Category: Horse Racing Tips

This category is all about horse racing tips.

Sandown Thursday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The pick of the action in the UK on Thursday comes from Sandown’s evening fixture with a six race card starting at 5.40.

The most interesting event on the card is the handicap for three-year-olds at 7.25 over ten furlongs. Several of these have plenty of room for improvement with three of them having won last time out. John Gosden’s Prince Of Stars has been notable by his absence since winning at Chester back in May and has been well supported in the early skirmishes for his handicap debut.

He didn’t beat much at Chester and the Wood Ditton form has taken a few knocks so he is passed over at odds of around 5-2. Mythical Madness won a poor race last time and Hoop Of Colour overcame trouble in running to win a five-runner race at Pontefract. He is up a few pounds but the form of Lady Cecil’s stable does not inspire confidence.

Luca Cumani’s Comedy King is probably better than he showed last time out while Hedge End is incredibly consistent but has not won since December. She finished well at Goodwood last week behind Magique and runs off the same mark here. She seems to try her heart out and is the each-way selection in a tricky contest.

Roger Charlton’s Tides Reach is a bit of a puzzler in the closing handicap. She has always looked more of a soft ground filly but won by eight lengths at Windsor on good to firm last time out. I think she was flattered by the runner-up having been virtually eased to a walk by Richard Hughes at the line and she is worth opposing.

I have been impressed by the way in which Silvestre De Sousa has kept his head down after the poor treatment he received from Godolphin. He teams up with Unison who has run a couple of solid races and should go close here. He is closely weighted with Sweet Martoni but can just sneak it.

Over at Brighton, I think Lear’s Rock can improve on his debut fourth at Sandown and may be good enough to beat Hawkmeister. Richard Hannon’s runner is fitted with the blinkers here after a disappointing run at Lingfield last time out. Azmaam’s run at Sandown last time is best forgotten after a tardy start and he showed enough on his debut to win Haydock’s 2.40 race.

Lear’s Rock 3.20 Brighton

Azmaam 2.40 Haydock

Hedge End (each-way) 7.25 Sandown at 7-1 BetVictor

Unison 8.25 Sandown at 5-1 Paddy Power

Goodwood Saturday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Red Avenger (tipped at 25-1) more than covered our expenses for Glorious Goodwood this week with a thrilling victory in the Betfred Mile. I must admit that I thought his chance had gone after a tardy start and he was poorly placed turning for home. All credit to Jimmy Fortune who somehow managed to get his head in front where it mattered.

As if the Mile wasn’t hard enough, we are now faced with the annual cavalry charge otherwise known as the Stewards’ Cup. Oddly enough, most of the recent winners of this race have been quite well fancied and I have two names for this year’s race.

Muthmir looked like a potential Group horse when winning at York last week. Admittedly this is a big question to ask of such an inexperienced horse just a week later but I am more concerned by his low draw. Dane O’Neill will just have to hope that there is enough pace on his side of the track, although several of the most fancied runners are drawn high.

Among them is Richard Fahey’s Alben Star. He was desperately unlucky in the Paddy Power Scurry last time out, having to be switched around horses before running on into fourth place. He will surely gain his revenge on Discussiontofollow on 7lbs better terms and will break from stall 19.

There are some very promising three-year-olds in the mile and a half handicap at 2.40. All of the early money has been for Kings Fete who holds a St Leger entry for Sir Michael Stoute. He is definitely a leading contender but I am just slightly concerned by the fact that he has been declared to run in a hood for the first time. He is also worse off at the weights with Second Step who beat him at Newbury on his debut.

I am reluctant to pass over the Cumani horse who won well last time at the same venue but the fast ground is a concern. I am just leaning towards the Mark Johnston runner, Rainbow Rock, after his fine run earlier in the week. He came from a long way back in the straight and was going on at the finish. With any other stable you would be worried about such a quick reappearance but this is second nature for the Johnston horses.

Rainbow Rock 2.40 Goodwood @9-2 William Hill

Muthmir 3.50 Goodwood @11-2 BetVictor

Alben Star 3.50 Goodwood @9-1 BetBright

Each-way ¼ odds, 1,2,3,4

Goodwood Friday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Friday’s Goodwood card opens up with the return to action of 2012 St Leger winner Encke. The 25-1 winner put paid to Camelot’s Triple Crown hopes but has not been able to race since owing to a failed drug test. He has reportedly been working well over a mile but would prefer a bit of cut in the ground and will surely be a little rusty on his comeback.

The same cannot be said of Sir Michael Stoute’s Hillstar who will be  having his fifth start of the campaign and has finished runner-up in the last three. He seemed to do nothing wrong behind Cavalryman last time at Newmarket and renews rivalry with Pether’s Moon who finished just behind him. Ryan Moore can make sure that the Stoute bandwagon keeps rolling.

The second race pitches classic form against a mixture of promising handicappers and a real dark horse from Godolphin. The famous blue silks were notable by the absence in the winner’s enclosure at the start of the week but Rapprochement looks an exciting recruit.

He wore a hood on his debut and had the rest of the field beaten fully three furlongs out, eventually winning by 11 lengths. Of course, they could all turn out to be useless but it will be fascinating to see how he copes with the likes of Shifting Power and Lightning Thunder. John Gosden’s Wannabe Yours won by nine lengths off a mark of 84 and has been put up to an official mark of 100 so he too could be in the shake-up.

The Betfred Mile has seldom been kind to me over the years. It all goes back to a “handicap good thing” of Sir Michael Stoute’s called Desert Dirham who tried to overcome a wide draw and was just about on the floor in the home straight. I also followed Stoute’s Safawan throughout his career and inexplicably didn’t back him off a light weight when he won here.

I cannot see any Safawan’s amongst this lot but the Epsom form between Velox and Red Avenger is interesting. Both were knocked sideways by Abseil’s failure to negotiate the camber and they have good draws here. Velox has since won for the in-form Luca Cumani at Sandown while Red Avenger has done not a lot. Back them both to be on the safe side.

Hillstar 1.55 Goodwood Friday @9-4 BetVictor

Rapprochement 2.30 Goodwood Friday @6-1 BetVictor

Velox 3.05 Goodwood Friday @7-1 Bet365

Red Avenger 3.05 Goodwood Friday @25-1 BetVictor (each-way)

Goodwood Thursday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Goodwood Cup day opens with yet another tricky handicap for punters to unravel. Roseburg was impressive at Haydock last time out for the in-form Luca Cumani but I’m a little concerned about the quicker ground for him.

The one that catches my eye is Amanda Perrett’s Astronereus. I strongly fancied Razor Wind at Newmarket last time but he had no answer to Astronereus once Richard Hughes had extricated him from a pocket. Arable won well at Haydock but has been given a 10lbs hike in the handicap so I shall side with the Perrett horse for a Sussex-trained winner.

Ivawood should take the Richmond Stakes but the bookmakers are taking no chances by offering only 4-7 about the July Stakes winner. His form certainly looks far superior to his rivals with the exception of Jungle Cat who will probably give him most to do.

Estimate will start favourite for the Goodwood Cup and can get the better of Brown Panther, providing the rain stays away. The latter was beaten in heavy ground in France last time out but generally shows his best with a little cut in the ground. It was good ground last year when he won decisively and he is the danger to Her Majesty’s mare.

John Gosden’s incredible season continues and I think he could spring a surprise in the Lillie Langtry Stakes at 3.45. Stella Bellissima won her only start at Newbury despite falling out of the stalls. She made her challenge on the wide outside and did well to get up and win. What tempts me to have an each-way investment on the filly here is the fact that the runner-up came out and won by 19 lengths at Newmarket! Missunited is obviously the one to beat after her magnificent effort in the Gold Cup.

Finally, in the 4.50 I’m going to recommend another speculative investment on Andrew Balding’s Secret Hint. The filly will be having only her third start and is 2lbs out of the handicap but there are question marks about many of her rivals. She is also set to receive plenty of weight from Magnus Maximus who beat her at Kempton on her debut.

The draw is a bit of a concern with stall 12 far from ideal. David Probert can hopefully get her out quickly and tuck in behind the pace. Sir Michael Stoute’s Royal Seal is feared most after running over six furlongs last time at Newmarket. That was patently too short for him and he should go well under Ryan Moore.

Astronereus 2.05 Goodwood @5-1 William Hill

Estimate 3.10 Goodwood @9-4 Betfair

Stella Bellissima 3.45 Goodwood @8-1 Paddy Power

Secret Hint 4.50 Goodwood

Goodwood Wednesday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The highlight of Wednesday’s racing action is the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

My regular readers will know that I had a 16-1 ante-post interest in Kingman for the 2000 Guineas so it was very frustrating to see him beaten close home by Night Of Thunder. He reversed that form in some style at Royal Ascot after bolting up in the Irish Guineas and is clearly the top miler of his generation.

On Wednesday he is set to meet the four-year-old Toronado, a half-length winner of this race a year ago from Dawn Approach. He flopped when tried over a mile and a quarter but was back to his best when winning the Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot last month.

Tactics are going to be vital here with both horses usually held up. There are only three other runners, two trained by Aidan O’Brien so it will be fascinating to see if he has any plans for Darwin and War Command. Outstrip ran much better at Ascot than at Newmarket and he is another that is suited by being dropped in behind. Providing the race does not develop into a crawl, Kingman should come out on top.

The card opens with a quick reappearance for Maid In Rio, one of our Ascot hat-trick on Friday. She was as easy a winner as you are every likely to see and gets in here with just a 3lb penalty. The handicapper would probably like to increase that by another 10 or 11lbs! The only question marks are the quick reappearance and the extra distance. She has another five furlongs to travel here but she won with her head in her chest last week and is impossible to oppose.

The Gordon Stakes is not the race it once was but still provides an interesting St Leger trial. Observational was very gutsy when winning here last time for Roger Charlton but connections would probably have liked to see a little more rain for him. Red Galileo was almost certainly flattered by his fifth in the Derby having been ridden to pass beaten horses.

I’m going to side with the Gosden and Buick team here with Cloudscape. He has disappointed before but finished to some effect at Ascot behind Cannock Chase and the likes of Snow Sky look vulnerable to a turn of foot. It would also make amends for Buick’s awful ride in this race a year ago when he was a fast finishing second.

Maid In Rio 1.55 Goodwood Wednesday

Cloudscape 2.30 Goodwood Wednesday @11-2 Paddy Power

Kingman 3.05 Goodwood Wednesday @4-7

Goodwood Tuesday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

We arrive at Goodwood on something of a winning streak with our last six tips having won! Muhtarram also did us proud with our each-way bet in the King George so we have a few pennies to invest at the Sussex course this week.

If Tuesday’s card is anything to go by, this could be a difficult week for punters. The opening mile and a quarter handicap seems to have just about every in-form stable represented. Following Sir Michael Stoute’s horses has been very profitable in recent weeks and Stomachion must have a good chance of continuing that trend.

He was held up on the rail at Epsom and made good late headway to finish second. Like many of tomorrow’s fancied runners, he is dropping back to a mile and a half. I think he looks rock solid each-way material.

Magic Hurricane’s form looks red hot after the Ascot victories of Pallasator and Forgotten Hero. I just wonder if this is going to prove a sufficient stamina test for either and am tempted to take a chance on Luca Cumani’s Ajman Bridge. The Cumani team is also flying at present and 10-1 looks a good each-way bet in a tough opener.

It looks impossible to get away from the claims of Beacon in the Molecomb Stakes. He dismissed Mark Johnston’s Mukhmal with consummate ease at Sandown and should be suited by bowling down the hill at Goodwood.

There seems to be plenty of confidence behind Toormore in the featured Lennox Stakes at 3.05. He was a bit of a flop in the Guineas and in the St James’s Palace and I’m not entirely convinced that seven furlongs will see him in a better light. Gregorian has been a good friend to this column over the years and I cannot discard him after his terrific run in the July Stakes. All credit for John Gosden for even entering him in the race but I feel he is really closer to a miler.

Having gone for the Cumani horse in the opener, I cannot ignore Havana Cooler in the 3.40. He and Dashing Star have met several times and there is very little between them. He seems to take an age to find his stride so I’m hoping Adam Kirby drives him into contention at the top of the straight.

Ajman Bridge 1.55 Goodwood (each-way) @10-1 Bet365

Stomachion 1.55 Goodwood (each-way) @6-1 Bet365

Beacon 2.30 Goodwood @10-11 BetVictor

Gregorian 3.05 Goodwood @7-2 Paddy Power

Havana Cooler 3.40 Goodwood @4-1 Bet365