UK Horse Racing Tips

In the opening Henry Semmence 60th Birthday Tour Handicap (2.00) at Lingfield on Friday, Skidby Mill was, understandably, completely outclassed by Volunteer Point and company in the All-Weather Fillies’ and Mares’ Championships Conditions Stakes a week ago, but had previously been in excellent form and can resume winning ways. In fact, Laura Mongan’s 6-year-old is just 1lb higher than when winning over course and distance, in this grade, earlier this month, so must surely be involved in the finish if sufficiently recovered from last week’s exertions.

Her latest win came in a five-runner affair, in which all of her rivals pulled hard, but she displayed a willing attitude at the head of affairs when joined with half a mile to run and she can record her fourth course and distance win under Jim Crowley and her eighth in all. Quite what connections we trying to achieve by running her against opposition rated up to 35lb superior last week is hard to fathom, but this is her level and she can earn due reward for her consistency.

Selection: Lingfield 2.00 Skidby Mill to win

It seems like no time at all since the excitement of the Cheltenham Festival and yet top racing action is still coming at us thick and fast, with Royal Ascot just around the corner. Of course even before that comes the jewel in the National Hunt crown, none other than the 2016 Grand National. This year the action will unfold at 5:15pm on Saturday 9^th April. That’s an hour later than usual, in order to avoid a scheduling clash with that afternoon’s live football.

Current favourite for the Crabbie’s Grand National is Many Clouds at 8-1 with most bookmakers at time of writing. Oliver Sherwood will be eager to land an impressive back to back victory with Many Clouds, the first time since Red Rum did the double back in 1973 and 1974, and who can blame him. Joint second favourites with most bookmakers are both Silviniaco Conti and The Last Samurai at 12-1 . Those looking for mid price winner could do worse than to go for Midnight Prayer (winner of the 2014 National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham) or Rule the world, possibly each way so that you’d benefit from even a top four finish. Considering the field size of the Grand National and jumps to traverse it’s a case of ‘anything can happen’.

Of course even a 40-1 or 50-1 option isn’t enough for some greedy-guts punters, so if you’re looking for a win of the magnitude that you’ll be telling your grand kids about, there’s a case to be made for some. Personally in that price range I’d go for the Sandra Hughes-trained ‘Golden Wonder’ as a contender. For lots of people having a punt on the Grand National is all a bit of fun at the office or at home anyway and so why not reach for the stars odds-wise and have a punt to remember. In any case Mom Mome won at 100-1 in 2009 and Auroras Encore at 66-1 in 2013 so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that history will repeat itself. In many ways, The beauty of the National is in its unpredictability.

Looking forward to June, we’ll have a few Royal Ascot updates come your way. It’s ten years now since Frankie Detorri pulled off the amazing feat of riding all seven winners at Ascot in September 1996. It’s gone down as one of the biggest shocks in racing history, with plenty of punters cashing in, in the process. There are even games based on his achievement such as the Frankie Detorri’s Magic Seven game which is a good time waster when played for free and can certainly get adrenalin going when played for cash too. Much the same as other casino games like online roulette which always ramps my heart rate up. I’m usually a black or red man combined with sticking with one single number come what may. You’d be surprised how frequently it works out!

Whatever you bet on during this year’s Grand National, be sure to catch it on 5:15pm, 9^th April on Channel 4 in the UK. And remember, if you win big, the drinks are on you!

In the 32Red All-Weather Marathon Championships Conditions Stakes (2.40) at Lingfield on Friday, it may be worth taking a chance on the fitness of Moonrise Landing, who returns to action after an absence of 104 days. The Dalakhani mare is 4-5 under Jim Crowley and meets Anglophile on the same terms as when staying on well to beat Charlie Appleby’s charge by 4½ lengths over a slightly longer distance in December. That form has worked out very well so, with Moonrise Landing presumably trained with this race in mind, she looks a worthy favourite at around the 5/2 mark in the ante post price lists. She readily won her maiden on the Polytrack at Lingfield as a 3-year-old and ran respectably after just over a year off when making her seasonal debut at Bath last May, so may not take much getting ready. Fellow 5-year-olds Notarised and Anglophile won’t go down without a fight, but Moonrise Landing looks the one to be on this time.

Selection: Lingfield 2.40 Moonrise Landing to win

In the Higos Insurance Services Handicap Chase (4.10) at Exeter on Tuesday, Two Faces West was beaten, but far from disgraced, by subsequent Midlands Grand National runner-up, Milansbar, over 3 miles on the undulating Devon course last month and can regain the winning thread. The pair pulled 52 lengths of the third, Kingswell Theatre, on that occasion and with the winner only beaten 2 lengths, off an 8lb higher mark, in a much better race at Uttoxeter, the form has a solid look to it.

Philip Hobbs’ 8-year-old has had just two starts over regulation fences, but won a point-to-point in Ireland as a 5-year-old and, while the ground is likely to be faster than any he’s encountered so far, he has winning form on good to soft going. The Dr. Massini gelding takes a slight rise in class, but is only 2lb higher in the weights than when last winning over hurdles (for Donald McCain last March) and, with plenty of stamina in his pedigree, looks a decent staying chaser in the making.

Historically, the Somerset trainer has done better with his hurdlers than his chasers at Devon, but his record with the latter is still none too shabby and champion jockey-elect Richard Johnson has a 30% strike rate, overall, for the yard this season.

Selection: Exeter 4.10 Two Faces West to win