ITV Racing Preview for Saturday June 8

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Value Bet tips: Saturday June 8

1pt win Scenic in 3.00 Haydock at 40/1 (Coral) – 33/1 General

1pt win Waiting All Night in 3.15 Beverley at 10/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair)

1pt win Jumby in 3.35 Haydock at 12/1 (General)

1pt win Intrinsic Bond in 4.45 Haydock at 12/1 (bet365)

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Waiting for the time to strike

Not a particularly strong Saturday in terms of overall quality but three races competitive races from Beverley and four from Haydock make up the ITV4 schedule, and I’ll kick off in East Yorkshire.

Richard Fahey can do little wrong at present and understandably has high hopes for Moving Force in the bet365 Two Year Old Trophy Conditions Stakes following his tidy debut victory on the Westwood in the middle of last month.

That form has yet to be properly tested (the fourth home was a well-held sixth in the Woodcote at Epsom for transparency) but it may be given a timely boost by runner-up Nad Alshiba Snow in the Hilary Needler Trophy EBF Fillies’ Conditions Stakes 35 minutes before Moving Force returns to the track.

Mick Appleby’s well-bred filly shaped with promise first time out and it was surprising to see her odds ranging from 10/1 to 33/1 straight after final declarations for this weekend’s contest.

That price has now settled down around the 11/1 mark which is fair if not irresistible, and it’s a race I’m happy to leave alone as any number of these lightly-raced juveniles could be sitting on a chunk of improvement as they continue to learn on the job.

Beverley’s bet365 Handicap is far more my bag and there are loads in with a chance. Course regular/specialist Ugo Gregory is quite big at 20s and Eligible has fallen to his last winning mark, but preference on this occasion is for Richard Spencer’s WAITING ALL NIGHT.

A winner on debut in May 2022, he’s yet to register another success but found himself terribly high in the ratings after running fifth to Bradsell in the Coventry Stakes, and he’s not got much size about him so was seemingly destined to find life tough at three.

In spite of that, he ran very well when placed at Haydock and Newmarket when rated in the low-80s last summer and he’s now slipped to a career-low mark of 79 which looks to give him a real opportunity.

Two outings on the all-weather this spring have hinted the ability remains intact, his Southwell third probably needed first time back and the subsequent effort at Newcastle best ignored as they went no gallop and he found himself in a poor track position.

There’s lots of early speed in this line-up which should help greatly, and I like the fact they’ve dispensed with the cheekpieces as he was second at Catterick in his juvenile campaign on his next run after the pieces were taken off. I had to look it up to jog the memory but Spencer won a nice handicap pot at Ascot with Keyser Soze after removing cheekpieces a couple of years back, and it’s just the sort of move which can freshen a horse like Waiting All Night up a bit.

Stall nine is at least a couple wider than ideal, admittedly, but David Egan comes in for the ride which is no bad thing and hopefully the gaps will come late on for this horse. I’d rate him a fair bet here at double-figure odds.

A little bit of history repeating

Over at Haydock, a largely clear forecast and drying conditions should play to the strengths of JUMBY, who is backed to follow-up last year’s success in the Betfred John Of Gaunt Stakes.

He arguably peaked as a four-year-old when winning the 2022 Hungerford Stakes at Newbury but last year’s impressive success in this event wasn’t far off that level of performance and he went on to be second to last month’s Lockinge winner Audience in the Group 3 Criterion Stakes at Newmarket where he just edged out old rival Pogo.

The 2023 season ended with a trio of very low-key efforts and he’s yet to get going this time around either, but it’s been a bit messy in that he went over to Saudi Arabia for the one run in February before returning to the UK under a big weight in an Ascot handicap last month.

He ran a good bit better than the finishing position suggests last time, William Buick not unduly hard on him when his chance started to disappear out towards the middle of the track, and it should set him up nicely for a return to this venue (only previous visit resulted in success 12 months ago).

Ramazan, Bless Him and Popmaster all finished in front of Jumby at Ascot but this scenario will suit him a lot better and I’ll back him to swoop late to collar Noble Dynasty, who got a bit of a soft lead at Newmarket and has competition in that regard this time with Quinault, Pogo, Ramazan and Point Lynas all expected to keep the Godolphin horse company.

Take the hint with lowly-rated filly

At a much juicier price, I’m also having a dart on SCENIC in the Betfred Nifty 50 Lester Piggott Fillies’ Stakes.

She’s got next to no hope on ratings (89) but was on a mark of 98 after finishing third to Midnight Mile in a York Listed race last summer and she then got no luck in the run when down the field behind Saturday’s favourite Sea Theme in the Galtres Stakes back there at the Ebor meeting in August.

She then let down favourite-backers at Salisbury and Ascot, efforts that saw her mark take a significant slump, but the breakthrough victory on her comeback at Kempton early last month was fairly resounding and it may just be that trainer Ed Walker has finally found the key to her.

Walker is absolutely flying at present, with eight winners from just 25 runners in the past fortnight, and could obviously have thrown Scenic into a handicap rather than take a shot at the Group 3.

It doesn’t always work out but this daughter of Lope De Vega has only had 10 starts in her life, is totally unexposed over the 12-furlong trip and is bred to carry on improving with age. She looks over-priced to me.

The name’s Bond…

The ITV cameras may have stopped rolling by the time of the Betfred ‘Join Our Sports Club’ Reverence Handicap but I won’t let that put me off recommending a punt on the returning INTRINSIC BOND.

He’s not raced since mid-December but was due a break after running just about all the way through the year from the start of last April.

He’s got some good form when fresh from his younger days and, with trainer Michael Wigham 2-9 in April and 3-9 in May with his runners on the turf, I’m going to take fitness on trust when it comes to this largely consistent and experience sprinter.

Formerly with Tracy Waggot, he made an impressive start for Wigham when winning an Ascot handicap last July off a mark of 91 before finishing second to the classy Rogue Lightning off 99 at the same venue the following month.

He arguably improved again when a close third to Annaf in the Portland at Doncaster, before his form tailed off a little, and if back to anything like that 2023 best then he’s got a major shot of winning this off a reduced mark of 92.

A prominent racer who likes to hear his hooves rattle but basically handles all types of terrain, Intrinsic Bond should get a lovely sit just off likely leaders Radio Goo Goo and Gisburn, drawn either side and close by, and I reckon he can show some of the less exposed ones a clean pair of hooves under Silvestre De Sousa (5-29 for the yard over the years).

Published at 1600 BST on 07/06/24

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