Eider Handicap Chase: Donna to Delight Geordie Crowd on Eider Day

Eider Handicap Chase: Donna to Delight Geordie Crowd on Eider Day

2.45 Newcastle 4¼ miles, heavy ground, strong winds, a long home straight and one of the toughest tracks on which to see a race out all equal a very tough task indeed for these twelve runners in this encapsulated £80,000 race.  Here’s our shortlist:  Alminar Nigel Hawke is bringing this seven-year-old an awful long way to have a crack at this race and the gamble may yet pay off for the team. Having stayed on very strongly at Chepstow to…

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Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (Grade 3): Geronimo to Lead Home National Trial Tribe

Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (Grade 3): Geronimo to Lead Home National Trial Tribe

3.15 Haydock Park We have a smaller than ideal field for this £100,000 Grand National Trial, but still this line-up is a terribly difficult one to separate in the conditions which is exactly how it should be. The likes of Ballyoptic and Vintage Clouds will surely draw support from some quarters, but they don’t make our compacted shortlist of six which is headed by Elegant Escape. Elegant Escape Now a standing dish in these valuable staying handicaps, Colin Tizzard’s charge…

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Betfair Hurdle (Grade 3): Stay Awake for Morrison Gelding in Betfair Hurdle

Betfair Hurdle (Grade 3): Stay Awake for Morrison Gelding in Betfair Hurdle

3.35 Newbury County Hurdle clues are more likely than Champion Hurdle ones where this year’s Betfair Hurdle is concerned, but it looks like being another viciously competitive race once again as we look to correctly back Al Dancer’s rightful successor. Having taken all the variables into account, we’ve managed to whittle this big field down to a shortlist of six, all of whom hold chances although our selection is fair value. Harambe Only outside of the first two on four…

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SkyBet Handicap Chase (Listed Race): Ravenhill on the Road to Doncaster Glory

SkyBet Handicap Chase (Listed Race): Ravenhill on the Road to Doncaster Glory

3.15 Doncaster We have a hugely competitive renewal of this race here and we could well be going at least 5/1 the field come the off.  Plenty of the major yards are represented this time with at least ten holding some sort of winning chance you’d feel, though we’ve managed to narrow this lot down to a shortlist of six we believe we can separate from the field. Azzerti It’s not certain that Alan King’s 8-year-old is going the right…

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Peter Marsh Handicap Chase (Grade 2): Venture a Prime Punt in Peter Marsh Chase

Peter Marsh Handicap Chase (Grade 2): Venture a Prime Punt in Peter Marsh Chase

2.40 Haydock Things are tight this year in the £75,000 Peter Marsh Chase, there not being much between at least eight of these 10 runners on our private ratings. Brian Ellison’s Definitly Red only just misses out on our six-horse shortlist but is certainly not out of it, showing just how difficult a job it has been to separate these runners.  That said, the selection is backed with some confidence with plenty going in his favour. Here’s a synopsis of…

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Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle (Listed Race): Burrows to Have the Edge in Lanzarote Hurdle

Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle (Listed Race): Burrows to Have the Edge in Lanzarote Hurdle

2.40 Kempton At £45,000 this is only the second most valuable race on Kempton’s Saturday card after the fascinating Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase, however as a very competitive handicap it remains the big betting race of the day for sure. We’ve used what tools we have available to narrow this race down to a six-horse shortlist, with the selection looking very fair value for money indeed. Burrows Edge Nicky Henderson’s seven-year-old should be fit after having had a spin…

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Paddy Power Handicap Chase (Fairlawne Chase – Grade 3): Ex Patriot Far Too Big in Fairlawne

Paddy Power Handicap Chase (Fairlawne Chase – Grade 3): Ex Patriot Far Too Big in Fairlawne

2.00 Cheltenham We’re looking to get 2020 off to the best possible start with a win in the Fairlawne Chase, as it was once known, and with just twelve of them declared this time our job has in theory been made easier than it should have been. Still, we needed to whittle the field down as we do and we’ve come up with what we think are better half of the declared runners, all six of the below runners standing…

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Welsh Grand National Handicap Chase (Grade 3): Arthur’s a Punter’s Gift In Welsh National

Welsh Grand National Handicap Chase (Grade 3): Arthur’s a Punter’s Gift In Welsh National

2.50 Chepstow Given its twenty-two fences, 3¾ miles and a whole load of closely handicapped runners, the Welsh Grand National takes a great deal of winning and that is as true for punters as it is for owners, trainers and jockeys. This £150,000 spectacular is one of the genuine highlights of Christmas racing and while we could have probably genuinely pinpointed at least a dozen horses who would have had a theoretical winning chance at the earlier declaration stages, we’ve…

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Silver Cup Handicap Chase (Listed Race): Back Jerry in Ascot’s Silver Cup

Silver Cup Handicap Chase (Listed Race): Back Jerry in Ascot’s Silver Cup

3.00 Ascot Just ten are due to go to post for this year’s Silver Cup, all of them at a glance holding some sort of each-way chance in the race.  Given big weights, the need for a different track layout or ground and a lack of improvement however we’ve managed to lose five of them leaving a shortlist of five for the £100,000 contest. The ground is set to be heavy at Ascot meaning this will take some getting, but…

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Caspian Caviar Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Grade 3): Skelton’s in Pole Position to Land Saturday Feature

Caspian Caviar Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Grade 3): Skelton’s in Pole Position to Land Saturday Feature

1.55 Cheltenham This year’s renewal is a typically competitive race, but a few have great profiles and some are well-handicapped, leading us to our six-runner shortlist:  Brelan D’As Having been rerouted from his intended two-mile target after racing was cancelled on the Friday, Brelan D’As ran a blinder over this 2½-mile trip when second in the BetVictor Gold Cup last month and it seems he’s found his niche. However, as good as he was that day and with potential further…

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