The Timeform experts highlight their best bets on a busy Saturday featuring the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase at Aintree.
Racing betting tips: Saturday November 9
1pt win Room Service in 1.20 Doncaster at 11/4 (William Hill, 5/2 General)
1pt win Latenightpass in 2.40 Aintree at 7/1 (General)
1pt win Insanity in 3.45 Doncaster at 16/1 (Coral, William Hill, bet365)
Railway Hurricane - 1.02 Gowran (Billy Nash)
A squiggle next to his Timeform rating shows that RAILWAY HURRICANE is not one to trust implicitly but I do think he has a lot in his favour here.
A strong traveller, he won't be inconvenienced by the drop back to a bare two miles and the presence of a pair of confirmed front-runners, Gaelic Arc and A Mere Bagatelle, means that it should be set up nicely for one that likes to come from off the pace.
The selection would have finished a bit closer to The Big Chap at Limerick last time but for a mistake two out and is now seven pounds better off with that one, who himself was well beaten at Down Royal last weekend.
Room Service – 1.20 Doncaster (David Johnson)
The turf season goes out with something of a whimper but hopefully ROOM SERVICE can give us something to shout about as I’ve had this race in mind for him since his excellent effort under a big weight when chasing home Strike Red in the Coral Sprint Trophy at York.
He's the clear pick of the weights and a good test of stamina at a galloping track look his ideal conditions, as he showed when winning a valuable sales race here over a bit further as a juvenile.
Latenightpass - 2.40 Aintree (James Cooper)
The Grand Sefton remains a race of intrigue and while it’s rarely a Grand National pointer given the marked difference in distance, it's a race in which previous form over these unique fences confers a major advantage.
Percussion has been placed in the last two renewals of this race and this has doubtless been his early-season target, but LATENIGHTPASS is just preferred.
Hailing from the pointing ranks, Latenightpass excels over these fences, landing the 2022 Foxhunters and he also added to his tally in the Cross-Country code for Dan Skelton at Cheltenham in December.
Back with Tom Ellis, he looked an opportunistic runner in the Grand National in April and a mid-field effort was a sound run given that test of stamina was always going to be too much.
He’s had a breathing operation ahead of this reappearance and back over a more suitable trip, a bold bid looks firmly on the cards.
Insanity – 3.45 Doncaster (Rory King)
INSANITY could well be considered an apt word for coming up with a best bet for the weekend in what is a spectacularly hot renewal of the November Handicap, but there are clear reasons for thinking that Alan King’s gelding is overpriced, and potentially by some way given he’s won two of his four starts this year and been a close second to the very progressive Mount Atlas – in a race that’s worked out tremendously well – in between.
He tanked his way through the Shergar Cup Challenge before battling to win in a good time, and his last run at York is excusable given it came less than a fortnight on from that success.
He’s been given plenty of time since then, has a good record fresh, is versatile with regards ground (ready winner on heavy last year), and this is a race that Alan King often targets, winning it in 2020.
Published at 1555 GMT on 08/11/24
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