It was a mixed bag on Saturday, which saw us have two runner-ups, a non-runner, and a stinking Harry Skelton ride.
Harry really infuriates me with his hold-up rides. I feel like he gets it wrong more times than he gets it right, and I think he is much better on the front.
He was on the favourite, anchored him in last place, but had him the widest. If you're going to sit in last place, put the horse on the rail so he travels the least amount. He knew he got the tactics wrong and got after the horse far too late. The horse made a blunder due to the poor ride, but ran on to finish around seventh. Never had a chance under that ride.
Room Fourteen ran well from the bottom of the weights, but it looked like Ascot was benefiting the horses who made the running. I think you should keep on the right side of this horse.
Myal ran his usual strong race around Haydock and was the best of the rest. On form, the winner was the one to beat, but he didn't manage to win a race last year, so I wanted to take him on. He proved to be lightyears ahead of that field, but we got our place money back to reduce the losses on the day.
City Of Memphis 5/4 (2pt) – Leopardstown 2.30
I do apologise about the short-priced being tipped up on City Of Memphis, but I am a sucker for a Paddy Twomey horse.
The yard is flying, with six winners from the last seven runners; there's a lot to like about this horse's chances. Paddy does very well with the older mares, and we often see them get better with age. This lightly raced four-year-old mare was impressive on her return to racing last time out, and she should prove to be too good for this Group 3 lineup.
Her form from her 2025 campaign gave her every chance of being well above average. She was fifth in a Group 1 that was won by Lake Victoria, who has been a very good horse over the last couple of years.
The ground should be fine for her, as she has already proven to be versatile. She won on soft ground last time out, but won on good and ran well in the Group 1 on good ground. The ground is good, but is being watered, so I'd imagine it will stay close to the current description with only 0.2mm of rain expected to fall.
Beatific 3/1 (1pt) – Leopardstown 4.15
Stall 11 is my only concern about Beatific's chances in this fillies' maiden race, as Leopardstown does suit front-runners. If she breaks slowly from the stalls, Gavin Ryan will have to play the patience game and hope he gets the splits in the home straight.
Apart from that, I thought that Beatific had a cracking chance. She made a really nice impression on her debut run at this track in the middle of April. She produced an RPR of 87, which is a solid rating for a horse to produce on their first run. She has a decent pedigree and should enjoy the extra yardage that she faces today due to being by Frankel. This sire produces a lot of middle-distance and staying horses, despite being the best miler we've ever seen.
The yard is in good form, and I expect a nice performance.
Eniac 11/2 (1pt) – Leopardstown 5.20
I'll be hoping that the connections of Eniac have a great day, as this is the second horse I've tipped up from that ownership.
An opening handicap mark of 78 looks fine for this son of Siyouni, and they are stepping him up to 1m 4f for his handicap debut. I'm a sucker for a handicap debutante when they are hiked up in trip by a few furlongs, and when a horse has a pedigree like Eniac, it's easy to see him making the necessary steps of improvement.
Donnacha O'Brien has started the new season off in good fashion, and I think we can see a big step forward by this horse on his second run of the year. This stable are seeing their horses improve massively from their first run to their second. Gavin Ryan has opted for this horse over the stablemate.
GambleAware