The National Hunt season is really in full flow now with top class cards taking place pretty much every weekend. There’s certainly plenty of quality action for racing fans to enjoy on Saturday courtesy of the cards at Aintree and Sandown.
A return to racing on the Grand National course at Aintree will give some valuable clues for the biggest race of all in April whilst the Tingle Creek Chase takes centre stage at Sandown. In total, there are eight big races worth looking at on Saturday which is exactly what we’ve done in our Saturday Racing Tips.
Aintree
Racing over the Grand National fences is always special and racing fans will head to Aintree in their droves for Saturday’s Becher Chase Raceday.
The titular race is the headline contest of the day but there’s a host of quality contests taking place and plenty of scope for punters to potentially win big from the bookies.
1:30pm Becher Handicap Chase
The headline Becher Handicap Chase is the first Aintree race being covered by ITV Racing. It’s sure to be a cracking start to the coverage with several horses in with a real chance of landing the sizeable first prize on offer. The likes of One For Arthur (9/1 with Ladbrokes) and Vieux Lion Rouge (10/1 with bet365) have both had previous success at the Grand National course and are understandably getting support in the betting. However, the best bet may well be on last year’s Becher Chase winner, Walk In The Mill.
At 9/1 with bet365, Walk In The Mill hasn’t been missed by the bookies but that price still looks like value. The nine year old is running off a mark of just four pounds higher than when he won this race 12 months ago, is an excellent chaser and shouldn’t have any issues with the soft ground at Aintree so is the one the others have to beat.
2:05pm Download The App At Virgin Bet Fillies’ Juvenile Hurdle
We could be looking at some stars of the future in the Download The App At Virgin Bet Fillies’ Juvenile Hurdle. The 14 three year olds in the field each have a huge amount to prove but those at the head of the market have already shown glimpses of quality. That’s the case with Operatic Export who did some good work on the flat before switching to Dr Richard Newland’s yard just last month. If she is not put off by her first appearance over hurdles, Operatic Export may well make a winning National Hunt debut at 9/2 with bet365.
2:40pm Many Clouds Chase
The field assembled for the Many Clouds Chase can rightly be described as small but select. Only four horses will go to post but among them are the first two horses home in the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup – Native River and Might Bite. These two have a tremendous rivalry which has engrossed jumps racing fans for some time now and it is the sort of race that you simply can’t miss as both horses get their campaign for another Gold Cup underway in this 3m1f, Grade 2 race.
The bookies favour Colin Tizzard’s charge for the race which looks like the right call. Native River came out on top in the Gold Cup and whilst he was unable to make an impact in the closing stages of last year’s Cheltenham spectacular, he remains a chaser of the highest calibre who should get the job done in the Many Clouds Chase at 6/5 with bet365.
3:15pm Grand Sefton Chase
The Grand Sefton Chase is another highly regarded handicap taking place over the Grand National course at Aintree on Saturday. As ever, a very strong field has been assembled for this 2m5f handicap which includes 18 challenging fences.
There’s plenty of value around from the 14 horses confirmed for the race with Federici (33/1 with Betfair) and Hogan’s Height (25/1 with Ladbrokes) worth considering if you’re looking for an outside bet. The best value, however, lies with Killaro Boy at 10/1 with Ladbrokes. He ran well at Aintree on his first appearance of the season and has every chance of following up with a big win for Henry Oliver.
Sandown Park
Everybody connected with Sandown Park is rightly proud of the Tingle Creek Chase. It’s the biggest jumps race of the season and the racecourse and one of the most prestigious contests this side of Christmas.
A typically strong field has been assembled for the 2019 Tingle Creek which is supported by some other very good races on Saturday’s Sandown card.
1:50pm Henry VIII Novices’ Chase
The Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase is right up there with the biggest prizes of the lot for novice chasers in the early stages of the season. It’s certainly a very important race for horses who have a chance of landing one of the big novice chases at the Cheltenham Festival. Torpillo is one of those who has a very good chance of Cheltenham success and he has understandably been made favourite for the King Henry VIII Chase.
Not only is Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse a high level performer already, he also gets an allowance as a four year old. The good to soft ground should also suit him down to a tee so Torpillo is the one to be on at 9/4 with Betfair.
2:25pm December Handicap Hurdle
The last 10 renewals of the December Handicap Hurdle have produced just the one winning favourite. The make up of the field for this year’s running suggests that punters could be in for another tough choice when it comes to which horse to support.
There are several tempting candidates in the betting. Last year’s winner, Man Of Plenty is well priced to defend at 14/1 with Coral whilst Groveman looks a solid outside bet at 20/1 with Ladbrokes. However, preference goes to Sleep Easy at 16/1 with bet365. Sophie Leech saddle last year’s winner and is confident about the chances of her seven year old following in Man Of Plenty’s footsteps and to follow on from his win last time out at Taunton.
3:00pm Tingle Creek Chase
The Tingle Creek Chase is, for many, the most exciting race of the whole weekend. The £150,000 Grade 1 goes on to set the tone for the minimum distance chasing division with many previous winners going on to be major players in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Defi Du Seuil is already well backed for success at Cheltenham but the Tingle Creek favourite may just find the competition a little too strong for him on Saturday.
It’s tough to get overly excited about the odds available on the favourite when Politologue can be backed at 9/2 with Ladbrokes. Paul Nicholl’s eight year old didn’t really threaten Defi Du Seuil when they met just a few weeks ago in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham but they’re back competing on level weights this time around and the 2017 Tingle Creek winner can win his title back.
3:35pm London National Handicap
The final race of the day at Sandown comes in the shape of the London National Handicap. This is another race which has been tough for punters to unpick of late with the last three winners going in at 12/1, 14/1 and 10/1 respectively. With all due respect to Classic Ben, it doesn’t look as though we’ll see that run interrupted by a winning favourite so the wise play is looking for an each way play.
There’s already been a fair amount of money come in for Shanroe Santos who has come in from 14/1 to 11/1 with Coral. Lucy Wadham’s 10 year old blew away the cobwebs with a decent run at Fontwell a few weeks ago and can come on from that to land a place but make sure to keep an eye on his price as he may well be subject to a gamble.