talkSPORT betting tips – Best racing bets and expert advice for Newmarket Friday 2 May

A major weekend in the racing calendar begins at Newmarket on Friday as the Guineas Festival gets up and running ahead of the opening British Classics of the year over the weekend.

There's a seven-race offering from Headquarters on day one, with Friday's action getting started at 1.10pm and running through until 4.45pm, with the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes headlining at 4.05pm. Our three best bets for day one of Newmarket's Guineas Festival are below.

Friday Newmarket tips

• 1.45 Newmarket – Alpine Trail –
• 2.55 Newmarket – Hornsea Bay –
• 4.05 Newmarket – Silver Knott –

1.45 Newmarket – Alpine Trail –

Charlie Appleby's string are in superb fettle going into the Guineas Festival, with the Newmarket handler boasting a 29 per cent strike-rate with his runners in the fortnight leading up to this prestigious weekend.

He'll have high hopes that ALPINE TRAIL can continue that good run by maintaining his unbeaten record in the Listed Nyetimber Newmarket Stakes over a mile-and-a-quarter.

The Dubawi colt coasted to victory on debut at Wolverhampton in February over this sort of trip on the Tapeta, easily justifying odds-on favouritism.

He switched to turf at Yarmouth (1m2f, good) last month and came clear by nearly four lengths from a rival that won his two starts either side of that race for Marco Botti. Alpine Trail is rising in class but looks worthy of the challenge and can take it in his stride.

2.55 Newmarket – Hornsea Bay –

One mile is the journey in store for these three-year-olds in a Class 3 handicap as they get to tackle the Guineas course and distance ahead of the Classics to come at the weekend.

A decent field of nine are engaged and one that might be underestimated is HORNSEA BAY for trainer David O'Meara.

The New Bay colt showed pleasing ability last season as a juvenile, scoring stylishly in an Ayr novice (1m, good) on his debut in September at their prestigious meeting and then he was edged out narrowly under a penalty over the same course and distance in October when just unable to peg back all-the-way winner Last Galileo from the Karl Burke team after they had left their rivals strung out behind them.

Hornsea Bay was much too keen in his comeback race at Nottingham three weeks ago and duly paid the price late on. He goes handicapping now off a mark of 88 and gets Jamie Spencer on board for the first time in an attempt to get him to conserve his energy for when it really matters. His shrewd connections will be hoping there is a bigger effort in him.

4.05 Newmarket – Silver Knott –

The day one feature race is the Jockey Club Stakes over a mile and a half, and the Appleby/William Buick team are fancied for further success with SILVER KNOTT.

The gelded son of Lope De Vega won the Autumn Stakes over a mile at this course as a two-year-old in late 2022 but ran down the field in the 2000 Guineas of 2023 as Chaldean scored.

Since that run, connections have been keen to steer clear of softer ground and he has become a globe-trotting success with big-race victories in America in 2024 before he started this campaign by winning in a Meydan Group 2 in March.

He's back on UK soil now, gets his preferred ground and his main market rival Ambiente Friendly continued to show his quirky side in the Earl Of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket on his comeback for new trainer James Owen last time. 

Going up in trip will help that horse in a first-time tongue-tie but Silver Knott is a proven performer under these conditions and can provide his trainer and jockey team with a second win in this race in three years.

*

*all odds correct at time of writing and subject to change

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