Key Points
- Conditions should suit Karl Burke's contender in the Doonside Cup
- Jorvik Handicap form on show with Wathnan Racing-owned four-year-old
- Richard Fahey ready to win his third Firth Of Clyde Stakes in seven years
- Exposed handicapper who loves soft ground can land the spoils in the Ayr Gold Cup
All eyes turn to Ayr and Newbury for this weekend’s ITV Racing Tips, as we have the fiercely competitive Ayr Gold Cup and Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes to look forward to.
Because there was a lot of ITV Racing to focus on last weekend, I put forward plenty of
horse racing betting tips, and it was nice to be rewarded with a few winners. Marvelman won the Group 2 Park Stakes at Doncaster on Saturday at 6/1, Bopedro placed at 10/1 on the same day, and Al Riffa bolted up at 2/1 in the Group 1 Irish St Leger on Sunday.
That gave us a nice profit of 5pts across Saturday and Sunday from 6.5pts staked.
Looking to continue this momentum, here are my new ITV Racing Tips for Saturday’s action at Ayr and Newbury.
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BETTING ADVICE – SATURDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2025
13:50 Ayr –
Liberty Lane
@ 11/2 with
BetMGM
– 1pt Win
14:40 Newbury –
Almosh’her
@ 9/2 with
Betway
– 1pt Win
15:00 Ayr –
Catching The Moon
@ 8/1 with
BetMGM
(4 places) – 1pt each-way
15:35 Ayr –
Strike Red
@ 11/1 with
Betway
(6 places) – 0.5pt each-way
CONDITIONS SHOULD GIVE LIBERTY LANE A NICE EDGE
The Listed Doonside Cup is interesting. Almeric is unexposed, though he is running after a 158-day break, and King’s Gambit has nice form, but I’m not sold that he’ll enjoy the conditions. Furthermore, I’m not sure about Certain Lad, Caviar Heights, and Tuscan Hills in this company.
To me, Liberty Lane looks the most solid option. The softer the ground, the better he is, and this is his correct distance having been tried at 1m1f and 1m this season.
Furthermore, he looked good when beating Meydaan at Goodwood in May, and the runner-up went on to finish a good third to Giavellotto and Kalpana in the Group 3 September Stakes.
In a race that is wide-open, Liberty Lane has the right credentials to win, even if he does have to give three pounds away.
He may have finished 12th on his last two runs, but Almosh’her can get back to winning ways in the third race at Newbury on Saturday.
Let’s keep this simple. His win in the Jorvik Handicap at York in May is a strong piece of form, as the second, Stressfree, subsequently finished fourth and third in the Ebor Handicap and Old Borough Cup, respectively. The third, Plage De Havre, has won the Old Newton Cup since, and the fifth, The Reverend, won the Ripon Bell-Ringer Handicap and Old Borough Cup subsequently.
So, the form of his most recent win has worked out very well, and he was pretty dominant at York that day. Clifford Lee sat him prominently throughout and took it up with three furlongs to go. He arguably hit the front too soon, as he was travelling so well when he got to the head of the field, but he continued to find for pressure, so his performance can be upgraded in my eyes.
Yes, he was disappointing in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes and Ebor Handicap subsequently, but his Royal Ascot effort can be forgiven as he hung left-handed around a right-handed track, and the Ebor was his first run for over two months.
The ground is likely to be on the softer side this weekend, and his dam, Orange Sun, won on heavy ground, so he could well handle conditions perfectly well. If he does, he can continue to win off his lenient mark of 98.
RICHARD FAHEY’S GOOD RECORD CAN EXTEND
The Group 3 First Of Clyde Stakes is a race I want to take a swing on one in, and Catching The Moon is the right horse to do it with.
Trainer Richard Fahey has a great record in this race, as he has won two of the last five renewals. He always likes to line one up for this, and even if they don’t win, they tend to go well. Pretty Crystal finished just outside of the places in 2023, Stormy Impact finished a well-backed fifth last year, and Rosebridge was second in 2016.
Catching The Moon has a similar profile to his two winners, Umm Kulthum and Barefoot Angel, as this is her third run of the season. Umm Kulthum contested a Group race before winning this, while Barefoot Angel came into this on the back of an easy novice win at Carlisle, and that is more like what Catching The Moon has done, as she coasted home at Beverley last month.
Her debut was also a nice run, as she was an eye-catching second to the 1/12-shot Awaken. George Boughey’s Mehmas filly was second to Venetian Sun in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, and she holds entries for the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes and Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, so they must think plenty of her.
The ground is an unknown, but her dam placed on soft ground, and the soft ground-placed Pearls And Rubies is in her immediate family, so there’s hope that she will be fine.
Catching The Moon is still very unexposed, and she can take the step up here.
The Ayr Gold Cup is one of these handicaps that falls into the ‘tricky’ category, but there are enough upsides in
Strike Red
to back him here.
He is an exposed handicapper, there’s no denying that, but he has three wins on soft ground, one success on good to soft, and one second on good to soft. One of those victories occurred when he was rated 95, another when he was rated 93, and one when he was rated 92. With a current handicap mark of 95, he is well-weighted to hit the frame here.
He is also in pretty good form. His last run was poor, but he finished a good second in the Stewards’ Cup at Glorious Goodwood, and his sixth in the Sky Bet Dash Handicap at York on good ground can be upgraded, considering he was drawn in 20, and the main protagonists came from lower stalls.
He is a nice, experienced handicapper, and he can go close.
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