Haydock Saturday tips – Copybet
Grade 1 action is back in Britain on Saturday afternoon with a top-class seven-race card from Haydock.
The feature race is the Grade 1 Betfair Chase where Grey Dawning will bid to go one better than last season.
We have picked out selections for three of the seven races on Saturday, including a fascinating runner switching back to hurdles.
Ma Shantou – Haydock
The Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle appears competitive but Ma Shantou looks like a horse going places and there’s an argument to say he should be shorter in the betting.
Ma Shantou won in better style than the winning margin suggested when getting the better of Electric Mason at Cheltenham and he came in for some significant market support that day.
A 9lb rise may look tough but that was a highly competitive heat and he’s entitled to come on for that first run of the season.
The ground has come in his favour once again here and it would be no surprise if he won this before he’s put away for a spring campaign later in the season.
Knappers Hill – Haydock
Another one that will appreciate conditions at Haydock on Saturday is Knappers Hill for Paul Nicholls, who could be in for a good day with a host of strong chances at both Haydock and Ascot.
Knappers Hill was back to something like his best when last seen winning a Grade 2 novice chase in November 2023, and while the absence since is an obvious concern, he has a cracking record fresh reading 1111112 on the back of absences of 60 days or more.
This horse looked like he was potentially going to be a Grade 1 star a few seasons ago and his trainer’s patience can be rewarded having been found a good opportunity here against others that are lacking a recent run (bar the outsider of the field).
Cormier – Haydock
Brian Ellison is a talented dual-purpose trainer and he has an intriguing runner in the Class 2 Handicap Hurdle on the card.
Cormier is the horse in question. This son of Born To Sea got his head back in front on the level at Nottingham last time out with a facile success and he returns to this sphere on a very workable handicap mark.
He’s won four times over timber and is now 13lb below his last winning mark despite only six runs since that success in 2022.
His latest run over hurdles at Kelso earlier in the year was encouraging when sixth of 18 in the Morebattle and all his best form in this sphere has come with good in the going description, conditions which he’ll get on Saturday.
This doesn’t look like the strongest race around, with a couple of rivals likely to need the run, and Cormier is taken to make a winning return to hurdles for a yard that gets their fair share of Haydock winners.