Today's best bets, by Will Hayler
Richard Burton was in hot water at Leicester earlier this week after rightfully being given a 12-day ban for a bafflingly-negative ride in a hunter chase. The three-times champion point-to-point rider is still waiting to find out from the British Horseracing Authority which days the ban covers and may not be free to ride Any Currency in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, so a get-to-know-you exercise with the horse appears to have been cancelled with Warren Marston this morning switched to ride in the three-mile handicap chase at Sandown today.
Any Currency will love the stiff finish and should go well. However, I prefer the claims of the less-exposed Shillingstone (2.45) in the same race. Brought along steadily by his patient trainer, Shillingstone began his career in point-to-points and didn't even make his first appearance under Rules until last year.
But he has impressed in victory on both starts this season and should be worth sticking with, despite a hefty 12lb hike in the ratings for his latest success at Newbury. His considerable weight-burden is helpfully countered by the booking of outstanding 7lb-claimer Giles Hawkins.
The opening juvenile hurdle at 2.15 features a number of interesting horses, some of whom have been ready to run for a while, but have had to wait for the weather to improve. It's a competitive contest and the form should be worth following. Open Day came from an impossible-looking position to win at Market Rasen last time and clearly has ability, while Drumshambo did the job nicely on his debut. But it wouldn't be the biggest surprise to see newcomer Souter Point run well despite being easy in the betting this morning.
Sherwani Wolf (3.55) ought to offer outstanding each-way value against odds-on favourite Oscar Whisky. Bought for a six-figure sum after winning two bumpers, he made an inauspicious debut for Nigel Twiston-Davies when emptying out quickly in testing conditions at Chepstow after some sloppy jumps on his first start over hurdles.
But the stable couldn't buy a winner at that time and this exciting young horse is thought to be in much better form for this return to action today. Expect considerable improvement to be shown.
At Lingfield, Kings Topic (12.55) is tricky to win with and has something to prove stepping back up to a mile and a half for the first time in nearly seven years, but he may be worth chancing as he makes a first-ever foray into selling company. He didn't run that badly in a competitive handicap at this track last time out and the way he was keeping on at the finish over a mile and a quarter suggested strongly that he may be ready for the move up to this distance.
Tipping competition, day five
Another winless day from MatthewHargreaves but the most important thing from his perspective is that none of you picked Seeking Power, the 40-1 winner of our third race yesterday. Shears39 and johne5knuckle moved to the head of the chasing pack with Sharajan (16-1) but it will still take a 33-1 winner to unseat our Matthew.
For today's final desperate potshots, we'd like your tips, please, for these races: 2.45 Sandown, 4.30 Sandown, 6.15 Wolverhampton.
For the second time ever, this week's prize is an item of clothing! Our winner gets a Denman scarf, offered by those kind folks at Cheltenham racecourse. Here's hoping it ends up in the home of one of the dwindling band of Denman fans, who can use it to show their continued support for the lazy, clumsy chaser and not as a rag to mop up spillages.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not yet joined in this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on –12, with 58pts to make up. Kudos, by the way, to Mulldog, who joined in yesterday and hit a 15-2 winner, first crack out of the box.
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Good luck!
Standings after day four
MatthewHargreaves +46.63
shears39 +15
johne5knuckle +14.63
socialwanderer +10
rorebhoy +6
stee33 +5
chiefhk +5
Brochdoll +3.63
factormax +2
Pomme +2
fatdeano +1
melonk +1
Blitzwing +1
mike65ie +0.63
SussexRH –0.37
MISTERCHESTER –0.37
Smidster -2
Shrewdette -2
tom1977 -3
millreef -3
WalthamstowLad –3.50
15244 –3.50
chris1623 –3.50
Mulldog –3.50
JDK1 -4.37
gashead1105 -4.37
TheSheikh -5
Cairo -5
Dangalf -5
johnny909 -7
suckzinclee -7
wooderson -7
johnnysixpence -7
TheVic -9.37
sangfroid -9.37
notgethithatonharry -9.37
Vibe -9.37
sandiuk -9.37
BigNewPrinz -9.37
FinsburyPark -9.37
tiznow -9.37
MrWinnersSonInLaw -9.37
Renzofan -9.37
cloudy75 -12
slackdad38 -12
racebets -12
goofs -12
MillieJ -12
xwireman -12
TeddyFrost -12
Viejo -12
Harchibald -12
Mai11 -12
23skidoo -12
Rivercity -12
Harrytheactor -12
emmapathak -12
leviticus67 -12
Gluesniffer -12
erifder -12
MrPositive -12
kentaylor24 -12
11.45am Fakenham and Wolverhampton pass inspections
Will Hayler reports: Snow is falling. All around us. Well, perhaps not everywhere but enough to put today's action at Fakenham and Wolverhampton into doubt. Thankfully after a series of inspections this morning, racing is set to go ahead at both tracks.
At Wolverhampton, two and a half inches of snow arrived overnight, but the track has been worked this morning using the tractors and is expected to be 'Standard' by the start of racing.
However the poor weather is still threatening prospects for racing tomorrow with frost and snow both possible problems.
Haydock's card, featuring a number of Grand National possibles in the Blue Square Gold Cup, must pass an inspection at 9am tomorrow with temperatures set to fall to -3C overnight, while Uttoxeter look at 8am.
Uttoxeter clerk of the course Charlie Moore said: "We do still have a covering of snow but it is thawing slowly and all being well it could be gone by lunch time.
"Providing that is the case, we will then be able to start laying down the fleeces. We really do need to get them down as we are forecast temperatures of between -1C and -4C overnight."
Hopes for racing at Wincanton are bleaker with officials set to look at 1pm today. The track is already said to be waterlogged in places, with the prospect of further sleet and snow showers to come.
1.45pm Wincanton need another look
Wincanton's Bathwick Tyres Kingwell Hurdle card will need to pass a further inspection at 8am tomorrow. The meeting, which also features the £60,000 Country Gentleman's Association Chase, is under threat due to snow and frost.
Officials looked at 1pm today as the original threat was thought to be waterlogging. Clerk of the course Barry Johnson said: "We are still heavy and there are quite a few areas of false ground. It is going the right way but we couldn't really take any more rain and we are forecast temperatures of -4C overnight, which we could also do without.
"We're not putting any covers down but there wouldn't really be much point as there is so much moisture in the ground it would freeze anyway. It's going to go down to the wire but it's a big meeting and we want to give it every chance." PA
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