Ben Linfoot free horse racing tips for Chester and day three of St Leger Festival Doncaster Saturday September 14

The Verdict: Saturday, September 14

1pt win Bay City Roller in 1.50 Doncaster at 7/1 (bet365, William Hill)

1pt e.w Aberama Gold in 2.25 Doncaster at 18/1 (William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)

1pt win Vera Verto in 2.40 Chester at 7/1 (General)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Go for Gold in the Portland

It’s a super Saturday in the UK and Ireland with day one of the Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown and the Betfred St Leger taking place at Doncaster, even if the latter is a slightly underwhelming renewal.

Aidan O’Brien could dominate both and he certainly has a strong grip on the Leger, with a trio of his Galileo colts in there pitching in the first four in the betting.

Any of them could win, with the raw Jan Brueghel fancied the least and the strong-staying Grosvenor Square fancied the most, but stable number one Illinois is a worthy favourite and in all honesty the race doesn’t appeal from a betting point of view.

Much will depend on tactics and how much rope they give Gavin Ryan on Grosvenor Square, but it’s a tough race to make all in – two decades have passed since Rule Of Law was the last horse to make all in the Leger – and with that in mind I’d rather just watch the race and see what happens.

Ditto the Irish Champion Stakes where Economics takes on Auguste Rodin and company in a potential thriller, but for Saturday bets I’ll stick to the Doncaster undercard and Chester.

The Betfred Portland Handicap over five-and-a-half furlongs is the big betting race on Town Moor and the pace looks middle to stands’ side with Apollo One, Bergerac, Get It and Hiya Mate amongst those likely to set the gallop.

Vintage Clarets was on the radar for this until he halved in price and Desert Cop was considered again after he was undone by the draw at York, but at 18/1 I can’t resist siding with ABERAMA GOLD who loves Doncaster.

David O’Meara’s seven-year-old has Doncaster form figures of 1-2-2-3-2-0-1 and his two wins came off ratings of 92 and 96, so he’s immediately of interest from a perch of 87 on Saturday.

Rated 100 at the start of the campaign, 10 defeats this year has seen his rating plummet, but he’s a horse that finds his level and the last time he dropped to this type of mark he made hay.

His last run on turf, off 90 at Ayr in mid-July, was a clear signal he’s ready to win again, and he might’ve got his head in front that day granted better luck in the run, while 12 months previously a good effort in the same race was the catalyst to a golden summer.

Since Ayr he’s run twice in the Racing League on the all-weather at Wolverhampton and Newcastle, but I reckon he needed a stronger gallop at the former track and he never runs well at Gosforth Park, so I’m happy to overlook those recent runs.

He’ll love a hell-for-leather gallop at his beloved Doncaster and while in a perfect world there would be more juice in the ground, every negative you can think of is factored into his price and he’s worth an each-way bet.

The Verdict: Back ABERAMA GOLD in the 2.25 Doncaster

City slicker can land Champagne

Earlier on Chancellor looks a worthy favourite in the Group 2 Betfred Champagne Stakes but the ship has sailed when it comes to his odds and consequently one or two dangerous rivals are available at tempting prices.

With the George Scott yard in good form I do think his BAY CITY ROLLER is worth getting with at 7/1 as he has shown a good level of ability and a winning attitude in his two starts to date with the promise of plenty more to come.

Well backed to win a Sandown maiden at the end of July, he travelled like he was a class above his rivals and he defied greenness to knuckle down and get the job done, while he improved on that run under a penalty at Chelmsford next time.

Sent off 4/9 favourite that day, he was expected to win but he bumped into a highly thought of Ralph Beckett newcomer and time may tell that was a good effort to see him off conceding 7lb, with the pair well clear of the rest.

I like getting with New Bay progeny as we head into the latter part of the Flat season and this colt looks one of his better juveniles with a few Group 1 entries next to his name.

Again, he might be even better on softer ground, but there’s a good chance his stamina will get drawn out anyway and he looks a little underestimated in this company.

The Verdict: Back BAY CITY ROLLER in the 1.50 Doncaster

VV for victory at Chester

Finally, I like the look of Gavin Cromwell’s VERA VERTO in the Livescore Bet Watergate Cup in the heavy ground at Chester over two miles.

The six-year-old mare should handle conditions well considering she has won in similar ground at Listowel and she has proven herself on her travels by winning at Newmarket last season.

Last time out at Killarney she caught the eye running on in second behind a top English-trained stayer in Prydwen and the BHA handicapper has her just 1lb higher here.

Cromwell has booked Adam Farragher (4/13 at 31% at Chester) for the ride and given she won off a higher mark at Newmarket she looks well treated for her first go at two miles on the level.

She stays 2m4f over hurdles and the trip could easily be the catalyst for further improvement.

The Verdict: Back VERA VERTO in the 2.40 Chester

Preview posted at 1555 BST on 13/09/24

Click here for full Ben Linfoot tipping record

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.