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RACING takes centre stage in the sporting world this weekend and for once it's not because of the Grand National. Hopefully racing picks up a few more casual fans with live racing on ITV across Saturday and Sunday as people look to fill the vacuum left by the postponement of other British sports.
There should be plenty of top class racing to keep us entertained with both the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas coming from Newmarket as well as good stuff at Newcastle and Haydock. I've got a few tips but it's a time to reduce stakes until we have a bit more form to work with and we know more about how various trainers have coped with lockdown so keep your staking under control and we'll slowly increase stakes as confidence improves over the coming weeks and we have more form to work with.
Have a listen to the Gambla racing podcast for a preview of various live ITV races across Saturday and Sunday:
My tips for Saturday are as follows:
1.50pm Newmarket
This will be a rip-roaring sprint race to get us off and running with plenty of pacy types involved. Judicial and Major Jumbo are two obvious one who are classy and have good form after a break but the one I fancy at a bigger price is TARBOOSH. He also goes well fresh and his best form is comparable with the best of his opponents here. The reason for his bigger price I suspect is his preference for a bit more ease in the ground but there is a bit more rain forecast for Saturday morning at Newmarket so I don't think it will be rattling fast ground. He looks like a good value each way bet to me. I should also mention Dark Shot who is a 100/1 shot and whilst I don't think he will win he goes well fresh and I don't think he'll finish last of these as the odds suggest. I wouldn't be stunned if he managed to finish in the top 4 or 5.
2.05pm Newcastle
The one that I fancy is the unexposed four year old DAARIK who is a course winner and enjoys the tapeta surface at Newcastle. He has run well previously after a break and I am pleased to see Rab Havlin get the ride because he is riding well in these first few days since racing returned. Daarik has plenty in his favour and looks a solid win prospect to me in a race where others are quite exposed.
2.25pm Newmarket
I might be wrong (I often am) but I see this one as a match between Terebellum and MAGIC LILY although there has been some money for Queen Power which suggests otherwise. I like Magic Lily because the ground conditions will be ideal and I like her form over the winter in Dubai where she had two nice wins and a solid second behind Barney Roy in a Group 1 race. She looks good value for the win here.
2.4opm Newcastle
You can make a case for quite a few in this race but the one that I kept coming back to is WITHHOLD. He goes well after a break, arguably running some of his best races and his course and distance win in the Northumberland Plate in 2018 is the perfect piece of form for this. I am sure he will be there or thereabouts and there could be some sense in going each way with quite a few firms offering extra places.
3.35pm Newmarket – 2,000 Guineas
The form centres around Pinatubo who was the best two year old last season and arguably of the last 20 years. It's very hard to see past him and I am likely to put him in my multiple bets for the weekend. His price was sitting at even money for a while but that price is now gone as far as I can see. If you can get 10/11 or even money on Saturday morning then I would definitely take that price. Of the others Kameko is probably the most likely challenger although you always have to be wary of any Aidan O'Brien trained three year olds so his four entries need to be considered too. I think I will have a bet on Pinatubo but it all depends on the price improving a bit.
I'll be back on Saturday night with a preview of the ITV racing for Sunday (some of which is covered in the podcast) and in the meantime I hope you all enjoy the racing, bet sensibly and maybe win a few quid.
In December 2020 we sadly 
