Alan Thomson, the former Racing Editor at the Daily Record, puts up five racing tips at Ascot, Newmarket and Wetherby on Saturday. View selections below.
TRIBAL CHIEF (2.17) has hit a rich vein of form and can rattle off his hat-trick in the one-mile handicap at Newmarket.
The assessor has hit the David Menuisier-trained gelding with a hefty 9lb rise on the back of an eye-popping Yarmouth success last month when Tribal Chief swept past consistent Terries Royale with the minimum of fuss.
William Haggas also fields an in-form three-year-old in the shape of comfortable Newcastle scorer Bullet Point and the pair may well fight out the finish.
There is some strong jumping action at Ascot where top weight OUR CHAMP (3.15) can go well at a price in the two-mile handicap hurdle.
Our Champ should strip fitter for his comeback effort at Market Rasen and a repeat of his excellent effort in the competitive Betfair Hurdle at Newbury in February will see him in the thick of the action.
Freddie Gordon claims a valuable 5lb and my selection is better off at the weights with his Cheltenham conqueror Tintintin and fourth-home Tapley.
MASTER CHEWY (2.05) is trading at shorter odds in the valuable two-mile Byrne Group Handicap Chase.
Nigel Twiston-Davies has his string in great order and Master Chewy turned up with sound prospects at the Cheltenham Festival in March. He was still in contention when falling two out in the novices’ chase won by Willie Mullins’ Gaelic Warrior and showed no ill effects a month later at Aintree when just denied by Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty.
Saint Segal will be straighter for his comeback fourth at Chepstow three weeks ago.
Wetherby pitches in with more quality National Hunt fare and GREY DAWNING (2.58) can be another one for the thriving Dan Skelton team in the feature bet365 Charlie Hall Chase.
Winner of the Turners Chase at Cheltenham in March, Grey Dawning was adding to a couple of previous successes over fences and is primed for another big season.
My selection faces a strong challenger in likely favourite Bravemansgame, winner of this event in 2022 and runner-up last year, while last season’s Ryanair Chase third Conflated enters the equation. The Irish raider made his first start at Punchestown 17 days ago but unseated after sprawling on landing over the first fence.
Re-opposing French Dynamite ran out a comfortable winner of that race and the yard landed this event 12 months ago.
KATEIRA (2.22) catches the eye receiving weight from her six rivals in the three-mile bet365 Hurdle.
The Skelton-trained mare posted a solid fourth behind Boombawn at Kempton in March before opening her seasonal account in a 19-runner handicap at Aintree four weeks later.
Dashel Drasher should ensure an honest gallop but appears vulnerable on his first start of the season. More potent threats are likely to emerge in the form of Irish raiders Sandor Clegane and Beacon Edge, while Olly Murphy’s Thunder Rock merits a market check.
The sponsors offer a generous three places each-way.
Tally Ho
Alan
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NB. All odds shown are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change.
