Tag: Horse Racing Tips

Pontefract Tuesday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

National Hunt racing will be making all of the headlines this week as the build-up to the Grand National goes into overdrive. The Aintree festival begins on Thursday and we will be previewing all of the big races and provide a preview of each day’s racing.

The pick of the action on Tuesday is the flat turf meeting at Pontefract which sees Sir Michael Stoute’s first runners of 2015. He does not have a reputation for having his horses fully wound up first time out but they are always a force to be reckoned with in maidens and I think Dannyday could start him off with a winner.

The son of Dansili is out of a Daylami mare and showed plenty of promise as a two-year-old. Both he and Secateur ran in the Doncaster maiden won by Commemorative in September and finished within a nostril of one another in seventh and eighth. Secateur finished his season with a fair second at Goodwood while Dannyday appeared to disappoint when only fourth at Windsor.

A closer look at the form suggests that perhaps it was a better race than it first appeared. The winner, Master Apprentice, was raised in class next time while the runner-up won at Newbury and the third is entered in the Dante Stakes at York. Dannyday has quite a rounded action so will appreciate any give in the ground at Pontefract and has the assistance of Ryan Moore in the saddle.

Stoute and Moore also team up with Gothic in the day’s feature event at 4.00. He is closely matched with Astronereus on Ascot form last season and both horses look capable of winning decent handicaps this season. Astronereus did not quite deliver as much as was promised for Amanda Perrett as a three-year-old but starts the season on a fair mark. Perrett did send out a rare first-time-out winner recently so perhaps this one can be another.

For my final selection on the card I am siding with Richard Hannon’s Thofa in the fillies’ maiden at 4.30. She ran well when finishing a close third at Newmarket and maiden races from HQ usually pay to follow. The one I fear most is Richard Fahey’s Bonds Choice who ran really well at York on her latest start. Midnight Dance attracted significant support on her second outing last season for Ralph Beckett so she could be one to keep an eye on.

Dannyday 2.30 @15-8 Bet365

Astronereus 4.00 @3-1 Bet365

Tohfa 4.30 @5-2 Betfair

Scoop6 Jackpot set to hit £1.25 million!

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Scoop6 Jackpot is expected to be close to £1.25 million on Saturday after the win fund eluded punters for a sixth successive week. As you would expect, they have not made it easy for punters with a treacherous looking card at Haydock providing five of the six races plus one from Kempton. In truth, you will probably need psychic powers or a sharp pin to unravel this lot but we’ve done our best to provide a few pointers.

2.00 Haydock

The combination of soft ground and large fields is the order of the day at Haydock starting with a gruelling three and a half mile handicap chase. At first glance, Midlands National third Woodford County has plenty of weight but his rider takes off 7lbs, leaving him just 5lbs higher than the bottom weight. Richard Johnson looks a significant booking on Incentivise who is the only one of these to have won at the distance.

WOODFORD COUNTY, INCENTIVISE

2.25 Haydock

Hindon Road blundered away his chance in a three-mile hurdle at Newbury last time and should go well off 10 stone here for Alan King and Wayne Hutchinson. Tony McCoy will be a popular choice on Upswing who is closely weighted with Gold Futures on recent form but it may be worth taking a chance on Kim Bailey’s Net Work Rouge.

HINDON ROAD, NET WORK ROUGE

2.50 Kempton

This is the only race in the Scoop6 away from the minefield of Haydock. Queen Catrine is a big of an enigma having run a fine race at Royal Ascot but done nothing since. Lady Dutch looks an altogether more straight forward ride for the in-form Marco Botti stable.

LADY DUTCH, QUEEN CATRINE

3.10 Haydock

Back over the jumps for another marathon handicap. King Of The Wolds was an easy winner last time while Astigos makes some appeal off a low weight.

KING OF THE WOLDS, ASTIGOS

3.45 Haydock

It doesn’t get any easier later in the day with another big field for the 888Sport Handicap Chase. Bob Tucker is not the fastest thing on four legs but he keeps galloping while Canuspotit looks fairly treated on his best form.

BOB TUCKER, CANUSPOTIT

4.20 Haydock

If any of you are still standing at this point, Good Luck! Only ten to choose from here! Racing Post ratings put only 6lbs between first and last. Ustica clearly wasn’t himself last time out and is worth another chance while Royale Django stayed on stoutly at Southwell.

USTICA, ROYALE DJANGO

Totesport Scoop 6

Ervedya 16-1 for 1000 Guineas after Imprudence win

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The 1000 Guineas may seem a long way off with the build-up currently in full swing for next week’s Grand National, but the first meaningful trial of the season has already taken place.

His Highness The Aga Khan won the Prix Imprudence at Maisons-Laffite on Thursday with Ervedya, a daughter of Siyouni out of a King’s Best mare. The race was over seven furlongs in heavy ground and Christophe Soumillon bided his time before cutting through the field to win impressively.

It is worth remembering that subsequent Guineas winner Miss France was only sixth in this race last year. Ervedya has top class form from last year and was boosting the credentials of favourite Found, her conqueror in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

Ervedya was badly drawn that day so had to be brought across from stall 12 and make the running. She travelled well in the lead until Found was driven up alongside and quickened away to win by two and a half lengths. Queen Bee was fifth that day and filled third spot at Maisons-Laffitte so the form is looking solid.

William Hill offer the best price of 16-1 about Ervedya for Newmarket and that would be great value on soft ground. She has won on good ground but her trainer may consider the French Guineas a better option.

Andre Fabre has confirmed that High Celebrity will run at Newmarket and will not be having a prep race. The daughter of Invincible Spirit was not risked in the testing conditions this week and will hope to make it third-time-lucky in Suffolk next month. She was beaten at odds-on in the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes in July and finished third to Tiggy Wiggy in the Cheveley Park Stakes last time.

Found reportedly had a temperature last month but is back on course for the Guineas where she is likely to be joined by Together Forever, winner of the Dubai Fillies’ Mile in October. She was runner-up to Found at the Curragh in August but improved throughout the season, winning her last three starts. The going was soft when she beat Agnes Stewart by half a length over a mile with Winters Moon just a nose away in third.

Aidan O’Brien has declared himself to be delighted with Together Forever who is currently a top price of 14-1 with Boylesports. Richard Hannon’s Tiggy Wiggy is freely available at 20-1 with question marks about her stamina while Lucida and Fadhayyil are also prominent in the ante-post market. The latter is going straight to Newmarket for veteran trainer Barry Hills following her second place in the Rockfel Stakes.

Musselburgh Friday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The main horse racing action in the UK on Friday is the All-Weather Championship meeting at Lingfield which we have reviewed separately. There is also a good quality turf meeting at Musselburgh, only the second after Doncaster’s two-day Lincoln meeting last weekend.

The card includes the veteran sprinter Borderlescott attempting to win the race named after him at 3.30. Rebecca Bastiman’s tough gelding is now thirteen years of age but still showing plenty of dash. He was only beaten a nose in this race last year by Smoothtalkinrascal but the rain-softened ground is likely to count against him on Friday.

He is joined in the field by another former Goodwood Stewards’ Cup winner in Hawkeyethenoo but he probably needs further than this five furlongs these days. The race should be fought out between Blaine and Robot Boy who are closely matched on last season’s form. Kevin Ryan had Astaire in pretty good shape for the Cammidge Trophy last week so I’m guessing that Blaine won’t be far off his best here.

By far the most competitive race on the card is the Royal Mile at 2.55. This race has attracted some really promising three-year-olds and it will be fascinating to see how it unfolds. It usually pays to keep an eye on these good quality handicaps at this time of year and I would be very surprised if there aren’t half a dozen future winners in the race.

Mister Universe and Tom Hark were both involved in races featuring subsequent Dewhurst Stakes winner Elm Park last season. The latter actually had Andrew Balding’s colt behind him at Sandown, although that was obviously flattering. He won his maiden in good style and has to be respected. Richard Fahey has his team in great form for the start of the season and both of his runners look useful. Arcano Gold and Spring Offensive both look capable of winning nice races this summer.

Fahey was particularly enthusiastic about York runner-up Spring Offensive and he is just preferred. You can never discard William Haggas runners in handicaps so it would be no surprise if Tadqeeq improves considerably on his all-weather form while Berland is another to note for the future.

Gordon Elliott will have one eye on the Grand National and Cause Of Causes at present but he sends over Bayan for the Balmoral Cup. This horse won the valuable Ladbroke Hurdle at Ascot over hurdles but is pretty useful on the flat as well and the booking of Paul Hanagan looks significant,

Bayan 2.25 @5-1 Betfair

Spring Offensive 2.55 @6-1 Betfair

Blaine 3.30 @2-1 Ladbrokes

Grand National 2015 – Aintree News Update

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Aintree Grand National is less than two weeks away now and the bookmakers are bracing themselves for a massive gamble on Tony McCoy’s expected mount, Shutthefrontdoor. We forecast this over a month ago and recommended taking the 20-1 about last year’s Irish National winner. He is now as short as 6-1 in places, generally 7-1.

Trainer Jonjo O’Neill has been sending out mixed signals, understandably starting to feel the pressure of supplying McCoy’s final ride in the race. There have been heavy hints that the champion jockey will call time immediately on his riding career if he passes the post in front on April 11th.

All three of our other recommended each-way bets remain in contention. Spring Heeled and Cause Of Causes are both now 20-1 from 33-1 while Monbeg Dude remains 33-1 after a poor prep run. Soft ground may improve the chances of Monbeg Dude, otherwise we may see him drift further in the betting.

Rocky Creek spearheads the Paul Nicholls runners and he could be joined by Unioniste, Rebel Rebellion and Mon Parrain. Last year’s runner-up Balthazar King is certain to be popular having by-passed Cheltenham this year in an attempt to go one better.

Aidan Coleman has been booked to ride the well-fancied The Druids Nephew after both Barry Geraghty and Davy Russell were ruled out through injury. It would be poetic justice for Coleman were he to pick up a spare ride and win the race, having chosen the wrong horse when Mon Mome won at 100-1 in 2009 under Liam Treadwell.

Alvarado will be bidding to continue the extraordinary run of the Rucker family who have been placed in the last six Grand Nationals, all ridden by Paul Moloney. He has had only one race since finishing fourth last year and is currently a top price of 25-1 with Coral.

I am surprised that both Lord Windermere and Many Clouds are heading to Aintree after running poorly in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Leighton Aspell has been claimed to ride Many Clouds for Oliver Sherwood, leaving Daryl Jacob to take the ride on last year’s winner Pineau De Re. Lord Windermere ran a lifeless race at the festival and is burdened with top weight here with Robbie McNamara taking the ride.

Nina Carberry will ride First Lieutenant for Mouse Morris in a bid to become the first lady jockey to win the race. Katie Walsh has come closest so far, finishing third on Seabass in 2012.

Several firms are already offering five places in the National for each-way betting. They are: Bet365, Skybet, Boylesports, BetVictor, Paddy Power, 888Sport, Betfair and 32Red.

Chelmsford Wednesday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The new flat turf season may have started on Saturday but the summer festivals seem a long way off with Britain being battered by storms this week. Flat racing fans have to content themselves with all-weather action for the time being but there is a good card at Chelmsford on Wednesday.

The feature race is the Totepool Handicap over a mile and three-quarters at 4.00 with five last-time-out winners in the field of seven. Lady Cecil saddles top weight Tacticus who has bolted up in two minor races at Southwell but the handicapper has punished him accordingly. He was never off the bridle to defy a 6lbs penalty last time but is now up a further 13lbs.

His rivals include the promising Wakea with Dubai World Cup winning rider William Buick in the saddle. The son of Cape Cross looks like a useful stayer in the making but Ryan Moore had to get after him to win on his seasonal debut. Jeremy Noseda has a high opinion of this one while Fergall made a belated start on the flat, winning by nine lengths at Lingfield. He has already won three times over hurdles so could be fairly treated on a mark of 87. I am reluctant to oppose a horse in such good form as Tacticus so he just gets the vote.

The action gets under way at 2.0 with a maiden race over a mile and a quarter. Marco Botti’s Giantouch has the best form in the book and looks sure to improve for this step up in trip but I like the filly Nawaasy. She raced very wide on her debut and was still beaten only a length at the finish. If she has made natural progress through the winter for Charles Hills, a race like this could be an ideal starting point.

Luke Morris can win the sprint at 3.00 on top weight Middle East Pearl for James Tate. He tried to cover her up in behind at Kempton last time when third to Zebs Lad, a fair effort on her first start since December. The danger may be the former Sir Mark Prescott-trained Vejovis. He has won over seven furlongs but is dropping back to the minimum trip after nearly making all over six last time.

Tate and Morris can complete a double on the card with Kempton winner Clampdown in the last race at 5.00. He carries a 6lbs penalty but this looks a much easier contest with the main threat likely to come from Three Gracez.

Nawaasy 2.00 @7-4 Bet365

Middle East Pearl 2.00 @2-1 SkyBet

Tacticus 4.00 @7-2 William Hill

Clampdown 5.00 @13-8 Betfair