Bumper Saturday preview

After a day off to concentrate on Texan food and baseball I'm back with a bumper Saturday preview on what should be another fantastic day of racing in the UK. My so far less-than-accurate US tips will follow in due course, but for now I'll begin at Ascot where the Group 2 Summer Mile sees the reappearance of one of my favourite horses Dick Turpin. It appears Richard Hannon's four-year-old is being written off already after two bad runs but I say at 3/1 he is worth backing to get one over on favourite Cityscape.
The City Plate listed contest at Chester includes a number of horses that have run well at a higher level, including Doncaster Rover and Rerouted.
The biggest race at Newmarket is the Group 1 July Cup where a number of high class sprinters, including Australian colt Star Witness, vie for one of the bigger prizes of the summer. The Bunbury Cup handicap preceeds the July Cup, with 20 runners attempting to take home the 31,000GBP first prize.
York's Knavesmire track hosts a number of valuable handicaps on John Smith's Cup day.

Ascot
3.45 Summer Mile Stakes (Group 2), 8f, 4-year-olds+ (6 runners)
Dick Turpin (Pat Dobbs) 5/2 or Fanunalter (Adam Kirby) 12/1ew
Ground permitting, Group 1 winner Dick Turpin will attempt to get back on track against a distinctively average-looking Group 2 line up, Cityscape (Roger Charlton/Pat Cosgrave) notwithstanding. Fanunalter looks excellent value at 12/1 considering the five-year-old's performance in the Diomed Stakes at Epsom and in the UAE this March.

Chester
4.35 City Plate (Listed), 7f, 3-year-olds+ (11 runners)
Doncaster Rover (David Brown/Robert Winston) 4/1JF or Our Jonathan (Kevin Ryan/Franny Norton) 7/1ew
David Brown's five-year-old sprinter has only run over seven furlongs three times in the last 30 months, all Group 3 contests, and has finished no lower than third. Our Jonathan won a class 2 handicap at Chester in May and can go close again at this higher level.

Newmarket
2.55 Bunbury Cup (Class 2 handicap), 7f, 3-year-olds+ (20 runners)
Manassas (Brian Meehan/Frankie Dettori) 9/1ew or Red Gulch (Ed Walker/J-P Guillamber) 14/1ew
Manassas won the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last time out after finishing second in the Victoria Cup over the same course and distance in May. Red Gulch is at the bottom of the weights, but has progressed well this year with three second place finishes at Newmarket over seven furlongs.

3.25 July Cup (Group 1), 6f, 3-year-olds+ (17 runners)
Dream Ahead (David Simcock/Hayley Turner) 8/1ew or Regal Parade (David Nicholls/Adrian Nicholls) 25/1ew
David Simcock's three-year-old had an excellent two-year-old career before losing out twice over a longer trip to undefeated Frankel. He gains weight all round and the drop back to six furlongs may be favourable. Dual Group 1 winner Regal Parade looks good each way value if his run at Newcastle two weeks previously was just a blip.

4.10 Class 2 handicap, 8f, 3-year-olds (14 runners)
Las Verglas Star (Richard Fahey/Barry McHugh) 12/1ew or Chosen Character (Tom Dascombe/Richard Kingscote) 14/1ew

York
2.05 City Walls Stakes (Listed), 5f, 3-year-olds (14 runners)
Hamish McGonagall (Tom Easterby/David Allen) 5/1 or Golden Destiny (Philip Makin/William Buick) 14/1ew
The six-year-old Hamish McGonagall hasn't won this year, but has performed extremely well in group company over the last few months at Haydock, Chantilly and Curragh. Golden Destiny's best runs have all come at five furlongs and so a drop back to that trip should suit the five-year-old who has appeared only once so far this season.

2.40 Silver Cup handicap (Listed), 14f, 3-year-olds+ (20 runners)
Eternal Heart (Mark Johnston/Jimmy Quinn) 8/1ew or Tactician (Michael Bell/Eddie Ahern) 11/1ew
Third place in the Queen's Vase makes Eternal Heart an interesting horse to consider. The only three-year-old in the race gives Mark Johnston's mount a considerable weight advantage over his older peers. Tactician is a smart performer over 14 furlongs.

3.15 John Smith's Cup (Heritage handicap) 10f, 3-year-olds+ (20 runners)
Pekan Star (Roger Varian/Neil Callan) 4/1fav or Tepmokea (Richard Fahey/Lee Topliss) 18/1ew
Pekan Star's first outing in a handicap resulted in a victory over the course and distance in May. Tepmokea performed well over 10 furlongs last year and has continued that trend over a mile and a half this season.

3.55 Class 3 handicap, 8f, 3-year-olds+ (20 runners)
Prince Of Dance (Tom Tate/Mickael Barzalona) 12/1ew (nap) or Snow Bay (David Nicholls/Dane O'Neill) 14/1ew
Tom Tate's five-year-old was once considered good enough to run in group company, but has since dropped as far as a class 4 handicap. Back on the way up now and with an excellent chance in this with a good jockey on board. Snow Bay is near the top of the weights but has run consistantly well this year.

5.35 Class 4 handicap, 6f, 3-year-olds+ (20 runners)
Saucy Brown (David Nicholls/Paul Quinn) 16/1ew or Walvis Bay (Tom Tate/Tom Queally) 12/1ew