Dave Nevison's Saturday tips: Four best bets

City House looks like a three-year-old hitting top form and could be the one here against some older horses who might not be in the best of form, and certainly look exposed. 

James Fanshawe’s colt came from too far back when getting to within a neck at Kempton last time and doesn’t need to progress much further to land this. 

He has a good draw on the stands' side here, next to the Racing TV X RaceShare syndicate horse Lir Speciale, and could get a decent lead into this race. 

James Fanshawe’s team have been running well, although they will be very appreciative of a winner after several near misses recently.

Marbuzet will have to do better than he did on his only previous run on the all-weather when he finished last on his reappearance in April. He has improved markedly since then, though, and has been a decent runner-up twice this Spring. 

He possibly ran his best race when fourth last time out, despite not getting the best of runs, in a competitive 0-85 contest at Thirsk, and this consolation race for the Northumblerland Plate is no better than that event.

Duran Fentiman takes over here and has won on the selection before, so that won’t be an issue. He has also been dropped a pound for his latest effort and looks set to go well with the extra two furlongs sure to suit.

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It has never worked out for Michael Bell’s stayer on turf, and he found himself too far back plus got no sort of run in the Chester Cup on his latest start. 

It is a different story on the all-weather, though, and Duke Of Oxford has a terrific record on this surface, and goes particularly well at Newcastle. 

He finished an excellent second, despite not being well placed in the run, in the Marathon Handicap at the Good Friday meeting here and is off the same mark on Saturday. 

Tyler Heard claiming 3lb is another plus and he clearly gets on well with the four-year-old who is still lightly raced over this two-mile trip. Duke of Oxford was tried in a Group race after winning his first two starts but disappointed on turf, so might well still have plenty of improvement left in him.

The draw in stall 20 at first looks worrying, but a glance through the past five years suggests high drawn horses can go well in this feature contest.

James Tate, who is still a relatively young trainer, has a patient approach and his horses generally run to form when we see them. 

United Approach is making only his fifth appearance in three seasons but has never run a bad race yet, despite clearly being difficult to train. 

He reappeared in a decent Newbury handicap in May and finished fourth, despite looking in need of the run, and maybe the experience, too. 

He has had time to get over that effort and should be spot on now plus could be well handicapped having been dropped 2lb since.