Saturday horse racing tips: best bets from our experts

Race: 2.15 -

Tipster: Katie Midwinter.

Best odds: 9-2.

This exciting juvenile beat subsequent Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar to land her maiden at Chester before showing further progression to win convincingly at Epsom. Stepping up into Listed company, she has shown enough ability in three starts to suggest she can continue her rich vein of form and claim a third successive victory.

Race: 2.35 Newcastle -

Tipster: Jack Nicol.

Best odds: 3-1.

Our The Nortumberland Vase, the consolation for the feature race, gives the stayers further down the handicap a chance to shine and I like the look of Alphonse Le Grande here. The five-year-old was popular in the ante-post markets for the Plate but missed out by three at declarations but can gain ample compensation in this weaker contest. 

The son of Sea The Stars has won impressively on his last two starts, most notably at Chester last time when travelling strongly throughout and picking up well to win in good style. The handicapper has given him another hike in the weights but I think he still has a bit in hand from a mark of 81 and it's very tough to see him out of the frame here.

Race: 2.55 - .

Tipster: Danny Archer.

Best odds: 5-4.

Named after the famous painter, Jan Brueghel created quite the impression on debut over course and distance back in May when he defied market weakness to make a winning start by eight lengths. Bidding to give Aidan O’Brien a fifth win in the last 10 runnings of this race, he rates as my strongest fancy of the weekend. 

The son of Galileo is a full-brother to Irish Derby hero Sovereign and Queen Alexandra Stakes hero Dawn Rising so a step up in trip looks likely in time, but he showed he had the pace to score over 10 furlongs and his unexposed profile makes plenty of appeal in a race featuring some interesting opposition, including fellow course and distance scorer Trustyourinstinct, progressive filly Wendla and British raider Bolster. 

Race: 3.10 Newcastle -

Tipster: Dave Nevison.

Best odds: 9-1.

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 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.

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Race: 5.25 Newcastle -

Tipster: Martin Dixon.

Best odds: 5-1.

Mick Appleby has his string in terrific form, landing a treble across Tuesday's cards and a double at Nottingham on Thursday,  and Squeezebox has strong claims of adding to the yard's success in Newcastle's at 5.25.

He ran a personal best at Haydock in May, finishing second having travelled strongly and made his move a bit too soon, and there should be better still to come from a horse who is very lightly raced over middle distances.