Friday’s best bets, by Greg Wood
The meat of the card at Ascot this afternoon is quite thin in terms of numbers, with a total of just nine runners in the two most valuable races and only five in the handicap chase. A schedule of five jumps races and a bumper is not exactly getting into the spirit of Christmas either with seven-race cards now pretty much standard at most racecourses, but at least the race without obstacles is worth staying behind for.
The bumper, in fact, is as interesting as any race on the card, with no fewer than nine of the 13 runners having won last time out and the winner seems sure to be a leading candidate for the Festival Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in March. Yanworth is the probable favourite, not least because he is owned by JP McManus and ridden by Tony McCoy, but this is a very competitive race in which to be taking a shortish price about anything and several of the last-time-out winners could easily improve enough to prevail.
Colin Tizzard’s Thistlecrack (3.40) is available at 20-1 this morning but he was a double-figure price when beating an odds-on chance very comfortably at Wincanton back in April and represents a yard in form. Elsewhere on the card, Emerging Talent (1.55) and Josses Hill (2.30) look best in the Grade Two events, and Spartan Angel (3.05) is fairly priced for the handicap hurdle later on the card.
There are a couple of decent races at the all-weather tracks too, and Boom The Groom (5.20) at Wolverhampton is worth a bet to continue his recent progress, while Burnhope (3.20) is also the pick of the weights in the last on the Fibresand at Southwell.
Next week: our annual Christmas quiz
On Monday, we’ll hold our annual Christmas quiz of the racing year, with prizes for the winner and the runner-up. But you’ll have to be quick: the questions go live at 1pm and the winner will be whoever gives most correct answers before anyone else.
Join us then! And revise by studying last year’s quiz here.
Talking Horses will continue through the festive season on any day when racing takes place but there will be no tipping competition until Monday 5 January.
Merry Christmas to all!
Tipping competition, day five
Our winners so far:
Monday
Cadeau George 10-1
Petit Ecuyer 33-1
G’dai Sydney 15-8
Tuesday
Iconic Rose 9-1
Fair Value 8-1
Bosstime 5-2
Wednesday
One Cool Boy 25-1
Royal Player 11-2
Major Milborne 4-1
Thursday
Toot Sweet 3-1
Trickaway 3-1
Wicklewood 8-1
And our leader is:
diegoisgod +19.50
... who improved his dominant position by picking Wicklewood. 16heathermac01 had a perfect Thursday to go second on +8.50. Other good(ish) scores: yasmin11 +4.50, Harrytheactor +3.50, 72luca +3, Toptrapper +2.38.
For today’s thrilling climax, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 2.20 Uttoxeter, 3.05 Ascot, 5.50 Wolverhampton.
This week’s prize is a copy of McCoy: In The Frame, a collection of photographs of Tony McCoy as taken during his career by the Racing Post’s award-winning snapper, Edward Whitaker. If you don’t win, you can buy a copy here.
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 joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -12.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
Click here for all the day’s racecards, form, stats and results.
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
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