Tuesday’s best bets, by Greg Wood
The final event on an eight-race card at Southwell this afternoon is a Class 5 handicap worth a little over £3,500 to the winner, but it will still be worth a small footnote in the history books if La Estrella is first across the line.
Don Cantillon’s gelding is one victory away from the 27th of his career, which would move him one in front of Stand Guard as Britain’s most successful all-weather performer, and is currently being backed to do so.
La Estrella has been attracting bits of money through the morning and has now joined Swift Cedar as the 11-2 joint-favourite, behind the 4-1 market leader Serenity Now.
The 12-year-old certainly goes well at Southwell, where the deep surface and long run-in suit his grinding, resilient running style, but his last 11 victories have all been in claiming or selling company and he has not taken a handicap since he was successful off a mark of 83 at Wolverhampton in December 2011.
La Estrella is running off a lower mark today, but he did not show much off 75 last time out and is only down 2lb today. His consistency is not in doubt, but it will be quite an achievement if he can record win number 27 and his price seems to have a big chunk of sentimental support already built in. Frosty Berry (3.30) was a winner off 61 and 67 last month, with the second of those wins coming at this course in a decent time, and Ed De Giles’s mare makes much more appeal at around 6-1.
Earlier on the card, Tiger’s Home (2.00) is another on a good run of form on this surface and though she has taken another 11lb rise in the weights since winning here over seven furlongs last time, Iain Jardine’s mare stormed away to win by seven lengths and should still have something in hand.
Verano (1.20) is at an early stage of his association with the excellent Dan Skelton have joined the stable in the summer and ran a promising race to finish a close third in an amateurs’ race at Plumpton last time out. With Harry Skelton back in the saddle, he is a solid bet at 5-2, while at Fontwell, Ilewin For Hannah (1.10) and Shalianzi (3.40) both have good chances to extend Gary Moore’s excellent run of form.
Tipping competition, day two
Our winners so far:
Monday
Tempting 7-1
Itstimeforapint 11-4
Volunteer Point 7-2
And our leader is …
NoddyBankie +9.50
… who had Tempting and Volunteer Point. JahLion and Ormrod76 (both +8.75) had Temtping and Itstimeforapint.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 2.20 Uttoxeter, 2.40 Fontwell, 2.50 Uttoxeter.
This week, we’re offering a second chance to win a copy of the Racing Post Annual 2016, featuring 208 colour pages of the best writing and photography from racing’s daily paper. The blurb promises “the moments to treasure and unusual stories of the year, plus a look forward at the top prospects for 2016”. 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 -3.
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.
Good luck!
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