The Sporting Life and Timeform experts provide their best bets for a bumper Boxing Day programme.
Graeme North - Brookie 13:45 Leopardstown
Tony Martin is one of the shrewdest operators in Ireland and his Brookie remains on a good mark for the novice handicap hurdle at Leopardstown.
Off the mark last time in a race he got in as a reserve, Brookie really caught the eye the time before at Tipperary off a mark just 1lb lower than he runs off here, flying home after his rider seemed keen to delay his challenge, and he leaves the impression he’s not yet shown anywhere near what he’s probably capable of.
Billy Nash - Dutch Schultz 13:45 Leopardstown
Arrives here on the back of a couple of disappointing runs in valuable handicaps on the Flat but had an excuse last time (ran too free) and his third to Echoes In Rain at Galway in July is a solid piece of form.
Shaped quite well in a couple of maiden hurdles at the start of the year and is open to further improvement over jumps. Yard going great guns at present and his opening mark looks a fair one.
Ben Linfoot - Dreaming Blue 14:03 Wincanton
Few trainers have as good a Boxing Day record as Anthony Honeyball in recent years. The Dorset trainer is 7/25 at 28% on Boxing Day and when you drill down to his Wincanton record on December 26 it’s 5/14 at 36%.
He’s got four running at Wincanton on Boxing Day this year and Dreaming Blue needs serious attention in the 2m4f handicap chase at 2.03. The novice hurdle he emphatically won at Fontwell in January featured subsequent winners and he jumped well when third on chasing debut at Kempton last time – the pair that finished ahead of him both franking the form since, with runner-up Quick Draw winning at Uttoxeter on December 6.
Matt Brocklebank - Rafferty's Return 14:10 Wetherby
Away from the glare of the ITV cameras, don’t miss Rafferty's Return on his… return to Wetherby in the William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Hurdle.
He wasn’t seen to best effect on good ground when resuming after a summer break at this track last month and yet he ran much better than the bare result, ending up ninth but still right there two-out before a bad blunder at the last hurdle saw him stop to a walk.
He’s immediately been dropped 3lb for that effort which looks generous to say the least as he’ll be much happier back on a softer surface and we know he loves this place having won and been second here as a novice back in February.
He generally finds loads for pressure at the head of affairs and I’d expect him to be a good bit fitter for the first run of his campaign.
Phil Turner - Karl Philippe 14:45 Wetherby
Karl Philippe might not have always looked the most polished of jumpers but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that he’s now won three of his last four starts over fences and, encouragingly, he gelled well when teaming up with up-and-coming conditional Jack Hogan for his most recent win, which came over this course and distance last month.
The form of that win already looks very strong – Zanza (runner-up) and Xcitations (fourth) have both won well since – and he’s almost certainly still some way ahead of the BHA handicapper, particularly when you add Hogan’s valuable 5 lb claim into the mix.
David Ord - Jeffery's Cross 14:52 Fontwell
He bumped into one when chasing home Only The Bold at Bangor last time but it seems only a matter of time before Jeffery's Cross opens his account over fences.
Dan Skelton’s charge was still learning on the job on only his second start over the larger obstacles but warmed to his task and with that experience under his belt, at a track where he’s gone well before, and from an unchanged mark, a bold bid is on the cards.
Tony McFadden - Embittered 14:55 Leopardstown
Embittered may not have hit the heights expected of him over fences, but he's on a good handicap mark and arrives here on the back of a narrow defeat at Cork that shows he has returned from a short break in decent heart.
He was only beaten a head at Cork after rallying strongly on the run-in, and that form was franked by the winner going on to defy a 5 lb higher mark with ease at Fairyhouse on Wednesday. Embittered has edged up only 2 lb for his Cork effort and ought to launch a bold bid.
Kieran Clarke - Barbados Buck's 15:13 Wincanton
Paul Nicholls is no stranger to targeting a few of his inmates at local Wincanton on Boxing Day and Barbados Buck’s makes plenty of appeal in the Pertemps Qualifier at 3.13.
The son of Getway got his career firmly back on track at Newbury last time after a 9-month absence (also having undergone a breathing operation in the interim) and he’s very well handicapped off a BHA mark of 128 if he can build on that promise, worth remembering that he was sent off at single-figure odds for the 2021 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival in 2021.
Andrew McLaren - Barbados Buck's 15:13 Wincanton
Barbados Buck's looked a smart stayer in the making when defying a double penalty at Kempton in early 2021, so much so he was sent off 8/1 for the Albert Bartlett at the Festival, but he didn’t fire there and didn’t take to fences when sent chasing last season.
Paul Nicholls gave him a wind op during the summer and he got his career back on track with a promising return at Newbury where he travelled like a well-handicapped horse before tiring late on. That was his first run for 266 days so can be expected to come on significantly and he can race off the same mark here.
He can prove his mark of 128 to be a lenient one (rated 140 this time last year) and give the champion trainer a Boxing Day winner at his local track.
Andrew Asquith - Witch Hunter 15:35 Wolverhampton
Witch Hunter's sole win came at this track over six furlongs, but his record on the all-weather since is a positive one, finishing runner-up in a listed event at Lingfield shortly afterwards, and he returned to form at venue when narrowly beaten in a handicap under this rider last month.
He shaped with plenty of promise that day, coming from much further back than the two who finished in front of him, and making his challenge on the far rail, which isn't often the place to be at Lingfield. Hoepfully they don't crawl here - there isn't an abundance of pace of paper - but he left the impression this mark isn't beyond him and he remains a horse to be positive about on an artificial surface and he is fairly priced with that in mind.
Adam Houghton - Storm Dennis 15:40 Kempton
Storm Dennis was progressive over hurdles last season and ended the campaign with a comfortable success over this course and distance, only winning by a neck but looking value for extra in a falsely-run race which wouldn’t have played to his strengths. He is only 1 lb higher in the weights today, should get a stronger gallop at aim at and will hopefully be underestimated in the betting having disappointed on his chasing debut/reappearance at Stratford in October.
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More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
