Best bets for the horse racing Saturday 19th August

Besides a couple of Group races at Newbury on Saturday there isn't that much to get the pulse racing this weekend here in the UK. There is though plenty to enjoy in neighbouring countries with decent cards at the Curragh and Deauville across the weekend. I will deal with Sunday on a separate post but my fancies for Saturday follow.

Best bet for the horse racing at Newbury

I have talked of Kemari and Arrest before and both run in the opener the 1m5f Group Three BetVictor Geoffrey Freer Stakes at 1.50. Kemari isn't the most reliable but this is his level and if on a going day, as he was winning a Listed heat over 1m4f at Newmarket last time he will go close. Arrest never really got involved on faster ground in both the Derby and the G.2 King Edward VII, but with the rain about on Friday he is likely to get ground much more to his liking on Saturday. With an ease in grade also in his favour he can get back to winning ways here. He won the 1m4f G.3 Chester Vase as he liked on heavy ground back in May and getting 6lb from his five-year-old rival is a big help. I have a bit of the 2-1. I don't have a strong opinion in the Hungerford Stakes so have decided to leave it alone.

Best bet for the horse racing at the Curragh

The 7f Group Two Coolmore Stud Wootton Bassett Irish European Breeders Fund Futurity Stakes is due off at 3.27. Henry Longfellow went straight to the head of ante-post markets for next year's Classics when winning on debut over track and trip four-weeks ago and the beautifully-bred son of Dubawi and Minding is odds-on to give Aidan O'Brien a sixteenth win in the race. The fillies Group Two the 7f Alpha Centauri Debutante Stakes looks a little more competitive at 4.00. A head separated Snellen and Pearls And Rubies in the 7f Listed Chesham Stakes at the Royal meeting and they meet again here. I wonder if Snellen was trained at Ballydoyle if the odds would be reversed here and she would be jolly? By Expert Eye out of Illumined, a daughter of Sea The Moon who won of ten and twelve furlongs in her career, she should have more to give yet and I think can beat the Ballydoyle runner again. I am on at 3-1.

Best bet for the horse racing at Deauville

The 1m4f Group Two Prix de Pomone Stakes at 3.25 is the race of interest to me in France on Saturday. Ottery looked to enjoy the step-up in trip when winning over this distance at Chatilly in the G.3 Prix de Royaumont beating the well fancied Ballydoyle raider Boogie Woogie. As three-year-old she gets the weight from her older rivals, 8lb, and with more to come over the trip I suspect she is the one for this. I will grab a price when the Bookies chalk-up.

Be lucky