Friday’s Racing Tips
Constitution Hill is back in action to kick off a busy weekend on Friday and our horse racing correspondent Jonathan Doidge has run the rule over the best bets on cards at Exeter and Warwick using odds from horse racing betting sites.
SBK Road To Cheltenham Novice Stakes (Southwell, 19.30)
Hurdling’s loss is very much Southwell’s gain on Friday as CONSTITUTION HILL, absolutely brilliant at his best over timber, makes his Flat debut on the Nottinghamshire track’s Tapeta surface.
There was a will he, won’t he saga in terms of whether Nicky Henderson’s charge would get a run here, following a ballot but he now looks sure to draw a crowd at the All Weather track.
It’s a good prize of £21,600 to the winner and if he can run to something like his hurdles ability then he should be too good for this field, which includes the Willie Mullins-trained Daddy Long Legs, whose best hurdling effort is around 25lb inferior to that of the selection.
Similarly, the pre-race second favourite on betting sites, Square Necker, would have plenty to find if Constitution Hill retains all his ability.
Friday Tip 1: Constitution Hill (19.30, Southwell) – 2pt win @ 2/1 (PricedUp)
Best Odds Guaranteed Overnight At CopyBet Novices’ Hurdle (Exeter, 14.14)
It’s obviously a bit of a concern that DOCTOR BLUE was reported to have bled when well beaten at Doncaster (2m3f, good) in December but his prior win at Ascot was the best piece of form on offer in this field.
He drops back in distance to this stiff 2m and I think that looks positive. He has shown he acts on good or good to soft ground but he hasn’t yet raced on a genuinely testing surface. A quick glance at his pedigree shows that his sire acted on soft ground and his dam won on very soft, so there’s some optimism that it will hopefully not inconvenience him.
Sam Thomas’s string is in good form and I’m taking Doctor Blue to bounce back and win, sporting a tongue-tie again, plus first-time cheekpieces.
Friday Tip 2: Doctor Blue (14.14, Exeter) – 2pts win @ 1/1 (Unibet)
Nick Ansell, Devon National Handicap Chase (Exeter, 15.45)
A little like with my previous selection, there’s an element of caution involved here in that ART DECCO failed to complete at Lingfield last time (3m5f, soft). However, he’s got an excellent record around here and I think he can bounce back.
He loves and extreme test and bottomless ground and he won this race last year on heavy, when 6lb lower. He shook off a poor reappearance effort at Fontwell in October by returning to this C&D for a nine length win on soft ground last December.
That Lingfield flop followed but give his penchant for this place, I’m siding with him to go back-to-back in this contest with a solid price available on betting apps.
Friday Tip 3: Art Decco (15.45, Exeter) – 1pt win @ 11/2 (Bet365)
Best Odds Guaranteed At Betano Handicap Hurdle (Warwick, 15.35)
This looks open on paper and the suggestion is a small each-way play on SAGE GREEN, for in-form trainer Syd Hosie.
The six-year-old gelding makes the trip up from Hosie’s Dorset base for a second time, having won over C&D (good; first-time hood) last March, when with Anthony Charlton.
Admittedly, he’s been a bit in-and-out on his four starts for this trainer but he had wind surgery prior to his recent 12 length second at Kempton (2m, good to soft; first-time hood and tongue-tie combination), which represented a revival.
The headgear is retained this time and with 5lb claimed by his jockey, he has the chance to get back to winning ways.
Friday Tip 4: Sage Green (15.35, Warwick) – 1pt each-way @ 7/1 (Bet365)
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