UK Horse Racing Tips

It hasn’t been the greatest preparation for Cheltenham 2018 from the Willie Mullins yard. The continued questions over the form of Faugheen and the injury issues of Douvan looks set to deprive him of two of his star turns, either all together or in peak form. There was also the tragic death of 2017 Stayers’ Hurdle winner Nichols Canyon. To cap it all off, he has been without regular jockey Ruby Walsh for the majority of the season.

Things have been looking up for Mullins recently though. Ruby Walsh should be back in the saddle very soon and, most importantly, a number of Mullins’ horses have started to show some excellent form in time for the Festival. Five of his best chances are discussed below, as well as their most dangerous competitors. If you are betting on the races, there are plenty of free bet promotions still available at Freebets.co.uk Free Bets: Cheltenham Festival.

Getabird:

Getabird looks like another gem unearthed by the Mullins and Ricci partnership. Four wins from four from the lightly-raced six-year-old gave reason for connections to be excited, but it was the victory in the Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Hurdle in December that really got punters noticing. A win in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle could point to a big couple of years ahead for Getabird.

Current Odds: 5/2 for Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Biggest Danger: Samcro, also 5/2 (William Hill).

Un De Sceaux:

Un De Sceaux would probably be considered a modern great had he not had the misfortune of coming up against Sprinter Sacre’s wonderful swansong period at the back-end of 2016. Still, two Grade 1 wins at the Festival demonstrate his class. He won the Ryanair Chase last year and looks likely to tackle it again. A big chance.

Current Odds: 3/1 for Ryanair Chase.

Biggest Danger: Fox Norton 11/2.

Min:

A lot of buzz has surrounded Min ever since his excellent victory in the Coral Dublin Chase in early February. That changed the whole complexion of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, with many punters expressing a preference for Min over the ante-post favourite Altior. Whether he can beat a fully-fit Altior remains to be seen, but that Dublin Chase win was a big, big statement.

Current Odds: 3/1 for Queen Mother Champion Chase:

Biggest Danger: Altior 5/4.

Footpad:

Footpad, along with Gordon Elliott’s Apple’s Jade, have probably been cited most frequently as potential winners of a Grade 1 race at Cheltenham this year. Footpad had an indifferent start to his career over hurdles (3 wins from 10) but has looked excellent since switching to chasing at the beginning of the season. The Arkle looks to be at his mercy.

Current Odds: 4/5 for Arkle Challenge Trophy.

Biggest Danger: Sceau Royal 11/2.

Killultagh Vic:

It is arguable that Willie Mullins has had better Gold Cup entries than Killultagh Vic down the years. However, circumstances may just be perfect for the nine-year-old to fill that gaping hole on Mullins’ impressive CV. Killultagh Vic was last seen falling (when leading at the last) in the Irish Gold Cup in early February, but that hasn’t stopped punters from considering him a real chance for glory. He is a gutsy performer, of the type that will relish a Gold Cup challenge.

Current Odds: 10/1 for Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Biggest Danger: Might Bite 3/1.

Dan Skelton has only been training in his own right for four years, but continues to saddle winner after winner – 133 at the last count – this season. The Warwickshire trainer has a strong contingent of novice hurdlers and, on Sunday, sends Solo Saxophone on the 300-mile round trip down the M5 to Exeter to contest the In Play Betting at 1888Bet Novices’ Hurdle (2.30). The 4-year-old Frankel colt failed to win on the Flat for Dermot Weld last season and looked well beaten, at one stage, on his hurdling debut at Catterick in December.

However, he rallied after the second last flight, overhauling the leader, Outcrop, on the run-in to win by 4 lengths going away. The third horse that day, Haulani, subsequently ran well in a better race at Kempton, but Solo Saxophone was only workmanlike when beating 50/1 outsider Titan in another run-of-the-mill juvenile hurdle at Wetherby last month.

Nevertheless, he has the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival as his main objective, so can reasonably be expected to improve with experience. In fact, he has looked far from the finished articled on both starts for Dan Skelton, so he could be worth chancing, despite taking a significant rise in class.

Selection: Exeter 2.30 Solo Saxophone to win 5/1

There is a common conception that horse racing is a peculiarly English pursuit. Given the sideshows that take place around the Grand National, Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival, with the traditional finery and the royal pomp, that is perhaps unsurprising. However, the rise of internet streaming, online bookmakers and global TV coverage has been an eye opener to an equally buoyant horse racing culture in some far flung lands.

Australia is a case in point. Most people’s knowledge of antipodean racing begins and ends with Phar Lap, but over recent years that has started to change.

Horse racing in Australia

Australia has 360 registered racecourses, more than any other nation on the globe, and they welcome some two million racegoers every year. The country is behind only the USA and Japan in terms of total prize money on offer. Australians bet more than AU$15 billion (£8.5 billion) on racing every year, and a growing band of international punters are signing up to join them. BettingPro.au is a specialist site offering free Australian horse tips to all comers, and is the perfect place to start. Here are their recommendations for the top Australian race meetings over the coming months.  

The Melbourne Cup Carnival

Think of the Cheltenham Festival but without the rain, and you have a good picture of the Melbourne Cup. It has all the swankiness, fashion and excess of any top UK race meeting, and is rapidly garnering an international following. The week-long festival takes place every November, and last year, thousands flocked to the historic Flemington Racecourse to be part of the spectacle. They were treated to a classic race in the showpiece event, when Rekindling shot to victory. The four year old gelding is already the bookmakers’ favourite to win again in 2018.

Another race held during the spring carnival in Melbourne is the Victoria Derby. Carrying a prize pot of AU$1.5 million, this takes place on the opening day of the festival, and last year, a tightly contested race was won by bookmakers’ warm favourite Aces High.

The Caulfield Cup

If the Melbourne Carnival can be likened to the Cheltenham Festival, the Caulfield Cup is Australia’s answer to the Grand National, albeit on the flat. With a purse of AU$3 million, it is the richest race run over 1.5 miles in the world. It takes place at Flemington in October, and

last year, rank outsider Boom Time caused one of the biggest upsets in Australian racing history by winning from nowhere.

The Golden Slipper Stakes

Not every major race meeting takes place in Melbourne. The Golden Slipper Stakes is the richest race in the world for two year old thoroughbreds, and is held every April at Sydney’s Rosehill Gardens racecourse. The first ever Golden Slipper was won in 1957 by legendary Australian racehorse Todman – the horse went on to sire the next four consecutive winners and his bloodline can still be found in many of today’s top winners.

The Betway Live Casino Handicap (4.40) at Southwell on Tuesday is a distinctly ordinary contest, as might be expected for the lowly grade, and probably best left to Star Ascending, who’s won two of his last four starts at Southwell. Despite a 4lb rise in the weights for his most recent success, over 1 mile 3 furlongs, last month, Jennie Candlish’s 6-year-old is only 1lb higher than when winning at Wolverhampton two years ago, and 2lb lower than when beaten a head at Southwell later that same season. Four of his opponents are out of the handicap proper and all six of them are fully exposed as moderate, at best, so anything better than even money about Star Ascending looks good value. His jockey, Joe Fanning has also been in good nick, with a 6-19 (32%) strike rate in the last fortnight, so he should not be beaten for lack of confidence in the saddle.

Selection: Southwell 4.40 Star Ascending to win – Even Money