Best bets for the horse racing across the globe Saturday 26th August

I am currently in the worst month of results since Girdys Gee Gees started back on 8th May 2010 August has been a nightmare!  

That said there is loads going on this Saturday here in the UK, in Ireland, Germany and the United States and I do have a few bets lined-up. I am well rested after an early night last night and the luck has got to turn soon. My fancies for Saturday follow.

Best bet for the horse racing at York Ebor Festival 

Nostrum will be odds-on for the opening Strensall Stakes and unbackable for me whilst Summerghand has a chance in the 6f handicap but drawn in twenty he is possibly on the wrong side so I am leaving him alone as well. At 3.00 they host the Group Two 7f Sky Bet City Of York Stakes and that's where I am having my one bet at York. Last years winner Kinross is on the drift with the ground described as good-firm and I can't have him on the faster surface. Isaac Shelby, second to Kinross at Goodwood, looks the pick of the younger horses and has a chance but I think he is better with a bit of cut in the ground as well. A member of the Dirty Dozen last year I remain convinced there are some big prizes to be won with Sacred and I am on at 100-30 this morning. She was only just bested in the 6f G.1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee at Royal Ascot and a return to seven can see her back in the winners enclosure. 

Best bets for the horse racing at Saratoga

They host a decent card at Saratoga over in New York with a couple of names you'll recognise on the card. The race of interest to me is the Grade One 1m2f Travers Stakes on the Dirt the 'Midsummer Derby' as they know it the other side of the pond   . Arcangelo took the G.1 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park over 1m4f back in June beating Forte by one-and-a-half lengths in the process. Forte  won the G.2 Jim Dandy Stakes here at Saratoga over 1m1f afterwards franking the form and this looks between the pair to me. Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Forte is the regular top-drawer performer and Irad Ortiz Jr perhaps got the tactics wrong at Belmont letting the winner nick too much of a lead off the top turn. Forte has to be ridden that way, coming late and wide of the top-turn, but I expect him to be a little closer to the leaders this evening and to swoop passed them all late. I have the 7-4 over the shorter trip that suits him nicely. 

Be lucky