Saturday Tips

Sceau Royal can make up for a luckless run in the Queen Mother Champion Chase by winning the bet365 Celebration Chase at Sandown.

Alan King's nine-year-old has looked as good as ever this season, winning the Game Spirit at Newbury and the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton before meeting all kinds of trouble at Cheltenham.

Daryl Jacob had been cutting every corner on the inside, but just as the race was getting going in earnest, he was badly squeezed up by Chacun Pour Soi moving in on him.

That caused Jacob, who looked to have the perfect position, to take a pull, losing all momentum and finding himself with plenty of ground to make up.

To his credit Sceau Royal did not wilt and battled all the way to the line to finish fifth, beaten a little over three lengths which, considering he lost at least that amount of ground before the turn for home, was very commendable.

The key to his claims for turning the tables on the Queen Mother winner Put The Kettle On is the fact she seems to save her best for Cheltenham, where she is unbeaten in four outings, while former champion chaser Altior looked a light of former glories at Kempton at Christmas.

Sceau Royal also loves to hear his hooves rattle, so he has plenty in his favour.

It seems folly tipping against an Irish horse in a major handicap in the current climate, but Irish Prophecy has always looked a likely type for the bet365 Gold Cup.

Emma Lavelle's eight-year-old has not quite hit the heights he threatened to reach when beating Champ in a Kempton bumper.

He has clearly not been that easy to train, but there have been flashes of his previous ability.

Beaten a length by El Presente when getting 7lb at Exeter, he actually meets him on slightly worse terms having won next time out by 14 lengths.

Third at Ascot last time over an inadequate two miles and five furlongs, he gets an extra mile to run over here and will love the good ground.

While Mister Fisher clearly has plenty of ability, as we saw when he won the rearranged Peterborough Chase, he has had two bad experiences at Cheltenham and Aintree.

With that in mind, Frodon just looks a more solid proposition in the bet365 Oaksey Chase.

Frodon's stamina may have given way in the Gold Cup, but he still ran his usual game race from the front, showing he remains as good as ever.

Paul Nicholls' King George winner can add another nice prize to what is already an impressive record.

On To Victory has got the hang of hurdling late in life, but looks sure to be on the premises in the bet365 Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle.

The King-trained seven-year-old has won two of his last three and was not totally disgraced in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury.

Kim Bailey's Younevercall may be 10, but he posted a fine performance when failing to see out the trip in the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

He won the bet365 Select Hurdle two years ago and two miles and five furlongs on a right-handed track is absolutely perfect for him.

He tends to need a bit of a gap between races and his only real disappointment in the last two years came in the Relkeel Hurdle, which came quick enough after a good run in the Long Walk at Ascot.

If good breeding guaranteed success, then William Haggas' Faylaq should have won multiple Group Ones by now.

By Dubawi out of an Arc winner in Danedream, he has only won three of his 11 races, but the impression is there is still more to come.

Gelded in the winter, he was third to Global Giant in the Magnolia Stakes on his return but drops down in grade for the M.C.H. Hutchinson Memorial Trophy Handicap at Ripon, where he is already a winner.

Haggas should make it an across-the-card double at Haydock with Dhushan in the Prendergast Novice Stakes.

Ed Dunlop is not known for first-time-out juvenile winners, so the fact Bellarena Lady showed up so well at Newmarket bodes well ahead of her run in the Join RacingTV Now Novice Stakes at Leicester.

SELECTIONS:

DONCASTER: 4.10 Tees Spirit, 4.45 El Caballo, 5.20 Skyrunner, 5.55 Silent Hunter, 6.30 A Star Above, 7.00 Summer Power, 7.30 Quickstep Lady, 8.00 Coviglia.

HAYDOCK: 2.15 Dhushan, 2.50 Dreamloper, 3.25 Dawndiva, 4.00 Menai Bridge, 4.35 Finest Sound, 5.05 Civil Law, 5.40 Dana Forever.

LEICESTER: 12.30 Nine Elms, 1.00 Bellarena Lady, 1.35 Able Kane, 2.10 Pogo, 2.45 Dancing King, 3.20 Pilot Wings, 3.55 Traila, 4.30 Keep Right On.

LIMERICK: 1.15 Handel, 1.45 Ahandfulofsummers, 2.20 High Altitude, 2.55 Latin Fury, 3.30 Melburnian, 4.05 Sassified, 4.40 High Lake, 5.15 Aunty Audrey.

RIPON: 2.05 Alaskan Jewel, 2.40 Batraan, 3.15 Faylaq, 3.50 Themaxwecan, 4.25 Desert Safari, 5.00 Artistic Rifles, 5.35 Kolisi.

SANDOWN: 1.55 On To Victory, 2.30 Frodon, 3.05 SCEAU ROYAL (NAP), 3.40 Irish Prophecy, 4.15 Younevercall, 4.50 Killer Clown, 5.25 Cascova.

WOLVERHAMPTON: 5.10 Far From A Ruby, 5.45 Irish Admiral, 6.15 Night Of Hope, 6.45 Estate House, 7.15 He's A Keeper, 7.45 Good Listener, 8.15 Yagood.

DOUBLE: Sceau Royal and Frodon.