Boxing Day’s bonanza of racing is almost upon us with action from 11 different tracks to enjoy from late morning through to mid-afternoon across Britain and Ireland.
Matty Sutcliffe has been busy scouring all of the cards and has come up with a huge NINE best bets for you to follow, with selections from six different tracks going racing on Boxing Day.
11:57 Fontwell – winningpost.Co.UK Play Prize Champion Tipster Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 5) (3yo+ 0-100) – Morning Mayhem 15/8 2pt WIN
For all the forecast would suggest Fontwell won’t be heavy at the time out racing, it’ll likely still take some getting and that will suit Morning Mayhem, who beat a pair of last time out winners with any amount of ease at Uttoxeter last time out.
He was yet to trouble the judge closer than eighteen lengths in nine prior starts under rules including in two starts for Nick Scholfield, but he looked a seriously a well handicapped animal there and his half sister Ruby Island is rated 125. He’s 3lbs well in under a 7lbs penalty and he can take some beating with a repeat performance against a field of largely out of form sorts.
12:45 Kempton – “Get Your Ladbrokes Free Kempton Bet” Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4yo+ 0-130) – Epic West 9/1 1pt WIN
Noble Park is the one they all have to beat here after his twenty four length romp at Lingfield, but Jamie Snowden’s Epic West could make a mockery of this opening mark of 118 over fences and is taken to land the spoils on chasing debut.
The Lambourn yard’s record with handicap chasers here over the last five seasons reads 6-4-5 (£11.00+) and this former winning pointer can enhance that solid form. The Mount Nelson gelding was well backed to win on hurdling debut at Carlisle last season in good style, and backed that up under a penalty at Plumpton when a decisive nine length winner, displaying a smart turn of foot to sweep past the two clear leaders on the home turn.
He picked up an injury next time out at Fontwell when he was supposedly on track to be the yards hope in the valuable EBF Novice’s Championship Final at Sandown, but given the yard are happy to pitch him in to what is often a competitive handicap they clearly feel he’s capable of showing up well fences.
He’s a full brother to smart chaser Complete Unknown who won on his chase debut and landed a C&D handicap off 142, so if he’s anything like that one then I’d expect this scopey son of Mount Nelson to make easy work of this low mark of 118.
1:35 Wetherby – William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Konfusion 5/4 2pt WIN
The 5/2 about Konfusion has quickly been scoffed (how greedy?) but given the manner in which he won the Rehearsal Chase for the column, he falls into the ‘any price a good price’ category for the in-form Joel Parkinson & Sue Smith yard.
I don’t think it was the deepest of races at Cheltenham that Marble Sands won, Knappers Hill has to prove stamina and that he can produce high class form going left handed, Our Power is becoming tripless and another who tends to show up better right handed, and Butch has to prove he’ll come on from a disappointing effort at Haydock.
Konfusion is tough to poke holes in, as he’s now 2/2 at Wetherby over fences after winning here on his last two seasonal debuts. He was still travelling ominously well when well backed in class two company at Haydock, and despite a scare at the last, he demolished the field in the Rehearsal Chase which has already seen the third, Docpickedme, frank the form in class two company at Doncaster next time out.
He’s 10lbs higher now which makes life trickier, but he still gets in here off bottom weight and a similar front running performance could see him very tough to pass.
1:40 Aintree – William Hill Daily Bet Boosts Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4yo+) – Bear Market 4/1 1pt WIN
A 4lbs rise looks lenient for Bear Market, who took his Aintree record to 111 when making all here earlier this month to fend off the rallying Stream Off Stars, who always looked held in second place. That pair pulled nine length clear of Act Of Authority in second who was fourth in a Pertemps Qualifier to Haiti Couleurs on seasonal debut and had finished second in last season’s Martin Pipe, with the re-opposing Rubber Ball 11 lengths back in fourth.
He’s now 2/2 since rejoining the Rowley’s from Nickey Henderson, who could only manage to get one win out of him (pulled up favourite and beaten 2/1F on the other two), and this well connected son of Yeats can carry on improving at his increasingly beloved Aintree.
1:55 Kempton – Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Golden Ace 4/1 1pt WIN
A safer way to play this would be to chance Golden Ace without the favourite in Sir Gino, but it was only eight months ago that Sir Gino was uncertain to race again having sustained a severe infection in the ligaments of his near hind leg and combine that with the fact he’s had his season already re-routed to hurdles, there’s another to suggest he might be worth taking on first time up with the proven Golden Ace.
Jeremy Scott’s mare has been fortuitous to land two Grade One prizes of late, formerly the Champion Hurdle after both State Man and Constitution Hill came down and latterly the Fighting Fifth with Constitution Hill again coming down prior to The New Lion falling at the last. Regardless, jumping is the name of the game and her slick hurdling ability has see her triumph against the others.
It’s worth remembering she was only beaten four lengths by a peak in-form State Man in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle and she collared the comfortable County Hurdle winner Kargese up the run in there too. That form alone is arguably good enough to beat the rest of this field bar Sir Gino here and her Fighting Fifth performance can be marginally upgraded given Jeremy Scott’s yard form at the time. Scott’s back among the winners now, she’s proven to handle going right handed and if Sir Gino isn’t quite ready on the day, then it’s tough to envisage anything else other than Golden Ace capitalising on it.
2:03 Wincanton – Happy Birthday Racing Blogger Handicap Chase (For The Lord Stalbridge Cup) (Qualifier) (GBB) (Class 3) (4yo+ 0-125) – Wicked Thoughts 3/1 1pt WIN
It wouldn’t be Boxing Day without a Paul Nicholls winner at Wincanton and given he’s taken two of the last six renewals of this contest with a six-year-old novice chaser, Wicked Thoughts looks the one to keep onside here.
The son of Mahler bolted up twenty five lengths in his sole point to point, and his potential was evident from the off under rules when beaten two lengths on bumper debut by Doyen Quest. He managed to win next time out prior to bumping into the smart 2/5F Kingston Pride, though it took him four attempts to get off the mark over hurdles when a comfortable winner of a class three at Ascot, with the second’s form subsequently reading 31115.
Nicholls sent him chasing this season and he was game in fending off the experienced Bertie Wooster at Taunton, with the front three there pulling some way clear of the third. He’s effectively 2lbs lower now under Ben Bromley who has a 25% strike rate for the yard, and this is likely to have been the plan since that chase debut success.
2:52 Fontwell – tigerbet.co.uk Daily Price Boosts Handicap Chase (Class 5) (4yo+ 0-100) – Minella Kaiser 2/1 1pt WIN
Chris Gordon won this in 2022 with a well backed novice chaser and the unexposed Minella Kaiser can take this on his chase debut. The Soldier Of Fortune gelding was an eight-length third on P2P debut at Punchestown behind two subsequent winners under rules now rated 110 and 109 respectively, albeit he was disappointing next time out.
He looks to have been campaigned with fences in mind since joining Chris Gordon, as he was ridden conservatively in rear on hurdles debut before staying on for a moderate fourth. It was a similar scenario in a hot novice event at Ascot and he evidently fared no chance from the front in a competitive event at Kempton.
He was stepped up to 3m1f on handicap debut at Plumpton and fared better albeit still beaten seventeen lengths in third behind a well backed Nicky Henderson mount. He looked badly in need of the run there, and with that under his belt I’d expect him to be a much better proposition on chase debut off a mark of 87 against some exposed sorts, particularly given he’s a half brother to P2P winner and G3 placed Theflyingking for Gordon Elliott.
2:57 Market Rasen – Pallinc Lincolnshire National Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4yo+ 0-130) – The Big Breac 11/4 1pt WIN
The Joel Parkinson & Sue Smith yard show no sign of stopping their impressive form, and given they’ve now taken the Rehearsal Chase, the London National and the Tommy Whittle already this season, another staying prize in the Lincolnshire National looks inevitable.
They won this with O’Connell last season, and The Big Breac looks to have an equally as good a chance. The son of Malinas got the hang of things over hurdles once stepped up to three miles in handicap company, and he made light work of his chase debut at Wetherby when beating prolific pointer Great Notions with a subsequent winner back in third.
He lost little in defeat when upped to 0-130 company, beaten only four lengths by the 124r Dom Of Mary, with Zertakt two lengths in behind who won a 13k Novice Handicap Chase at Cheltenham next time out.
Ideally the ground would be softer here, but that latest piece of form gives him a strong chance and he could take some pegging back from the front if continuing to jump soundly as he has done.
3:40 Kempton – “Best Odds Guaranteed In Racing” Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) (3yo+ 0-140) – Onewaywest 9/2 1pt WIN
I was very taken by the manner in which Onewaywest won at Wetherby last time out despite going off 8/13F and being thrown in at the weights, and I don’t think a subsequent rise of 11lbs to 123 is anywhere near enough to stop his progress.
He’s always threatened to be a promising type having bumped into some smart types in his career such as Lump Sum in 2023, but along with that and multiple setbacks, he belatedly got off the mark at Warwick last month when making all in comfortable fashion, clear by five lengths one the home turn and winning an eased down 12 lengths.
It was a similar performance last time out at Wetherby and what was notable the most was how he jumped right throughout. Kempton should suit even better in that respect, and I’d expect this progressive son of Westerner to put them all to the sword once more.
FAQs
When were Matthew Sutcliffe’s tips published?
Matty Sutcliffe’s Boxing Day tips were published at 4pm on Tuesday 23 December.
Who is Matthew Sutcliffe?
Matthew Sutcliffe is GGs newest contributor, often providing a value angle for his tips. He writes weekly columns for the weekend’s racing, as well as taking aim at ante-post markets at the Cheltenham Festival.
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