There is Listed action from Leopardstown among five meetings on Wednesday. Fresh from a fine winner on Tuesday you can find Andrew Mount’s best Wednesday bets here.
Back his selections with SkyBet’s new customer offer of Bet 5p Get £40 In Free Bets.
Posted: 4:20pm, Tuesday, April 8th
3.35 Nottingham – BEAR ISLAND (1pt win – 5/1 bet365)
David Menusier’s BEAR ISLAND caught the eye when keeping on into fourth in a 7f Kempton maiden last August and that form boosted by subsequent wins from the runner-up and sixth. The son of Belardo also ran well over 1m at the same venue on his second outing and though recording his lowest RPR (Racing Post Rating) of 62 at Brighton on his final juvenile outing, I thought it was his best effort. Sent off at 7-2, stall 1 made life difficult and he was poorly positioned when the rush for the favoured near side rail ensued. He took up the running two out and looked to be travelling best, trading at 1.52 in running, but weakened in the final furlong to finish fourth. Gelded ahead of today’s seasonal/handicap debut, trip, track and ground should be ideal he’s worth a bet despite the presence of other unexposed types.
5.35 Nottingham – FAT GLADIATOR (1pt win – 4/1 bet365)
FAT GLADIATOR only finished sixth off 11 when the 7-2 favourite for a Class 5 handicap on Lingfield’s Polytrack last time but Pat Cosgrave sent him straight to the ‘dead’ rail to make the running and it was a run worthy of an upgrade. This sometimes-keen sort is likely to sit just behind out-and-out pacesetter NEXT TRICK before kicking on a furlong out. Stall 2 is handy, the drop to Class 6 level is on his favour as is the drying ground, and he finished second off a 7lb higher mark at Brighton last spring on his most recent turf outing.
6.10 Kempton – HONVED (2pt win – 10/1 bet365)
HONVED, backed into 13-8 favouritism, was too green to do himself justice when a close-up second on his racecourse debut at Wolverhampton on March 8th and his subsequent 5-1 fifth of 11 at Doncaster was a good effort as he made the running into the headwind. Three front-runners from the opening two-day Doncaster meeting have run since – Waistcoat, only 17th of 19 at Donny, finished a respectable sixth of 15 at Yarmouth on Saturday despite resenting the switch to patient tactics, Havana Prince, 12th of 21 last time, was a 5-1 winner at Redcar on Monday and Letmeseethecolts won easily at Pontefract yesterday (Kalikapour could make it three from four in the 5.27 at Southwell, due to start shortly after the publication of this column). Kempton will be kinder to Honved’s prominent style and his sire, Zoustar, gets plenty of winners here.
7.10 Kempton – RIFT VALLEY (2pt win – 8/1 bet365)
James Fanshawe’s horses are usually ridden patiently, which is fine on the straight courses at the likes of Doncaster and Ascot but the majority of tracks favour early pace and his strike-rate would be enhanced considerably if he was more flexible regarding riding instructions (see also: Alan King). RIFT VALLEY has yet to score from four starts but has shown plenty of promise, going down by three-quarters of a length in an 11-1 third of nine at Chelmsford (6f) on her second outing despite failing to settle/running green, finishing third at Redcar (5f) where she was poorly drawn and fared best of those to come from off the pace, and latterly, doing best of the closers when fourth at Newcastle (6f). The three-year-old can be expected to improve on her handicap debut tonight – her trainer is 14 from 58 (24.1% strike-rate) with handicap debutants on the all-weather since the beginning of 2021 for a profit of £6.63 to a £1 level stake at SP (expected winners = 10.12, A/E = 1.38), with those aged three landing ten of their 36 starts for a profit of £13.88. The daughter of Invincible Spirit looks well drawn in stall 5 of ten and the likely strong pace will ensure that she gets cover and a good tow into the race.
Join our 20k+ subscribers to receive the latest horse racing news, offers, and expert tips directly in your inbox — 100% free!
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets
3.35 Nottingham – BEAR ISLAND (1pt win)
5.35 Nottingham – FAT GLADIATOR (1pt win)
6.10 Kempton – HONVED (2pt win)
7.10 Kempton – RIFT VALLEY (2pt win)
Andrew Mount’s Horse Racing Tips – Wednesday, 9th April
Looking For More Racing Info? Check Out Our Racecards & Top Tips Sections
Make sure you’re following us on all our social media platforms to keep up to date with all the latest horse racing news and the best tips.