How To Bet £20 on Saturday: 40-1 Heartbeat can get pulse racing

There’s some superb racing on Saturday with a dozen double-figure fields at Leopardstown and Doncaster to get stuck into.

The Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (5.30) at Leopardstown is not one of them, having drawn eight runners, but it still offers the bet of the day in Hotazhell.

He’s been trimmed from 33-1 to 20-1 since the final declarations were made on Thursday morning but I think there’s still plenty of juice in his price.

Hotazhell beat Delacroix fair and square in the Futurity Trophy last autumn and has had valid excuses for each of his three defeats at the highest level this term.

He was much too keen after pinging the gates and getting no cover in the Eclipse on his penultimate start and was a desperately unlucky loser in the Saratoga Derby last time when being held up in rear and running into all sorts of traffic problems from the home turn.

The Jessie Harrington stable seems to be reviving after a lean year, plus he’s had a light campaign and will be getting back on a slower surface for the first time since that Doncaster triumph last term.

Al Aasy is a short price to strike for Britain in the CMG Group Stakes (3.50) but the veteran got beaten in this contest two years ago and is a tricky customer who will have a new jockey with Jim Crowley on the sidelines.

I’m going to roll the dice and have a few quid on It’s A Heartbeat, who, shares the same sire as Hotazhell in Too Darn Hot.

It’s A Heartbeat is dismissed as a 40-1 chance up in grade, but did look the proverbial Group horse in a handicap when bolting up at The Curragh last time. That was only her third outing, and we simply have no idea where her ceiling is, for all that trainer John O'Donoghue believes we will not see the best of her until next year.

O’Donoghue would not have many horses to train from his County Kildare base, but he’s not one to tilt at windmills and has had five winners from just 14 runners on turf in Ireland since the start of June.

Win, lose or draw, the worst priced favourite on the card has to be the Aidan O’Brien-trained Light As Air in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Petingo Handicap (6.05).

He’s no bigger than 4-1 but made hard work of justifying odds-on favouritism in a maiden last time, having been beaten in the three handicaps he had contested before that off lower marks than he will run off on Saturday, including when thumped at Royal Ascot on his penultimate start when friendless in the betting. Moreover, he’s now equipped with first-time blinkers with O’Brien also claiming off him.

The layers are clearly cautious as he chased home Serious Contender in a handicap at Leopardstown in March, but their careers have since gone in different directions.

I’m going to divide my stakes on Aeronautic, available at 9-1, and Helvic Dream, who is chalked up at 11-1.

Aeronautic is a strong traveller who has run well at Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood on his past two starts despite not being seen to maximum advantage. He’s had a light campaign and was an impressive winner over course and distance last summer.

Helvic Dream was first past the post in the Galway Hurdle last time, only to be demoted by the stewards.

The 2021 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner remains capable of smart form on the Flat, too, and is going to get the slowish ground that brings out the best in him.

At Doncaster, I’m keen on Carmers in the Betfred St Leger. He looks tailor-made for the race and ran a rock-solid trial for the race when runner-up a muddling Great Voltigeur last time, having previously won the Queen’s Vase in a record time.

His stable is flying and, on that point, it would be folly to ignore that the O’Brien camp has had several notable recent reverses, with such as Whirl, Los Angeles and Henri Matisse all beaten at shortish odds over the weekend. Since August 23, he’s had 25 runners aged three or older and only two have won.

Provided the ground does not dry out too much, then Atlantic Gamble will be interesting in the PJ Towey Construction Handicap (1.15).

A six-time winner last season, he got back in the groove when a close third at Yarmouth on his latest start. The RaceiQ data reveals the time was 3.88sec better than par, and the runner-up has franked the form by subsequently going close in another competitive contest at York.

Finally, I’ll also be having a small play on Jakajaro in the Betfred Portland (2.25).

The Robert Cowell-trained four-year-old is not easy to win with, having won only two of his 26 races, but he’s off the same mark as when a fine third in the Stewards’ Cup last month, and again ran well when filling the same position in a 16-runner affair over 5f at Ascot last week, when exposed to a strong pace.

I’d imagine Jamie Spencer being a little more patient over this intermediate trip and first-time cheekpieces may just help Jakajaro  squeeze out a little more. 

1.15 Doncaster: £1 each-way on Atlantic Gamble each-way at a general 14-1 

2.25 Doncaster: £1.25 each-way on Jakajaro each-way at 12-1 wiuth bet365 and Boylesports (six places) 

3.40 Doncaster: £2.50 win on Carmers at a general 4-1 

3.50 Leopardstown: £1.50 each-way on It’s A Heartbeat at a general 40-1 

5.30 Leopardstown: £2.50 each-way on Hotazhell at a general 20-1 

6.05 Leopardstown: £1.50 each-way on Aeronautic at 9-1 with William Hill (five places) 

6.05 Leopardstown: £1 each-way on  Helvic Dream at 11-1 with William Hill (five places) 

3.40 Doncaster: Carmers 

5.30 Leopardstown: Hotazhell (take the 20-1)

1.15 Doncaster: Atlantic Gamble 

2.25 Doncaster: Jakajaro 

3.50 Leopardstown: It’s A Heartbeat 

6.05 Leopardstown: Aeronautic