The Festive period always provides several world class horse racing meetings. That continues on Saturday where the ITV Racing cameras will be broadcasting the pick of the racing from Newbury, Leicester and Lingfield.
As well as the prestigious Challow Novices’ Hurdle, the racing is varied and provides many chances for punters to profit nicely from the bookies. In our Saturday Racing Tips we have sifted through the cards for each of the live ITV races and picked out the most tempting options from the betting markets.
Newbury
It’s Challow Hurdle Day at Newbury on Saturday. The Grade 1 contest tops the billing on what is a strong card featuring some big names.
The rain is set to stay away which should help the numbers through the gates whilst those following along from home have a host of betting opportunities to take advantage of.
1:50pm Betway Heed Your Hunch Hurdle
ITV’s coverage from Newbury begins with a 16-runner handicap hurdle. This is a race that tends to provide competitive fields so it is not very surprising that just two favourites have obliged punters in its relatively short history. One of those favourites, Whisper, was trained by Nicky Henderson and he has another good shot with Colonial Dreams.
This is the seven year old’s first appearance since the end of April so victory will require a very good feat of training from Henderson. He has coaxed winning performances out of Colonial Dreams after a break in the past though so expect a big run at 7/1 with bet365.
2:25pm Mandarin Handicap Chase
We go from hurdles to fences for another handicap next. The Mandarin Handicap Chase is a challenging 3m2f contest where every winner had already tasted success in a chase of at least three miles in length. Open only to horses with an official rating of 135 or below, the Mandarin Handicap Chase has produced only one winner with a starting price in excess of 6/1. It is towards the top of the market that we find the most attractive option for this year’s renewal with Moving In Style well priced at odds of 11/2 with bet365.
Robert Walford’s eight year old has more chasing experience than most of those in the field which he can put to full use off a generous-looking mark. He made the odd jumping mistake last time out in what was only his second appearance for Walford and will need just a slight improvement to score in this one.
3:00pm Challow Hurdle
The Challow Hurdle is one of the biggest races for novice hurdlers this side of the Cheltenham Festival. The majority of recent winners have gone on to compete at the Festival and there is a lot of buzz about Thyme Hill going on to replicate Wichita Lineman by winning the Ballymore.
Philip Hobbs’ five year old is as yet unbeaten over hurdles with two Grade 2 successes to his name. Although the first of those wins was against a fairly weak field, he did very well to win the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham’s November meeting under a penalty. He still has to prove himself worthy of victory when he returns to Prestbury Park but can keep his unbeaten run going on Saturday with victory at odds of 11/10 with bet365.
3:35pm – Betway Novices’ Handicap Chase
The Betway Novices’ Handicap Chase has been used as a stepping stone by some very decent chasers over the years. Hopes are high among connections of each of the 11 horses in the field for this year’s renewal that their charge will kick on to have success at a higher level. So far, Diable De Sivola has perhaps been the most eye catching.
Gary Moore’s six year old is yet to break his duck over fences but he’s shown some real promise and is still very much improving. Off a decent mark, this could be the chance that Diable De Sivola has been waiting for at odds of 8/1 with Betfred.
Leicester
It’s Leicester’s Festive Race Day on Saturday, with a host of entertainment put on for the whole family.
After the racing there comes a trio of tribute acts but it’s the action on the turf that takes top billing. The ITV cameras are in attendance for the two big races, each of which is shaping up to be wide open.
2:40pm Leicestershire Silver Fox Handicap Chase
The betting for the 10 runner Leicestershire Silver Fox Handicap Chase is incredibly open with the favourite available at a host of potential winners of this 2m4f chase. Previous renewals show that this is not a race for outsiders though with the winner usually found inside the top three or four in the betting.
Night Of Sin has yet to make an appearance this season but he has still been well backed on his return. He ended the last campaign when missing out on a hat-trick and is still fairly well treated by the handicapper so offers great appeal at a price of 5/1 with BetVictor.
3:15pm Betway Heed Your Hunch Handicap Hurdle
The seven previous editions of the Betway Heed Your Hunch Handicap Hurdle have provided five winning favourites. That is a remarkable record and one which will give connections of Little Rory Mac plenty of cheer as he heads to Leicester as the 11/4 shortest priced runner.
We could be in for something of a surprise though. The 2019 renewal is shaping to be as open as we have ever seen for this 1m7½f contest and it may just go the way of Aintree My Dream who is available at 8/1 with Betfred. Fresh off a decent run just last week at Ascot, Milton Harris’s nine year old has enjoyed life since reverting to hurdles and can improve from that recent showing.
Lingfield
Lingfield knows that this period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve can be a strange time. That is why they put on their Twixmas All Weather meeting on Saturday.
There is more than enough to entertain the crowds who turn up on the day with one standout race for the ITV Racing cameras to cover, the Betway Casino Handicap.
2:10pm Betway Casino Handicap
The Betway Casino Handicap is the standout race of the day at Lingfield. From a maximum field of 16, a total of 15 horses have been confirmed for the 1m4f contest which is open to horses aged three years and older with a maximum rating of 85.
This should be a very competitive contest with several potential winners in the field. When it comes to the best value though it is Charlie Fellowes’ four year old, Pirate King, who looks the best option at odds of 7/1 with Betfred. He has been kept busy over the winter months so far but was flat last time out when trying to win over two miles. A drop back in trip should allow him to use his pace and even to dictate the tempo of this race if required.