Best bets for the horse racing Saturday 27th April 2024

The Jumps season comes to a close with the Bet365 Jump Finale, the big meeting Saturday afternoon at Sandown Park. Harry Cobden has the advantage over Sean Bowen going into the last day of the Jockeys Championship whilst Willie Mullins goes into the day leading Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls in the Trainers Championship. Mullins is trying to become the first Irish-based trainer to win a British jumps championship since Vincent O'Brien and it is fair to say he isn’t taking any chances with nine runners at the Esher track including El Fabiolo odds-on for the G.1 bet365 Celebration Chase, where he will face Jonbon, and Impaire Et Passe jolly for the G.2 bet365 Select Hurdle. I am leaving the meeting alone, I will be watching naturally, but it’s the sort of card that could break the bank with funny results at the end of a long campaign.

Elsewhere one of the big names on the fledgling Flat season, Kyprios, begins his six-year-old campaign in the 1m6f Listed SBK Vintage Crop Stakes over at Navan and unsurprisingly is odds-on out there. I am having just the one bet Saturday but will be busier Sunday with some international fancies so do check back as the weekend goes on.  

Best bet for the horse racing at Leicester

The going at Leicester is soft this morning with a chance of showers this afternoon. There are a number of horses re-opposing each other in the mile Madri Excepcional King Richard III Cup Handicap at 2.05 which is often the case at this time of year. Last time they met, Look Back Smiling beat Thunder Roar (1st and 2nd) up at Doncaster in March on soft going and both look closely matched again but I fancy one that finished further back that afternoon. Magic Memories was back in fifth having missed the break somewhat and been held-up out the back. He came with what looked a good run but something clearly went amiss a furlong or so out, perhaps the tank simply emptied on seasonal debut, as Tom Queally basically stopped riding when he got a little bump and the jockey did little more than steer him home after that. A mark of 81 would require a career best effort but he has young Jack Enright taking 7lb off meaning he is actually lower than his winning mark of 77 at Brighton last season. I have spoken about Enright before, he is based at Somerville Lodge with William Haggas, and he is a jockey to keep an eye on; he has ridden five winners already in his short career. The four-year-old has form on the going I am on at 6-1 BOG this morning.

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