Don't miss today's preview as David Massey and Rory Delargy look to follow up yesterday's 5/1 Newmarket winner.
Racing betting tips: Friday April 17
1pt e.w. A Perfect Day in 16:05 Ayr at 9/2 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4) - min 4/1
0.5pts e.w. On The Inlet in 16:55 Newbury at 16/1 (Sky Bet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5) - min 14/1
15:30 Ayr
There has been rain about at Ayr and more expected on Friday morning, so the ground is expected to be soft all round and that won’t suit Twinjets who was back to form on a sound surface at Newbury last time, but is not the most robust these days and may struggle to back that up.
He was a winner on testing ground when with Milton Harris, but ran poorly on his only try on such a surface for Paul Nicholls. Jipcot isn’t always easy to catch right, either, but has been catching the eye since joining Jonjo & A J O’Neill, winning on soft at Leicester and doing a bit too much in front trying three miles at Ascot last time.
Jipcot is a bold jumper these days who races enthusiastically and the drop to 2½m here looks ideal, assuming he can avoid a battle for the lead with Twinjets and Myretown. The latter has plenty to prove all of a sudden and it's surprising to see him take a step back in trip, as he’s given the impression he’ll stay a fair bit further.
16:05 Ayr
Ben Clarke has had three winners from just nine runners in the last month and has brought a small team to Ayr which looks capable of plundering some Scottish loot, with A PERFECT DAY looking to have very strong credentials for this handicap hurdle having chased home subsequent Aintree winner Wellington Arch in a competitive Uttoxeter handicap hurdle last month.
The son of Westerner would have been beaten only narrowly but for being hampered by the winner on the run-in and looks ready to score himself. On his penultimate start he was very unlucky in a Pertemps Qualifier at Chepstow, looking poised to win when a mistake at the penultimate flight caused his jockey to lose his irons and several places, only for him to rally after the last.
Uttoxeter was clearly plan-B for Clarke, but A Perfect Day confirmed every bit of his Chepstow promise in finding only a highly progressive rival too good there, and a 3lb rise looks very fair given Wellington Arch was able to defy a rise in the weights on Saturday at Aintree.
Came From Nowhere is his nearest market rival and appears the only serious danger to my mind. He put in a strong performance at Newbury last time until blundering at the last and finished second to Le Frimeur, 8½ lengths ahead of Doujadou, who scored by a wide margin at Ffos Las on Sunday. That form is solid, and Came From Nowhere was attempting a hat-trick when beaten last time, so is clearly the one to fear most.
Given A Perfect Day's consistency, he looks an each-way swing to (almost) nothing here, with four places on offer pretty much everywhere.
16:55 Newbury
We get that there are some potential improvers in this field, with Colori Forever and Crown Office heading up that list, but the chance to back a fit, in-form and improving horse at `16-1 is too great a temptation to resist, and so we'll row in with ON THE INLET here.
Since coming back from a winter break he's bolted up at Southwell and Wolverhampton, winning those two races by a combined nine and a half lengths. This, of course is tougher, and he's up again in the weights but a switch to turf could yet see another step forward (is a full brother to the very useful Jumby) and he has to be worth the chance to show he's as good on turf as he is Tapeta here.
Preview posted at 09:32 BST on 17/04/26
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