Ante-post Saturday tips: selections at Sandown and Haydock

* This column was first published on Monday, July 1.

* Editor's note July 3: both Ammes and Plage De Havre have been declared to run.

Best odds: 8-1 (Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet)

James Owen has already matched his 2024 tally of Flat winners in less than half the time this season and I can’t help but think his colt Ammes is better than a mark of 86, so looks to have a great chance in the £100,000 three-year-old handicap at Haydock on Saturday over 1m6f.

He ran some good races in defeat on his first three starts before getting off the mark over 1m4f at Chepstow. That race had just the two runners, but he comfortably accounted for his only rival Triple Gee, who has since comfortably beaten the 93-rated Marnier.

He then dipped his toe into the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot, his first run in a handicap, where he again led the field before fading inside the final few furlongs.

He still managed to finish sixth despite being sent off at 50-1 and the form of the race could not have worked out much better, with the runner-up having almost won the Irish Derby at the weekend.

The time of the race was not much slower than the Ribblesdale 35 minutes later either, so he was entitled to weaken late on, and the winner came from a long way back and looked extremely well-handicapped.

Out of a Teofilo mare who stayed 1m6f in Stakes company, I see no reason why this horse won’t stay a bit further and the 8-1 on offer looks generous.

Best odds: 9-2 (Coral)

Juddmonte has two nice fillies in Sandown's Listed Coral Distaff over a mile on Saturday but it is the one at a bigger price I would be most interested in.

It is worth remembering that this daughter of Kingman was sent off an 11-2 chance for the Fillies' Mile in October and whilst she was well-beaten in fifth, she hardly disgraced herself on her only run since in the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot.

She did all the donkey work in front from stall one on the straight course and still finished second in her group and third overall, beaten two lengths by the progressive winner Never Let Go.

That form is the best in this race and, whilst others have the potential to improve, Tabiti was coming off a 252-day break, so also has the potential to strip fitter for that run.

The favourite Blue Bolt has won her last two, so rates an obvious danger in the same colours, but will need to step up again, whilst Kon Tiki carries a penalty for her Listed win in May and her seventh in the Coronation Stakes was her third run of the year.

If she runs, I find it hard to see Tabiti going off at 9-2, which is currently available with the sponsors.

Best odds: 10-1 (Ladbrokes and Coral)

Just one shy of a century at the time of writing, Andrew Balding is another trainer having a flying year. He has three left in the 1m4f Old Newton Cup at Haydock on Saturday and it is his lowest-rated of the three, Plage De Havre, that I fancy most.

His trainer has really targeted this race recently, having scooped the prize in 2021 and having saddled the runner-up last time.

Whilst this horse of his has not been straightforward, he clearly has plenty of ability, and off 92, looks capable of winning a big pot like this at some point.

He was pulled-up over an extended two miles at Newcastle in April, but bounced right back to form last time at York over 1m4f, where he showed a tremendous attitude to finish third having been tight for room entering the closing stages.

His mark has been unchanged for that effort after a race in which the runner-up subsequently won a Class 2 handicap and was value for his neck winning margin. Even his first run of the spring reads well too, having finished second behind the now 107-rated Wonder Legend, albeit he was comfortably beaten by him.

Since being gelded after his debut and stepping up to middle-distances this year, his effort at Newcastle remains the only time he has finished outside of the places, and if you draw a line through that run, he looks overpriced to me at 10-1.

The purpose of this column is really to highlight some value, so I could not quite bring myself to put up Ombudsman in the big race of the weekend, the Group One Coral-Eclipse, especially since he has shortened into an even-money favourite with many firms this morning.

However, he could well go off odds-on, so the best-priced 6-4 against that the sponsors are offering at the time of writing is certainly worth considering.

I don't expect this price to last long and I think he will take some stopping on Saturday after such a superb performance at Royal Ascot.