo Diamond Stakes

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It's Derby day and we have some quality racing at Epsom. Saturday's racing is jam-packed but it's difficult to get excited with the racing elsewhere as it looks pretty poor so I've opted for just selections at the main meeting of Saturday.

Epsom 2:00

 Trainer: Andrew Balding

Jockey: Hayley Turner

Form: 5-1532

I like the angle of following Andrew Balding in this race, especially in recent years as he has won it twice. He seems to place his horses and prep them well for this handicap and it's no surprise to see SWILCAN BRIDGE making an appearance for 2x winning connections of this race (same owner).

This trip looks spot on and a fast pace would set it up perfectly for the joint bottom weight. He's already ran at this course before, and even though he looked slightly unbalanced, it was a good experience and he'll have learnt plenty for racing at Epsom. He's drawn in stall 14 which means he'll have to be ridden for luck, but with a potential pace collapse, that should hopefully not be a problem, unless he meets a wall of horses in front. Hayley Turner is a good booking for a horse of this weight where the amount of jockeys able to ride off 8st 2lbs is limited, and she managed to win this race 12 months ago on a 28/1 shot.

It's a competitive looking race, but he looks good value as a EW shot.

Epsom 2:35

 Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute

Jockey: Ryan Moore

Form: 1940-2

I tipped up Roman Mist (races in this again today) when she won a Fillies Listed race at Kempton. That day she finished ahead of POTAPOVA who ran a blinder to finish a very close head second after 222 days off the track. She was relatively weak in the market that day, even though she went off at 2/1, but she drifted out as I think she was installed as favourite, so connections must've felt the run was needed. The form looks fairly rock solid with the 3rd horse (My Astra) winning a Listed race at Ayr by a mile, producing an RPR of 116, as well as the 4th (Lola Showgirl) winning a Class 1 Listed race at Lingfield.

This filly looks like a typical improver as she gets older which Sir Michael Stoute is renowned for and I'm expecting a big run if she handles the track.

Epsom 3:10

Trainer: Charles Hills

Jockey: Jim Crowley

Form: 018-12

The Godolphin favourite could be a very smart horse, but based on the form I'm not sure he warrants to be the short price he is. I tipped up Modern News for the Lincoln at Doncaster on the opening day of the flat season where he ran well to finish 7th but didn't look a world beater. He won next time out in a decent handicap at Newbury, but the form hasn't exactly worked out the way many probably thought it would, and then I think he won an egg and spoon Class 1 Listed race. He won it well but I think it was a good bit of race finding by Charlie Appleby to get him winning a Class 1 race, even though that run produced an RPR of 116 I think that race wasn't that strong.

I think the Shadwell horse, MUTASAABEQ is the one to be on in this. He was given a poor ride by Jim Crowley last time at Sandown where he tried being too cute and holding him up for too long and couldn't find the gap until late on, by that time the bird had flown and secured the race. The winner of that race looks a nice horse who will keep improving for Sir Michael Stoute and the fact my selection got as close as he did when they all had first runs on him was fairly impressive. He is still lightly raced as a 4yo and I think this could be a steppingstone before moving onto Group 2 and maybe Group 1 honours.

Epsom 3:45

 Trainer: Adam West

Jockey: Jason Hart

Form: 6-4770

Even though the colour of the silks suggest that LIVE IN THE MOMENT is the stables main hope as he carries the first colours, I've probably say Adam West's other horse Live In The Dream is their main fancy, but I prefer the former.

I've backed Live In The Moment a fair amount of times now and haven't been disappointed. He was a winning tip during last year's flat season where she won at York, winning on the line. He was ultra consistent last year running well in the big field handicaps, being placed on a few occasions as well. This race is deemed to be the quickest 5f race on the planet due to the unique downhill track that Epsom is. There are so many front runners in this who will blaze the way down the hill and I think it could be suited for a horse who stays the trip very well to make a strong finishing effort in the final half a furlong, which is what Live In The Moment is all about. He stays the trip very well, and normally the faster they go the better she is. He might be outpaced during the early stages, but she should be staying on when the front horses begin to tire.

He is back on a good handicap mark of 90, and that is due to a poor run of form which can be forgiven. They decided to send him out to Meydan during the winter where he ran insome good races and wasn't disgraced, including a 4th placed effort in a 16 runner handicap which had multiple horses who were 100+ rated. The recent run at Goodwood was very disappointing where he finished last, but chances are that he needed that run after 63 days off the track and that looked evident with how quickly he went backwards after racing prominently. That race was around a month ago so will have stripped fitter for that run.

Stall 6 will likely be a negative for most but it should ensure a clear passage as he is drawn quite wide. Hopefully he can took in behind the pace and weave a way through when needed.

Epsom 5:15

 Trainer: Simon Dow

Jockey: Aidan Keeley (7)

Form: 2-7236

ARENAS DEL TIEMPO was a under performer when tipped up over a month ago at Epsom. She is normally reliable at this track but for some reason something was amiss last time out, which seemed a shock to most, including connections as she was backed into 11/4 favourite. It's interesting they've opted for this race over some of the other she could've raced in as they are trying her over 12f for the first time, and have opted for the steering of Aidan Keeley who is a 7lb claimer, making her bottom weight, carrying 7st 10lbs. It's not a guarantee she'll stay this trip, but based on a few runs over 10f it is worth a try and if she's going to get the trip anywhere, it's probably going to be Epsom where he runs her best races and has the downhill straight to ease the stamina burden. hopefully she gets into a nice rhythm in front and can bounce back to form.

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