What you need to know to start your day including going from all the tracks

This is a Saturday without any Group 1s and only an assumed feature meeting, but perhaps as a direct result it is one of the most varied Saturdays on the British racing calendar.

Newbury is, by most measures, the main card and there the seven-furlong specialists get their chance in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes. The Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes reprises its role as an occasional St Leger trial and the Listed Denford Stakes (the Washington Singer in recently-old money) contains plenty of juveniles with the right background yet to show matching credentials.

Ripon's big day of the year provides a top sprint handicap, the historic Great St Wilfrid Stakes, while high-level handicaps are also the order of the day at Doncaster and Newbury. Over jumps, Perth and Market Rasen both race with the former probably edging it on quality.

In Ireland, the St Leger Trial at the Curragh leads, with most interest centering on Order Of St George's first run since his Gold Cup defeat at Ascot. That card is supported by the continuation of the Tramore festival.

Going report

Newbury - first race 1.20
Soft, good to soft in places (GoingStick reading of 6.0 at 7.30am on Saturday)

Doncaster - first race 1.25
Good, good to firm in places (GoingStick 7.9 at 6.45am on Saturday)

Curragh - first race 1.45
Yielding to soft (straight) and yielding on the round

Perth - first race 2.00
Soft (good to soft in places in home straight) ((from good to soft, soft in places - GoingStick 5.9 at 6.45am on Saturday))

Ripon - first race 2.05
Good (GoingStick reading of 7.9 at 6am on Saturday)

Newmarket - first race 2.10
Soft (from good to soft)

Tramore - first race 4.50
Soft

Market Rasen - first race 4.55
Good (good, good to soft in places on chase course - GoingStick reading of 7.9 hurdle, 7.8 chase at midday on Thursday)

Bath - first race 5.10
Good to soft, soft in places (from good, good to soft in places - GoingStick reading of 6.6 at 7am on Saturday)

Market movers

1.55 Doncaster 9 Insurplus 7-1 (from 12)
2.30 Doncaster 5 Stream Song 11-8 (from 11-4)
2.40 Ripon 8 Red Pike 12-1 (from 20)
4.40 Newbury 6 So Celebre 11-2 (from 14)
5.20 Doncaster 2 Buonarroti 8-1 (from 14)

Key non-runners

1.50 Newbury Ventura Knight
2.25 Newbury Horseplay
2.45 Newmarket Ultimate Avenue & Victory Angel
3.00 Newbury Realize, Sun Lover, Hyde Park, Scottish Glen, Mamillus & Mr Bossy Boots
3.00 Ripon Kachy
3.35 Newbury Mix And Mingle, Spangled & Daban

What's on today

There will be new the confirmed entries for Friday of York's Ebor festival next week, but as a rule Saturdays are all about the now.

Besides the UK and Irish action listed above, keep an eye out for Senga and Sobetsu, among others, in a lip-smacking Prix de la Nonette (2.50) at Deauville.

Stateside this evening, Saratoga in New York somehow hosts the Alabama Stakes, while on the west coast at Del Mar the Pacific Classic, in which Arrogate bids to bounce back, and Del Mar Oaks take place in the early hours of Sunday.

What to back

Our tipsters have their usual advice on a busy Saturday here, while Richard Birch delivers another Banker.

We also have our usual premium tipping, such as Pricewise and Gerald Delamere. (Members' club)

What to read

Our regular columnists Richard Hughes and Freddy Tylicki have their say.

Jamie Spencer shares his thoughts on race-riding in the latest instalment of our Secrets Of The Saddle series.

For something a little lighter, racing broadcaster Rishi Persad has nominated a rather timely top five, naming his favourite West Indian cricketers.

What to watch

The weekend Postcast team have their work cut out. Watch the whole thing here.

Catch Lady Aurelia working at York under Frankie Dettori ahead of her Nunthorpe bid next week.

Plus Jimmy Sullivan talks about riding Pipers Note in the Great St Wilfrid.

The best of Racing Post Sport

Our football experts have provided their tips for the weekend action, starting with Swansea versus Manchester United.

Elsewhere, the Vuelta A Espana begins this weekend, albeit in France, and our team look towards the last of the year's three grand tours.

Final thought

The diet for seven-furlong horses in Europe really is bottom-heavy in terms of the calendar. Of the open-age, open sex Group races in Britain, only the Criterion Stakes takes place before Goodwood. From there we have the Lennox Stakes, Hungerford, Park Stakes and Challenge Stakes among a couple of others. Even the Group 1 options in France (the Foret and, effectively, Maurice De Gheest) are this side of Goodwood.