There are seven races live on ITV4 on Friday, an extra treat for terrestrial viewers. We have previewed ever race alongside an offer from William Hill where you get £30 in Free Bets when you bet £10.
CHAMPAGNE WELL 4/1 1:50 Sandown (Betfair Daily Rewards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase)
With runs under his belt and a belated return to the winners’ enclosure over hurdles, CHAMPAGNE WELL can now take advantage of his lower chase mark.
He is not ground dependent, so whatever the weather in Surrey before Friday, he will be able to deal with conditions. He also kept very good company over fences in his first novice season last year, finishing third to the likes of Shan Blue and Remastered.
A mark of 132 is on the generous side and he also comes into this in better form than any of his rivals.
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BOOTHILL 5/4 2:05 Exeter (Cheltenham & South West Syndicate Novices’ Chase)
BOOTHILL joined Harry Fry over two years ago and has had just the three runs under rules. He is still extremely unexposed and could prove much better than his initial rating of 135 for his chase debut.
He is entitled to have needed his comeback a little when travelling very smoothly through the race at Ascot, only to be overcome by Soaring Glory late on. Though that form has taken a couple of knocks since, it was only his second start over hurdles and his mark is unchanged for the larger obstacles here.
Moreover, this does not look the strongest contest in terms of form. Adrimel is his biggest danger if fit after a layoff, but Boothill has the greatest scope to improve anyway.
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BRAVE KINGDOM Evs 2:25 Sandown (Ballymore Winter Novices’ Hurdle)
Harry Whittington had BRAVE KINGDOM entered for the Champion Bumper until he was a late withdrawal. Now with Paul Nicholls, he is already displaying that level of promise over hurdles.
All five in this field won last time out, as is to be expected of those competing in Graded novice hurdles in the early part of the season. Brave Kingdom’s victory at Chepstow stands out most however. He pulled away smartly on soft ground that day, but his bumper victory came on a quicker surface.
Harper’s Brook has had his victory boosted by the runner-up winning subsequently, but he’ll have to prove that good ground is suitable for him. That is not a problem for Vila Lavilla, but his win was nowhere near as visually impressive as the selection’s.
Of the other pair, Lossiemouth has improved, but he has benefitted from Thomas Doggrell’s 7lb claim in handicaps and will not utilise that here, while Fair Frontieres looks like he will be better over further; his victory came on soft over nearly three miles, albeit by 41 lengths.
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L’HOMME PRESSE 10/3 2:40 Exeter (Martin Jones Decorative Specialists Ltd Handicap Chase)
There is still a way to go before Venetia Williams’ yard return the number of winners seen in the early 2010s, but they could hardly have made a better start to 2021/22.
Currently operating with a win percentage of 20% over fences and an astonishing 78% run-to-form ratio, the stable are flying. Two high-profile winners in Fanion D’Estruval and, of course, Cloudy Glen in the Ladbrokes Trophy have seen Williams shoot back into the spotlight on the big days.
L’HOMME PRESSE has only had two runs for her, bolting up on his debut over hurdles in April. That proved a slightly false dawn, as the form has worked out poorly, but he was not disgraced in a Sandown handicap thereafter. Moreover, his win came 773 days after his previous run in France, so he clearly goes well fresh and a number of his rivals have far more to prove than he does in the early stages of his career.
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EARLY DU LEMO 9/2 3:00 Sandown (Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase)
Last year’s one-two both represented Gary Moore and both return. However, that soft ground renewal suited Darebin where it’s unlikely it will this time around.
The runner-up EARLY DU LEMO was returning from nearly two years off the track when beaten only a neck by his tablemate 12 months ago. Once you factor in that he’s 4lbs better off, has more form on a sounder surface and will benefit from Niall Houlihan’s 5lb claim, then he is certainly the pick of the Moore team. He mostly runs to form when fresh as well and that is the extra bonus which makes him the pick of the entire field.
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STORM FORCE BEN 9/1 3:15 Exeter (Haldon Staying Handicap Chase)
A race that will almost certainly live up to its name as a stamina test and it’s also encouraging to see that a packed field of 17 have been declared for the contest.
Dancing Shadow was third in this a year ago and will almost certainly run well again, but he might find one too good in STORM FORCE BEN for Philip Hobbs.
He was second to one of his rivals for this race, Normandy Soldier at the track in November. That was his chase debut and there can be great encouragement from the way he stayed on in the closing stages, especially as he is now 5lbs better off with the winner. Chasing will surely be more his game than hurdling and he could make light of a mark of 103 with this extra distance a possible positive.
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MR HARP 20/1 3:35 (Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle)
There is a theory when studying the form of Pertemps Qualifiers for the Cheltenham Festival that following horses towards the bottom of the weights can prove prudent, with their marks needing to go up by more if they are to stand a chance of getting into the Festival race.
Moreover, as you only need to finish in the top six to qualify for the finale, those with higher ratings can perform below their best in the knowledge that they will probably still end up in the race.
Although Portrush Ted won this off top weight a year ago, four of the previous five winners before him carried 10st 6lbs or fewer, while Cup Final, who carried 11st 6lbs in 2014, was still only rated 127, so probably needed to win anyway.
With William Henry and Al Dancer ensuring the weights are pulled right up in this contest, we therefore look towards the bottom. Both of Sam Thomas’s runners are interesting for different reasons, but preference is for MR HARP.
He was second off his current mark of 123 in a Warwick qualifier in January. His subsequent efforts have taken a dive, but he has excuses for each of them, plus a Grade 2 second among them. If he is fitter for his comeback run, he carries only 10 stone here and can be very dangerous.
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