Europe’s most valuable handicap hurdle looks typically competitive on Saturday. The younger generation have had the upper hand in recent years with five-year-olds winning six of the last ten. The novices head the market with last years Champion Bumper winner Ballyandy, a 9/2 outright favourite at the time of writing,…
0.5pt each-way Sandy Beach @12/1, 15:35 Sandown, Saturday
A wide-open handicap features as the penultimate race on the Sandown card, with a nice mixture of improving novices and experienced stayers. Loose Chips finished third in a veterans handicap here last time out, a course specialist, who remains in good form and is likely to set a high tempo…
1pt win Clan Des Obeaux @9/4, 14:25 Sandown, Saturday
It’s heavy going at Sandown today, where the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase takes centre stage. Five go to post including Baron Alco, trained by Gary Moore, who has put up four impressive performances this season, winning two and only being denied by a multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler in…
Ante-post each-way 'Alan King has a good week' double: Sceau Royal and Uxizandre
It was and eventful and tragic day for National Hunt racing this Saturday as ex-Grand National hero collapsed and died after gloriously lowering the colours of the Gold Cup favourite Thistlecrack in the Cotswold Chase. By virtue of perfect victories in the World Hurdle and King George, as well as…
0.75pt each-way Kotkikova @14/1, 16:00 Cheltenham, Saturday
After winning seven on the bounce, even-money favourite Unowhatimeanharry dominates the market for this year’s Cleeve Hurdle and shouldn’t have many issues giving weight away to most of the field. Some will argue Nigel Twiston-Davies’s Ballyoptic might have won the Long Walk Hurdle when falling at the last, while the 4lb…
1pt win Defi Du Seuil @6/4, 12:00 Cheltenham, Saturday
Cheltenham’s fantastic Trials card contributes to what is one of the biggest Saturdays in National Hunt racing memory, with the rescheduled Clarence House Chase stretching the card to nine big races. The opener looks fascinating, as Barry Geraghty, retained rider for JP McManus, has opted against riding Grade 1 winner…
1pt win Kimberlite Candy @8/1, 15:25 Cheltenham, Saturday
The unexposed KIMBERLITE CANDY looks the bet at 8/1 in the 15:25 Grade 2 Hurdle on Cheltenham’s Saturday card. Purchased by J P McManus after an impressive victory under Richard Johnson at Ascot, he then breezed home when odds-on at Newcastle and arrives at Cheltenham with any amount of improvement possible and now…
1pt win Bishops Road @10/1, 15:15 Haydock, Saturday
Alary is the unexposed quantity in the Peter Marsh Handicap Chase having raced in Grade 1’s over in France. He carries an entry for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, and if he can defy the burden of top-weight off a mark of 162 then he will be well worth his…
1pt win Maximiser @16/1, 13:30 Haydock; 1pt win Mohaayed @8/1, 14:05 Haydock
Frozen ground has claimed Ascot’s big jumps meeting today, denying us a chance to see Ar Mad and Un De Sceaux lock horns and shed some light on their respective Cheltenham targets. Haydock, however, has the green light and a solid card featuring several graded races. In the 13:30 novices’ chase,…
Ar Mad ante-post bets for the Cheltenham Festival
It’s not uncommon for the Cheltenham Festival’s Ryanair Chase and Queen Mother Champion Chase to attract a similar book of entries – there’s a five-furlong difference in distance and trainers like to keep their options open. Gary Moore’s AR MAD is entered in both and can be backed at odds of 25/1 for either;…