NORTHUMBERLAND PLATE PRETTY POLLY STAKES AND IRISH DERBY BETTING TIPS

There's plenty of exciting racing happening all weekend, but we've picked out the three biggest races to focus on and provide a bit of insight, while hopefully spotting a bit of value. We'll be examining the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle, as well as the Pretty Polly Stakes and Irish Derby at Curragh.Northumberland PlateThe Northumberland Plate at Newcastle is really wide open and I've got my eye on two of the contenders here. Judgethemoment is in excellent form and is 100% so far this year from three races, including an epic victory in the Ascot Stakes where he bested a field of 20. He's also won the Diamond Wedding Handicap and the Arc Legal Handicap at Kempton. This is a horse poised on the precipice of success and I'm expecting a lot more from this four year-old going forward. Incredibly, he is 10/1 at Paddy Power and I say jump all over that bet. The other one I've got my eye on is Hits Only Vic, a low-profile American horse who's 1 for 1 this year with a victory over 15 at Haydock in the Turftv.co.uk Stakes. 16/1 is a solid enough bet for me and a Judgethemoment/Hits Only Vic forecast would pay off nicely. Pretty Polly StakesLook Here put in a strong showing against Ask at the Epsom Coronation Cup, which was his first outing of the year. He looks well-placed to strike here against Katiyra, who is owned by the Aga Khan. Katiyra is an interesting story, as he's going for his first time out this year, he ended last year on a 113 and could turn on the afterburners in the final few furlongs. Paddy Power has Katiyra at 3/1 while Look Here sits at 7/4. Dar Re Mi looks poised for a 2nd or 3rd place finish based on form and experience against this type of company. Lush Lashes isn't exactly in the best form this year and could be ripe for a place bet if you're feeling a bit brave. Irish DerbyIn the 2009 running of the Irish Derby, we've got some very familiar names at the top of the order and it reads identical to the 2009 Epsom Derby top three. Sea the Stars is odds-on at most bookmakers, but you'll find him at evens with Paddy Power. He beat out the field at Epsom and I don't see things switching up too much over this distance, and I actually fancy a straight tricast here to form up exactly how it did in the last running. I'd backed Masterofthehorse heavily to place last time and I wasn't disappointed, I'll be making the same bet again as he's a shoo-in to finish top three. Fame and Glory gave it 110% last time, but was clearly beaten by the better horse. I would do up a few forecasts with Sea the Stars/Masterofthehorse and Sea the Stars/Fame and Glory as a bit of a hedge on the straight tricast. Gan Amhras is expected to provide competition, as is Golden Sword, but Gan's 11th showing at Epsom (almost dead last) doesn't inspire much more confidence than the 12/1 pricetag should. Golden Sword did a bit better at Epsom, finishing 5th, and at 20/1 is worth a punt on an each-way if you're looking for a combo-breaker.