Andrew Mount attempts to head into the weekend’s racing on a positive note and heads to Exeter‘s National Hunt fixture and Newcastle‘s all-weather meeting for his best bets of the day on Friday 9 January.
We preview both fixtures and highlight Andrew’s best bets from each of the cards.
Exeter Racing Tips (Friday 9 January 2026)
There are seven races across Exeter’s jumps card on Friday, with the action starting at 1.02pm and ending at 4.05pm. Check out Andrew’s brace of tips for the West Country racing.
2.02 Exeter – El Granjero (0.5pt e/w – 15/2 888sport, 7/1 generally)
Herefordshire-based Clive Boultbee-Brooks has his handicappers in good form, with form figures in the past fortnight of 24412P1 (2-7). Sadly, the only one to finish out of the frame was Welcheston Warrier who I tipped at Ffos Las yesterday (he completely failed to handle the left-handed track) but we might be able to recover thanks to El Granjero in this 3m novices’ limited handicap chase. The seven-year-old finished a respectable 10-1 fourth of six at Aintree on his return to action in early November (only beaten by five lengths) and will appreciate the switch to a right-handed course having recorded form figures in this direction of 2211 (2-4), with the first runner-up when 11-1 for a maiden hurdle behind the now-136 rated Largy Poet and the other by just a neck at Hereford.
2.32 Exeter – Flash Gorcombe (0.5pt e/w – 15/2 Sky Bet, four places, 8/1 three places elsewhere)
Blindy backing Flash Gorcombe over fences has been a profitable angle thanks to six wins from 21 runs (+£0.99 to a £1 level stake at SP) and we can improve that figure by concentrating on his right-handed runs in the January to April period which have produced form figures of 58111321181555 (6-14) for a profit of £7.99 (+£9.91 at Betfair SP after 2% commission). If we exclude his runs on good or faster going (judged on race times, not the official going) and those over trips of 2m5f or further his record chase record right-handed at this time of year improves to 5111321115 (6-10) for a profit of £11.99 at SP. He’s arguably better on flatter tracks such as Hereford and Wincanton but his latest success came here on New Year’s Day last year and he should be able to track likely front-runner Good Friday Fairy before attacking late. This is the highest grade of chase he’s encountered but his speed figures suggest that he’ll be competitive.
Newcastle Racing Tips (Friday 9 January 2026)
There’s some competitive action on the all-weather in the north east, as Newcastle host a seven-race card that gets underway at 1.27pm and goes right through until 4.35pm. Andrew’s sole selection lines up in the 3.30pm event.
3.30 Newcastle – Electric Avenue (1.5pt win – 9/2 bet365, 4/1 generally)
Electric Avenue could only finish fifth to Enola Grey (re-opposes today) in a 7f fillies’ handicap at Wolverhampton 25 days ago but I’m expecting her to reverse the form. The Ivan Furtado-trained six-year-old did too much too soon in that Class 5 (0-75) contest and helped to set the race up for the closers (the winner, third and fourth all came from midfield or further back). The turning track wasn’t helpful either, as four of her five wins have come on straight tracks, three at Newcastle and the other at Redcar. Her full record on turning courses now reads 46565135294746956625 (1-20), as compared to 19142311 (4-8) on straight ones. If we confine her straight track runs to those in fillies-only handicaps her record becomes 111 (3-3). The wind is forecast to be behind the runners today, so her prominent style could be an asset and the step back up in trip to 1m is not an issue (her latest win came over course and distance). Her trainer has saddled just one winner from 36 runners in the past month but most of those were big prices (the expected number of winners was only 2.0) and he had a 14-1 shot beaten by a head into second place at Southwell a few days ago.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets Today
2.02 Exeter – El Granjero (0.5pt e/w – 15/2 888sport, 7/1 generally)
12.32 Exeter – Flash Gorcombe (0.5pt e/w – 15/2 Sky Bet, four places, 8/1 three places elsewhere)
3.30 Newcastle – Electric Avenue (1.5pt win – 9/2 bet365, 4/1 generally)
Flash GorcombeAndrew Mount’s Horse Racing Tips – Friday 9 January
Today’s Meetings & Start Times
- Exeter – first race 13:02
- Newcastle – first race 13:27
FAQs: Today’s Racing Tips
What are today’s racing tips?
Andrew Mount provides his best bets at Exeter & Newcastle.
Which racecourses run on Friday 9 January 2026?
Exeter, Newcastle, Naas & Wolverhampton.
Who is Andrew Mount?
Andrew Mount is a leading horse racing adviser, expert pundit and journalist, contributing regularly to the Racing Post, Racing & Football Outlook, Racing Post Weekender and William Hill radio as well as providing a daily tipping column for the GG.co.uk website for more than 20 years.
When were today’s Exeter and Newcastle tips published?
Today’s tips were published at 7.03apm on Friday 9 January 2026.
Commercial notice: This article on GG.co.uk contains affiliate links. The offers we promote come from operators that we trust and our experts have first-hand experience dealing with. If you open an account through one of these affiliate links then GG will earn revenue. However, we ensure that the money earned goes back into improving and enhancing our coverage of horse racing and other sports, as we look to provide an excellent service to our growing audience.