Six tracks go racing in Britain and Ireland on Thursday, with the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase headlining in Ireland and jumps action at Newbury, Plumpton and Newcastle alongside the all-weather at Chelmsford and Southwell. Andrew Mount has horses to watch at both Newcastle and Chelmsford.
1.34 Newcastle – Freshers Week (1pt win – 15/2 generally)
Aire Spray currently heads the betting for this 3m handicap hurdle but the Sue Smith and Joel Parkinson-trained six-year-old is best when fresh and might struggle to back up his Bangor reappearance success on the back of a nine-day break, despite earning a sectional upgrade from Proform for that performance.
His six runs when returned to the track within 30 days of his latest start have returned form figures of 233425 (0-6), with the last two defeats at odds of 15-8 and 5-4. I’d rather side with Charlie Longdon’s Freshers Week, the mount of Brian Hughes His trainer has only run 16 horses in hurdles or bumpers at this venue with six winning for a profit of £11.72 to a £1 level stake at SP (+£20.06 at Betfair SP after 2%commission), including six from ten with those who started as favourite or second favourite.
The last time the trainer/jockey combined here over hurdles was in January 2024 when Mon Over Mexico won (9-4) and the five-year-old will come on for last month’s reappearance tenth of 17 at Chepstow where he was ridden by a 7lb claimer.
1.57 Chelmsford – Jenson Benson (1pt win – 13/2 generally)
Jenson Benson has suffered with the closure of Chelmsford, as four of his five wins have come at the Essex venue and his record elsewhere stands at just one victory from 21 starts. Shaun Lycett’s topweight has won four of his 17 starts here when retuned to the track within six weeks of his latest outing, including three from six in fields of 11 or more runners. He should get the required decent gallop this afternoon and progeny of his sire, Kodi Bear, often respond well to blinkers which he wears for the first time today.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets Today
1.34 Newcastle – Freshers Week (1pt win – 15/2 generally)
1.57 Chelmsford – Jenson Benson (1pt win – 13/2 generally)
FAQs: Today’s Racing Tips
Which racecourses run on Thursday 5 November? Newbury, Plumpton, Newcastle, Chelmsford, Southwell & Clonmel.
Who is Andrew Mount? Andrew Mount is a professional tipster with over a decade of experience following UK and Irish racing. He combines form study, market moves and trainer intelligence to identify value bets each day, and shares his tips daily on X as @TrendHorses.
When was today’s article published? Today’s article was published at 9.52am on Thursday 5th November.