It can be difficult to keep up with all the meetings going on over the Christmas period. With the Grade 1s taking centre stage, we have highlighted six horses outside of the top tier action to keep an eye on on Boxing Day alongside a cracking new customer offer from 888, with £20 in Free Bets For Boxing Day, Plus £20 Again On Monday, when you sign-up and bet £10 on a Single.
SIR GERHARD (12.35 Leopardstown)
It is an annual joy to see the previous year’s Champion Bumper winner have their first start over hurdles. To make it on Boxing Day is an extra festive treat.
Originally with Gordon Elliott before Cheveley Park moved their runners elsewhere in Ireland, SIR GERHARD was with Willie Mullins by the time the Cheltenham Festival came around in March and rewarded many an antepost backer by defeating stablemate Kilcruit by half-a-length.
Rachael Blackmore’s ride from the front was perfectly judged and though he was beaten at Punchestown thereafter, there is still significant hope that he can make into one of the top novice hurdlers this year.
With Kilcruit’s surprise defeat at odds of 1/14 a few weeks ago, there may be some caution in punters’ minds if he is offered at prohibitive prices. That said, after a tough start to the season, Mullins has operated at a 46% strike rate in the last two weeks and is bang in form in time for the Christmas period.
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FIL DOR (1.10 Leopardstown)
The Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle may only be a Grade 2, but it has regularly been one of the most informative races regarding top-level contests later in the season.
Remarkably, no winner this century has gone on to win the Triumph Hurdle, although Farclas did run in the race and finish second in 2017. Last year, Jeff Kidder was last of seven and then took the Boodles Juvenile Handicap at the Festival and also won in Grade 1 company at Punchestown.
This season, the class act looks to be FIL DOR, whose two wins for Gordon Elliott so far include a battling victory over Lunar Power in a Fairyhouse Grade 3 last time out. He was in charge towards the finish and probably won more impressively than the margin of victory suggests and is currently favourite for the Triumph in March.
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MISTER COFFEY (1.20 Kempton)
The first race for ITV viewers on Boxing Day is this novices’ handicap and features all manner of possible improvers.
MISTER COFFEY is one of those and was highly thought of as a novice hurdler. While he often ran good races in that sphere, he seemed to have found his mark in the high 130s.
It looked a good novice handicap which he competed in at Newbury the day before the Ladbrokes Trophy. The winner of that race, Not Available, has won again since which gives the form a very solid look and he could well improve upon that for his second run.
His stablemate Bothwell Bridge is another potentially exciting chaser, while Pual Nicholls’ Danny Kirwan is another who could make this an exciting start to the terrestrial coverage.
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CLOUDY GLEN (2.10 Wetherby)
The Rowland Meyrick is Wetherby’s most prestigious handicap and is always a great companion to the Grade 1 action at Kempton.
It looks to be a vintage renewal of this race too, with Ladbrokes Trophy winner CLOUDY GLEN making his first appearance since he was an emotional winner of the Newbury race.
Trainer Venetia Williams continues to be in outstanding form one month on and though his new mark of 150 is a career-high, he has always been a quirky individual. Though that could ensure he is tailed off after a fence, it’s also possible that he is finally starting to race for real.
Moreover, he and runner-up Fiddlerontheroof pulled a long way clear in the Ladbrokes Trophy, so his 10lb rise is not necessarily too harsh. His rivals should be wary of a similar level of performance here.
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IF THE CAP FITS (2.38 Wincanton)
There won’t be many Grade 1 winning staying hurdlers lining up on Boxing Day, with Leopardstown’s Christmas Hurdle coming later in the week.
However, his falling rating means that Harry Fry’s IF THE CAP FITS is being geared up for Wincanton’s Pertemps qualifier on Sunday. He showed a lot of promise on his seasonal return when second to Brewin’upastorm at Aintree and though he did not come on for that when he rejoined handicap company at Haydock, he has been dropped a further 4lb.
A mark of 145 may now underestimate him and he is still only a nine-year-old. There remains a big race victory in him and this change of tack could be exactly what is required.
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JUDICIAL (3.00 Wolverhampton)
Flat fans rejoice! An old favourite goes on the all-weather on Boxing Day.
JUDICIAL has been a star for Julie Camacho since his debut in July 2014. He is rising 10 now, but was still able to win in Listed company earlier this year, winning comfortably at Chester back in August.
That was over six furlongs and he seems to excel around that unusual course, but he does also have four wins from 11 starts on this surface and to have retained his mark of 106 at his age is remarkable and testament to his trainer.
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