Saturday’s Racing Tips – Richard Hughes aims for another Group 1 sprinting shock

Talis Evolvere got a prominent position in his race at Ascot, but the jockey got to work on him quite early and then got swamped when the main players came alongside.

Caballo De Mar 6/1 (1pt) – Haydock 3.00

One of my favourite horses this year has been Caballo De Mar. I've tipped him up at least three times this season, which has yielded two placed efforts and a win on the all-weather. This is obviously a very competitive race, as it always is, but he has the class to win this off quite a high weight.

In big prize handicaps like this, you can't write off any horse as they will be turning up at 100%. However, I'd like to think that we know where the majority of the horses are in terms of the handicap, and I don't think there are too many horses that could be well ahead of their current marks. The Reverend is the one who stands out for a trainer who does well at this track, but he looks reliant on soft ground or worse. My selection is good on this ground and is up there with having the best form in the race, tied with Stressfree.

Caballo De Mar is probably best suited to this trip, but he does stay further. He looked like he was going to win the Chester Cup earlier in the year, but his stamina dwindled late on. He then won over today's C&D, not in the best fashion, but he got the job done. Last time out, he finished second to French Master at Royal Ascot. Similar comments to his Chester run can be applied, apart from his stamina not being the problem. He got to the front at Ascot, but the favourite came down the outside and won like a group horse in a handicap.

He hasn't been on the track since Royal Ascot, which is a slight concern, but I think they are looking after him a little bit and have targeted this race.

Sayidah Dariyan 14/1 (0.5pt EW, 4pl) – Haydock 3.35

At the time of writing, it's not a surprise to see Lazzat as the favourite. In fact, it's quite surprising that he is around 2/1. I don't think that price will last, as he is the best horse in the race by a decent margin, if he's at his best. The last part of that sentence is the important part, as sprinters don't repeat their best performances based on the last couple of years, where we've had regular upsets and new winners of the big races, rather than repeat winners.

Due to the unpredictability of the sprinting division at the top level, I am always more than happy to take a chance on a horse at a bigger price. Drawn in stall 1 could make this difficult for Sayidah Dariyan, as her mind will already be made up on where she will levitate. If they do split, and she is on the wrong side of the track, that's just pot luck. However, if she does get a good position and manages to track a decent pace, I think she has a solid chance of hitting the places at the very minimum.

Richard Hughes' filly has done nothing but improve all season, and apart from last time out, her RPRs have got better with each run. Last time out, she was restless in the stalls, broke slowly, which gave her no chance in the Nunthorpe. Despite that, she made up some very eye-catching ground late into the race, and I thought she shaped like a potential Group 1 winner in a weak sprinting division.

Luna A Inbhir Nis 4/1 (1pt) – Haydock 4.07

What I saw from Luna A Inbhir Nis at York last time out was something I want to be a part of for this Haydock race. This horse is clearly still progressing at a fast rate despite not getting the win next to her name, but it was still a fantastic performance to finish third.

This filly might be one of the quickest three-year-olds we've seen this year. She is electric from the gates, and if anything matches her early speed, they're going too quickly. I think this track will suit her perfectly, and I think it all comes down to whether Jason Hart can bottle enough gas in the tank for the final half a furlong.

How this horse started the season off as a 60-rated handicapper is very baffling (won her first race off 57, after losing off 60 on handicap debut), as she is a pocket rocket, and it's a matter of time before she is contesting Class 1 races.

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