Saturday’s tips
- Il Etait Temps (Sandown, 15.00) – 1pt win @ 5/6 (William Hill)
- Knickerbockerglory (Sandown, 14.25) – 1pt win @ 11/4 (Bet365)
- Tanganyika (Sandown, 15.35) – 1pt win @ 7/2 (Betfred)
- Gaboriot (Aintree, 14.40) – 1pt each-way @ 13/2 (William Hill)
- Captain Butler (Aintree, 12.58) – 1pt win @ 4/1 (William Hill)
It’s Tingle Creek and Becher Chase day and I’ve made five picks across the two meets at Sandown and Aintree using the bets odds from horse racing betting sites.
Tingle Creek Chase (15.00, Sandown)
A fantastic Grade 1 race is in prospect here, with dual winner Jonbon attempting to make it a hat-trick of successes, while his more recent conquerors, IL ETAIT TEMPS and L’Eau Du Sud, take him on again.
The fascinating thing about this contest is that all three leading players have got course winning form, all go on the forecast ground and all are officially rated within 6lb of each other.
We’ve seen two thrilling Grade 1 races in Ireland in recent weeks and this could be the first such contest of the English winter.
I am surprised Il Etait Temps is odds-on, given his two stellar opponents but I am certainly not surprised he’s the favourite. Willie Mullins’ charge has only been beaten by Gaelic Warrior and Found A Fifty since going chasing, winning six of his eight starts, including beating Gaelic Warrior in a Punchestown Grade 1 in 2024.
He had a year off after that and returned with a career-best when beating Jonbon by over five lengths in the Celebration Chase over Saturday’s C&D, last April. He was mightily impressive again on his reappearance win in the Clonmel Oils Chase (2m5f, soft) a month ago. He has speed, stamina, course form, soft ground form and is still only seven. I think he will take an awful lot of beating.
Respect to Jonbon for what he has achieved. I know he was beaten a long way by L’Eau Du Sud in Cheltenham’s Schloer Chase but, other than proving that Dan Skelton’s gelding is a class horse who is still on the up, we learned little, as we already knew that Jonbon and Prestbury Park are polar opposites.
Of course, it’s possible that L’Eau Du Sud may improve past both his opponents and he’d probably be my idea of the bigger danger than Jonbon this time around.
Saturday Racing Tip 1: Il Etait Temps (Sandown, 15.00) – 1pt win @ 5/6 (William Hill)
Bet At Your Best With Betfair Handicap Hurdle (14.25, Sandown)
Those with good recall may remember I’d put up KNICKERBOCKERGLORY as a small stakes each-way play in last month’s Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham.
As it turned out, Dan Skelton took him out of that race due to unsuitable ground (described as soft) on the day. This contest, rather than that one, may have been the plan all along but either way, it’s not a bad race to fall back on, as he won it last year.
I said before the Greatwood that the more rain that falls, the better, for this nine-year-old. He’s 6lb higher than this time last year and I think he can handle that, especially if we get more of the forecast rain before the off.
He won this when fresh last year and he returns as a fresh horse now. Rather than his double figure price for the Greatwood, he’s the pre-race favourite on betting sites for this and I like his chance.
Saturday Racing Tip 2: Knickerbockerglory (Sandown, 14.25) – 1pt win @ 11/4 (Bet365)
London National Handicap Chase (15.35, Sandown)
Yes, you know the drill, it’s that time of year when this race in run almost in the dark but it’s been kind to me over the years since it switched from the first Saturday in January to a month earlier.
I’m also sticking with another I have previously put up in this column, in TANGANYIKA. As the betting suggests, this marathon is an open contest on paper. I tipped Venetia Williams’ charge at Cheltenham last month, when I think he ran really well for a long way until he blew up late on and looked like he just needed it.
Admittedly, he’s got a welter burden on his back here but conditions and an extreme trip suit him and last season’s Midlands National runner-up is taken to go one better in the London version.
Saturday Racing Tip 3: Tanganyika (Sandown, 15.35) – 1pt win @ 7/2 (Betfred)
William Hill Half A Mill Becher Handicap Chase (14.40, Aintree)
Mr Vango will go off as the favourite for this after winning this, the Peter Marsh (Haydock) and the Midlands National last season, rising 17lb as a result. I think that makes this a fair bit tougher.
Favourites have won three of the last ten renewals, while there have been only four double-figure priced winners in that time and none greater than 20/1.
It does tend to pay to concentrate on the top half dozen in the market and, at the weights, I like the look of GABORIOT.
The nine-year-old has won seven of his 26 chases and gets in here with a feather weight to carry. He ran really well in the recent Grand Sefton over 2m5f here, staying on to be a two-length second to Colonel Harry.
Testing ground really suits him and I think he will come into his own going back up in trip and can win this at a solid price of 13/2 on betting apps.
Saturday Racing Tip 4: Gaboriot (Aintree, 14.40) – 1pt each-way @ 13/2 (William Hill)
William Hill Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (12.58, Aintree)
Whatever happened in terms of the transfer of CAPTAIN BUTLER between Pauline Robson and Ruth Jefferson, this could turn out to be a shrewd bit of business for the latter, as this point and bumper goes up in trip.
However, he sticks to 2m4f for his chase debut and I’d still like to side with him. He jumps well, will see out every yard here and his hurdling reappearance should have blown off any cobwebs.
Like her late father Malcolm, Ruth won’t try to go to quickly too soon with this seven-year-old but you can guarantee he’ll be well schooled and ready, and if she’s entering him at a track like this in a £20,000 race on his chase debut, I’d be taking that as a sign of confidence.
Saturday Racing Tip 5: Captain Butler (Aintree, 12.58) – 1pt win @ 4/1 (William Hill)
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