Author: Joel Roberts

2m½f  (2m128y) Napoleons Casino & Restaurant Owlerton Sheffield Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 2)  (Class 1) (4yo+) On ratings, the 130-rated TIMETOCHILL has a lot to do to win this Grade 2, but she beat Notre Paris well enough two starts ago, and that equally-rated foe looked well handicapped when crashing out at the…

3m1½f (3m1f56y) (New) Paddy Power Cotswold Chase (Grade 2) (Class 1) (5yo+) Colin Tizzard has all but confirmed his Grade 1-winning novice chaser SLATE HOUSE a runner in Saturday’s Cotswold Chase, and at 9/1 the betting market hasn’t reacted, which really surprises me. He was the stand-out entry in the race on Monday and I…

2m½f (2m87y) Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) SHISHKIN just bolted up over hurdles at Newbury. It may have been just a maiden but, having never been sent off odds-against since his purchase, he had clearly been a hype horse from the Henderson yard since blitzing a bumper at Kempton last…

2m (1m7f216y) Read Nico De Boinville’s Unibet Blog Handicap Hurdle (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-145) This doesn’t look the deepest race as there are a fair few older, exposed handicappers and only two six-year-olds. The one I want to be in is the top-weight ELDORADO ALLEN for Colin Tizzard. He looks the yard’s first string…

2m  Matheson Hurdle (Grade 1)  (4yo+) This race looks ripe for a bet as the theme of the week at Leopardstown has been Willie Mullins-trained favourites getting turned over. Maybe there’s nothing in that, but it certainly looks like the yard aren’t firing on all cylinders and, coupled with an underwhelming return…

2m4½f  (2m4f118y) Betway Heed Your Hunch Handicap Hurdle  (Class 2) (4yo+) SEVARANO looks the bet at 5/1 in this competitive handicap hurdle. He’s won his last two starts, one of which over this course and distance, and tries handicap company for the first time off a mark of 134. On the face of his…

2m1f  Paddy’s Rewards Club “Loyalty’s Dead, Live For Rewards” Chase (Grade 1)  (5yo+) Chacun Pour Soi is a very short price on his seasonal reappearance and now, if ever, is a good time to take him on. His one big career performance came on decent spring ground at the arse end of…

2m  (Winter) Ladbrokes Football “Acca-Boosty” Handicap Hurdle  (Class 3) (3yo+ 0-140) After Epatante bolted up in yesterday’s Christmas Hurdle, the form of French Crusader and ELUSIVE BELLE has received a major boost. Both contest this handicap hurdle, and whilst French Crusader has gone up 4lb and encounters far softer going – which she apparently…

2m  (Winter) Get Your £1 Ladbrokes Free Bet Today Novices’ Hurdle  (Class 2) (4yo+) SOUTH SEAS is well worth siding with at a big price in the opener. He was rated as high as 110 on the flat, placing at Group One level, and jumped really well on his hurdling debut despite finding one…

1m7½f (1m7f152y) Betfair Exchange Trophy (A Handicap Hurdle) (Grade 3) (Class 1) (4yo+) At the time of writing, Ascot have downgraded the going for Saturday’s card to soft, heavy in places, and I strongly suspect there will be significantly fewer than the 18 currently declared for the Betfair Exchange Trophy turning up. Ante-post favourite…