Best bets for the horseracing this weekend

Following on from a big meeting out in Dubai at Meydan on Friday, four winners from five bets for Triple G, we have plenty to enjoy on Saturday with star names running across the globe. It’s an eight-race card at Cheltenham with the rearranged Grade One Clarence House Chase added, unfortunately, it’s not the clash we all wanted with El Fabiolo, that will have to wait until March. I have a bet at Cheltenham, a couple on the All-Weather and two out in America on the  Pegasus World Cup card for Saturday. 

Best bet for the horseracing at Cheltenham

There’s a few short-priced ones at Cheltenham and a lost of the afternoons action is best watched for me, unless you fancy a short-priced acca on the odds-on shots. You certainly can have a bet in the Grade Two three-mile McCoy Contractors Cleeve Hurdle at 3.35. A few of the usual suspects are her as you would expect and this should be a great race. Dashel Drasher and Paisley park face each other again and it is almost the flip of a coin with those two. Noble Yeats continues over the smaller obstacles having been turned over at odds-on at Limerick last month. “It’s a classic Emmet Mullins move to say ‘let’s see how we get on over hurdles’ and he needs a couple of outings so we can get him in first-class order for the Grand National,” said owner Robert Waley-Cohen this week. I can’t be backing him. I am a bit of a Champ fan, done me a couple of favours down the years, and the Nicky Henderson-trained 12-year-old may not perhaps have achieved what was hoped for him but he is a good horse. Things didn’t go his way in the Long Walk Hurdle back in December on his seasonal debut but he remains more than capable of winning against this field on his day. “First time back he ran fresh, but he ran a good race and kept staying on and Nicky is hoping he has come on for the run,” said Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus on Friday and all being well he can get back to winning wats here as I am on at 6-1.

Best bets for the horseracing at Kempton Park

Charlie Appleby has four three-year-olds making debut at Kempton Park Saturday afternoon and it’s significant surely that William Buick has jumped on a plane back from Dubai to ride two of them. In the mile Unibet Supports Safe Gambling Maiden Stakes at 5.30 Buick gets the leg-up on Silent Age. Already gelded he is a son of Dubawi and the first foal out of the Frankel mare Dubai Beauty who is a full-sister to Measured Time and half sister to Rebels Romance. In Division two at 6.00 Buick is on Notable Speech. A chestnut son of Dubawi out of Swift Rose who is from a family that has produced winners. They are both short but the double pays 2.45-1 and I have had that.

Best bets for the horseracing at Gulfstream Park

Saturday night is all about Gulfstream Park with several big races on the Pegasus World Cup card across the pond. Warm Heart heads the market for the Grade One 1m1f Bet Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes at 9.55 our time. She is dropping back in distance, won the G.1 Yorkshire Oaksand Qatar Prix Vermeille over 1m4f last season, but getting the bit of weight she does from the American colts I can see her taking this prize rewarding ‘the lads’ for having a go at this rather than the G.2 Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes earlier on the card. One her last two starts she was second in the G.1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf caught in the shadow of the post and then third in the G.1 Longines Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin and similar efforts will see here on top here. I have the 7-4. Integration looks the best of the Yanks.

Godolphin owned First Mission looks to establish himself as one of North America’s top horses when he steps up to Grade One level in the 1m1f Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes presented by Baccarat on the Dirt at 10.40. The Street Sense colt brings a progressive profile into the US$3m dirt contest, having rounded off an injury interrupted three-year-old season for Brad Cox with a nose second in the G.2 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs. Lightly raced for a four-year-old I have a feeling there is more to come from this colt on what I have seen. Michael Banahan, Director of Bloodstock, Godolphin USA, said “Brad Cox has been super happy with First Mission throughout the winter. He has been working very well with a couple of bullet breezes since the turn of the year. First Mission has a nice draw in stall eight, one out from the morning line favourite National Treasure, and we are expecting a very bold showing in his first try in a G1. If all goes to plan, we hope that he will announce himself as one of the top-tier older horses in the country.” I am on at 7-2. National Treasure was last seen when narrowly denied in the G.1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita and has to be considered on that form, he doesn’t win that regularly though.

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