It doesn’t take long for the world of horse racing to go Cheltenham mad after Christmas and we very much include ourselves in that. This weekend’s racing certainly caters for those looking ahead to the March extravaganza. There are some excellent contests to enjoy from both Warwick and Kempton on Saturday and we have picked out the best bets from all the live ITV races below. However, many canny punters will be viewing the action with an eye on which horses have a chance of winning at Prestbury Park in March.
Warwick
There are four races of note for the ITV Racing cameras to cover at Warwick.
They begin with a couple of novices’ contests which include a few horses who will likely go on to bigger things before the always intriguing Classic Handicap Chase and last of all a qualifier for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham.
1:50pm Hampton Novices’ Chase
The Hampton Novices’ Chase is the first ITV race of the day and this is certainly one where it should be worth taking some notes. This 3m, Grade 2 contest could produce a couple of horses who go on to have an impact at the Cheltenham Festival. It also carries a decent £35,000 first place prize which has attracted entries from some powerful yards so there are certainly a few horses in with a chance.
Colin Tizzard is one such trainer and he has high hopes of earning a win in this race, with Highest Sun well placed to at least go close at odds of 9/4 with BetVictor. He was only seen a week before Christmas but was hardly pushed hard in a two-horse race at Plumpton. The five-year-old is getting better all the time and could head to Cheltenham on the back of a win in the Hampton Novices’ Chase.
2:25pm Leamington Novices’ Hurdle
We have another Grade 2 race to enjoy next up as we seek to build the balance through the day. The Leamington Novices’ Hurdle has been won by some very good novices over the years. The three winning favourites in the last decade went in at 1/2 and 6/4 (twice) but there is no such strong favourite this time around. Decor Irlandais is towards the top of the betting at best available odds of 4/1 with BetVictor and warrants support.
If you’re looking to take the top of the market on though, consider the longer odds of 8/1 that Coral are quoting about Tea Clipper’s chances. This is a serious step up in class for Tom Lacey’s five-year-old but he’s won all three of his starts over hurdles so far. He also showed an ability to dig deep and some excellent jumping which suggests a step up to 2m5f could bring out even more from him. That said, we think 4/1 on Decor Irlandais is very good value so that’s our pick here.
3:00pm Classic Handicap Chase
This is the race that has most punters excited at Warwick and arguably over the whole weekend of racing. The Grade 3 Classic Handicap Chase has been used by horses as a warm up for the Grand National in the past, including by One For Arthur who won both races in 2017.
David Bridgwater has only an outside chance of winning the Grand National but he does have a far more lively chance to take centre stage in the Hampton Novices’ Chase with The Conditional well priced for the win at 9/2 with Ladbrokes. The eight-year-old looks to have the best days of his career ahead as he steps into the realms of real staying trips. The Conditional’s performance when finishing second in the Ladbrokes Trophy certainly caught the eye and he can go one better at Warwick.
3:35pm Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle
The final race of the Warwick card offers a direct route to Cheltenham. The Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle is a qualifier for the race of the Pertemps Final at the Festival. Whether any of those in the field at Warwick have the required quality to win again in March remains to be seen but there is little doubt that we’ll see an exciting, competitive race on Saturday.
Tedham has had more support than most for this 3m1f contest. Jonjo O’Neill’s six-year-old has made fairly steady progress since graduating from the ranks of the novices and showed plenty of stamina last time out in a similar race at Haydock. His progress looks to be in excess of his official rating so for us he looks very well set for a good run at odds of 5/1 with bet365.
Kempton Park
The ITV cameras are interested in three races from Kempton’s Saturday card.
The Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase has a quality field even if there is no Altior and is followed by two exciting handicaps.
2:05pm Silviniaco Conti Chase
The to and fro as to whether the mighty Altior would make the trip to Kempton was the big story ahead of the Silviniaco Conti Chase. He remained in the betting just two days before the race but was declared a non runner later on Thursday. That leaves just five horses competing in this Grade 3, 2m4½f contest, a rather disappointing turnout. Value may be hard to find in this one and we have an odds-on favourite in the shape of Top Notch.
The popular Frodon should be the favourite based on the official ratings but his two performances thus far have been a long way from his best. Connections of each of Kauto Riko, Born Survivor and Keeper Hill will all hope their horses can have an impact but it’s going to take something special from any of them to wrestle this race away from Top Notch. The nine-year-old has won on both of his outings so far this season and should complete the hat-trick at 8/11 with Coral.
2:40pm Lanzarote Hurdle
Younger winners have been the order of the day recently in the Lanzarote Hurdle. This 2m5f handicap usually goes the way of a horse who has flown under the handicapper’s radar with only three of the last 10 winners carrying more than 11st 2lb.
Notre Pari has not been missed by the bookies (he’s the 3/1 favourite with bet365) but his official mark of 130 does suggest the handicapper has not caught up with him yet. Yes, he has been punished for his win last time out at Aintree but the quality of his performance when stepped up to 2m4f suggests this six-year-old will relish an extra furlong and can delight favourite backers.
3:15pm Try Unibet New Uniboosts Handicap Chase
There’s another handicap next up at Kempton, this time over the bigger obstacles. This contest takes place over 3m and includes 18 fences. The field for this, the eighth edition of the race, looks as competitive as ever but it’s worth noting the number of winners there have been at short prices. Three of the last four renewals went the way of the favourite and there’s only been one winner at double figure odds.
Touch Kick is one of a number of horses battling for favouritism. For the second year running, Touch Kick got his season off to a winning start with victory at Fakenham. He failed to follow that up leading to more questions about his ability to win against big fields. Paul Nicholls’ nine-year-old is well suited to 3m though and runs off a fairly lenient mark so the 4/1 that bet365 are quoting seems fair and is big enough to tempt us in.