Dave Nevison: my best bets for the Saturday handicaps

Hilary Needler Day at Beverley is traditionally the afternoon when the northern-trained two-year-olds try to book their ticket to Royal Ascot and always provides great viewing. 

Hopefully, the quartet below, all running in handicaps, provide me with a Saturday winner or two.  

The handicapper rightly hasn’t dropped Iron Lion for getting beaten more than 20 lengths when well backed last time as he got stopped in his run several times and Kevin Stott pretty much walked him past the winning post. 

He had bolted up at Doncaster on his previous start and got raised 8lb, which looks manageable. 

The trip of 1½ miles looks ideal for Iron Lion and, while a decent pace would help, Jamie Spencer, who is booked for the first time, is better than most at steering his way through the field. He may well suit David O’Meara’s four-year-old. 

Craig Lidster could do with a winner as several of his runners have been going well - making the frame without quite scoring - and looks like one who could break the barren spell. 

It didn’t work out for him while he was with Ann Duffield last season, but those six unplaced runs meant that he has slipped down the weights by 11lb. 

He made his debut for his new yard at York and ran an encouraging race to finish fifth in a big field handicap after being prominent throughout. 

Billyb is now well below his latest winning mark and before last season had a decent strike rate for a handicapper and the signs are good based on his latest run. 

He has a decent draw in stall 4 and should be able to sit just off the pace, which is nearly always an advantage in these big field handicaps at Beverley.  

Blueflagflyinghigh ran a good race over this course and distance on his reappearance last season and went on to win on his second start, so the signs are good after he reappeared at Ripon and got beat just a head in a similar grade handicap. 

The four-year-old looks as though he is drawn well enough in stall 2 to get the lead, which usually serves him well. 

His rivals for the lead are likely to be Tio Mio, who is coming back from a break for a new trainer, and Island Native, who is drawn widest of all. 

He has run well enough off higher marks in the past, so he looks well enough weighted to defy top weight in what is not the most competitive of races. 

I am hopefully cured of backing the forever well handicapped Fresh and will obviously have a close eye on Racing TV’s Syndicate horse, Lir Speciale, in this seriously competitive handicap. 

I am going with Batal Dubai on his return to turf.  

He won over this course and distance on his racecourse debut and since then has performed consistently on the all-weather tracks. 

Harry Charlton’s four-year-old has been well backed on a couple of runs already this season and has run very well despite not getting the rub of the green. 

The excellent Callum Rodriguez, who rode a treble on Friday, rode Batal Dubai for the first time on his latest start. The combination finished well but had to settle for fourth. 

It looks as though stall 14 may be favourable, alongside likely pacesetter Gisburn. Hopefully, Rodriguez will have him in a position to make a challenge.