Check out the best Boxing Day bets from the Sporting Life and Timeform racing teams.
Andrew Asquith - An Tailliur – 15:40 Kempton
This will be An Tailliur’s stiffest assignment to date, but he is arguably one of the most progressive horses around at present and, judged by his latest victory at Taunton, he hasn’t yet finished improving. He wasn’t suited by a steadily-run race on that occasion, either, so a subsequent 4lb rise seems more than fair, and the extra distance he faces now will also be in his favour. There is plenty to like about his chances.
Dan Barber - Ahoy Senor 1.55 Kempton
The resurfacing on Twitter of the 1963 Boxing Day football scores never fails to draw a smile, with Burnley’s 6-1 hammering of Manchester United a personal highlight. Things are rather more cagey, however, in the running battle between Ahoy Senor and Bravemansgame – the former leads 1-0 as it stands – but the Scottish powerhouse can double his advantage on Boxing Day by outstaying his classy rival on rain-softened ground that is likely to place a greater premium on stamina than is normally found in the race that honours the alternative King of Christmas, Kauto Star.
Josh Brame - An Tailluir 3.40 Kempton
Jonjo O'Neill's progressive hurdler An Tailliur has gone from strength to strength this season, winning on each of his last six completed starts, and the handicapper may not have got a hold of him just yet. Having unseated his rider early at Cheltenham, he quickly got back on track at Taunton last month, and that performance is probably worth marking up when considering that the race wasn't run to suit.
Forced to make his effort off a steady pace, he picked up in good style, responding generously and staying on strongly to return to winning ways. An Tailliur has gone up 4lb for that win, and though this is a tougher assignment for him to tackle, he's definitely one I'm keen to get on side.
Still open to improvement and stepping back up in trip, Jonjo O'Neill's five-year-old ticks plenty of boxes, and hopefully he can deliver for a trainer who tasted success in this race back in 2016.
Oli Bell - Ahoy Senor 1.55 Kempton
There's so much great racing over Christmas but my banker is Ahoy Senor in the Kauto Star at Kempton. I thought he was unbelievable at Newbury last time, he's the real deal and one of the most exciting novice chasers either side of the Irish Sea.
Its a tough race taking on Bravemansgame but I think the selection is something special and can prove it here.
Ed Chamberlin - Debece 2.10 Wetherby
I really like Debece in the William Hill Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby. This time last year he seemed to have lost his way with Tim Vaughan, but switched to the Skelton team ran a huge race when second at Sandown in March.
The winner, Fortescue, did the form no harm with his run in the Ladbrokes Trophy and I sense the selection is a well-handicapped horse. We know how good his new connections are when it comes to targeting a race and I hope this has been the plan for Debece for some time.
David Johnson - Asterion Forlonge 3.05 Kempton
Punting God of the 1990s Alan Potts wrote a book called Against The Crowd on the premise that to be successful at gambling, you need to be looking for something that others aren’t. Anyone that heard the Sporting Life Festive podcast I contributed to earlier in the week will know that’s clearly the case with regards Asterion Forlonge’s chance in the King George, the majority far more lukewarm on his claims than I am.
Something of a nearly horse so far, I’m hoping his last two runs signify that he’s ready to make into the top-class jumper he threatened to be in his novice hurdle season. Last spring he routed what looked a competitive field in a novice handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival and his run in the John Durkan suggests he is ready to take another step forward in Grade 1 company now. That looks the strongest race we’ve seen run so far this season, and though Allaho came out on top, I’m convinced he’d have been playing for second place had Asterion Forlonge completed. It was an unfortunate unseat three out rather than a bad blunder, but he was definitely going better than the eventual winner at the time.
I’m expecting Bryan Cooper to have him buried away on the inside and look to pick his way through rivals as hopefully the likes of Minella Indo and Clan Des Obeaux stop Frodon having everything his own way on the front end. He’s a half-brother to a winner over as far as three and a quarter miles and I don’t anticipate the step up to three miles being a problem.
Tony McFadden - Mt Leinster Gold - 14:08 Limerick
The ground at Limerick's Christmas meeting will be testing - it's comforting to know that some things never change during these uncertain times - and stamina will be at a premium. That emphasis on stamina won’t inconvenience MT LEINSTER GOLD in the two-and-a-half mile mares' handicap hurdle as she is a three-time point winner and the second of her two wins under Rules was achieved over three miles.
Mt Leinster Gold looked ahead of her mark when a staying-on sixth on her handicap debut at Punchestown last season, and she should be spot-on here having shaped as if in need of the run on her reappearance at Fairyhouse last month.
Andrew McLaren - Danny Kirwan 1.20 Kempton
DANNY KIRWAN has always been held in high regard by Paul Nicholls but he proved a bit of a disappointment over hurdles with just the two minor wins to his name.
He is very much a chaser on looks however, and made a promising start to life over fences when chasing home Annual Invictus at Cheltenham on the back of a wind op where his tendency to jump right was evident.
The three horses behind him have all either won or run well since and he’ll be much more at home on this flat, right-handed track. He should go close off the same mark.
Billy Nash - Daly Tiger 1.33 Limerick
Most of the attention will be elsewhere on what promises to be a cracking day’s racing but I think Daly Tiger looks the best bet of the day in the third race on the card at Limerick. This looks like a really astute piece of placing by Noel Meade as this race is confined to horses that have not won more than one hurdle race.
Daly Tiger ran three times over hurdles in the 2017/18 season, winning a maiden at Punchestown on his second outing, but he is firmly established as a smart chaser these days and was last seen chasing home Energumene in the Hilly Way at Cork.
He won’t need to run to anything like that level to win this, shouldn’t have any trouble staying two and a half miles around Limerick and has the assistance of Eoin Walsh who is very good value for his 5lb claim.
Graeme North - Misty Grey 3.35 Wolverhampton
There might be higher profile races elsewhere on Boxing Day, and indeed at Wolverhampton itself, but the one horse on the day to which my eye is drawn is Misty Grey.
He’s not been seen much this season, having run only three times, but both recent runs back from a nine-month break suggest he’s ready to hit top form again now back in handicap company as well as at his best trip of seven furlongs for the first time this season.
The icing on this particular Boxing Day cake is his return to Wolverhampton, where he is 3-3 in handicaps, for the first time this year.
Trumble, seeking a five-timer, is sure to be popular in the market but all his wins have come at Chelmsford and he’s now 8lb higher than for the last of them over a month ago, a far cry from the Listed race scenarios Misty Grey has faced this year.
David Ord - Unexpected Party 2.45 Wetherby
Harry and Dan Skelton will be disappointed if they leave Wetherby without a winner on Boxing Day and Unexpected Party looks the answer to the William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Hurdle.
Already a course-and-distance winner, he posted a career-best effort when chasing home Gowel Road in a better race than this at Cheltenham last time. He's up 4lb here but, with more progress likely, he can improve past his new mark.
Phil Turner - Debece 2.10 Wetherby
Wetherby has always proved a happy hunting ground for Dan and Harry Skelton, the pair enjoying an impressive 30% strike rate at the track in their careers to date, so the fact that the reigning champion jockey will be typing “LS22 5EJ” into his Sat-Nav on Boxing Day inevitably makes one sit up and take notice.
Skelton has four booked rides there (all supplied by his brother) and looks to have strong claims aboard Debece in the card’s big race, the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase.
Admittedly it looks an up-to-scratch renewal, with recent Ladbrokes Trophy winner Cloudy Glen among his nine rivals, whilst the up-and-coming Silver Hallmark is an understandable favourite with youth on his side. However, there are grounds for thinking Debece may have some untapped potential over fences too – even though he’s already eligible for veteran events!
A switch to Skelton from Tim Vaughan’s misfiring yard nearly yielded an immediate return last season, with Debece collared late by Fortescue at Sandown after rather overdoing the front-running tactics.
The ten-year-old has undergone another breathing operation since that encouraging debut for the Skeltons and, with a BHA mark of just 135 hugely underselling a horse who had Grade 1 pretensions earlier in his career, he looks well worth chancing second time up for his powerful new yard.
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