ITV RACING TIPS – SUNDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 2025 – IRISH CHAMPIONS WEEKEND

This weekend is a great couple of days for horse racing with both the St Leger Festival and Irish Champions Weekend on our screens, and there is more ITV Racing action to follow on Sunday.

I have four horse racing betting tips across Doncaster and the Curragh to conclude this weekend, three of which are big each-way prices, which will be shown live on ITV Racing.

Let’s dive into Sunday’s ITV Racing Tips.

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BETTING ADVICE – ITV RACING TIPS

14:30 Doncaster – Defence Minister @ 17/2 with Betway (5 places) – 1pt each-way

15:00 Doncaster – Purosangue @ 9/1 with BetMGM (5 places) & Aalto @ 16/1 with BetMGM (5 places) – 0.5pts each-way

16:25 Curragh – Al Riffa @ 2/1 with BetMGM – 1pt Win

DEFENCE MINISTER CAN GET HIS HEAD IN FRONT AFTER TWO PROMISING EFFORTS

The ITV Racing from Doncaster kicks off at 14:30 with a seven-furlong handicap, and Defence Minister must have a good chance for Wathnan Racing and Hamad Al Jehani.

The Too Darn Hot colt has tried handicap company three times so far this season, finishing second in one and fourth in another. All three handicaps were very competitive races, and he showed himself to good effect at both Sandown and Goodwood.

I was particularly impressed by his mid-race move with two furlongs to go at Goodwood in late July, and he kept on nicely alongside his fellow owner-mates, Native Warrior and Fine Interview.

He’s shown promise off his mark of 93 before, and he should be fine with any softer ground.

VALUE TO BE FOUND IN COMPETITIVE SPRINT HANDICAP

I'm hoping the softer ground at Doncaster remains, as I have been waiting for Purosangue to race in a winnable handicap on a slower surface.

I really fancied him to run well in the Stewards’ Cup last season, but he blew out massively, potentially due to the faster ground. The case for him last season was based on his solid Group form alongside Jasour, Makarova, Inisherin, and Big Evs, and that form is still relevant here.

He’s been slightly disappointing this season, but because of this, he’s dropped to a very workable mark of 96, and he was sent off 9/1 for this year’s Stewards’ Cup when the ground was officially good to soft. That fact is notable in this sphere because he is now rated seven pounds lower.

He used to be a Group-level horse, and if he runs to that level, he is well-handicapped to strike for the in-form Andrew Balding yard.

As for Aalto, he’s a bit of an in-and-out type, but he was super impressive in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket three starts ago, and that form looks really smart now. More Thunder, the winner, has won the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes, Ebt’s Guard has won the Shergar Cup Mile since, and Run Boy Run was fourth in the Stewards’ Cup subsequently.

I don’t think his mark of 94 will stop him if he runs to the same level as his Bunbury Cup effort, and he is a big price to do so.

AL RIFFA TO CONTINUE SUCCESSFUL RUN TO THE MELBOURNE CUP

The final horse on my list of horse racing tips for Sunday comes from the Group 1 Irish St Leger, and I have no reason to ditch Al Riffa in this company.

Why? Well, he is a three-time course winner, he finished second in last year’s Coral-Eclipse to City Of Troy on soft ground, and he is clearly in good form based on his five-length success in the Group 2 Curragh Cup. His last run was the first time this Wootton Bassett entire had tried 1m6f, and he relished it under Dylan Browne McMonagle. He picked it up at the one-furlong post and strongly galloped through the line.

Yes, the field he beat wasn’t vintage, but his other bits of form alongside Ace Impact, Rebel’s Romance, and Sosie are good enough to show his ability. He is well within his rights to win this before heading to the Melbourne Cup later this year.

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