Our star daily duo of Rory Delargy and David Massey go through Saturday's action and they have four selections.
Racing betting tips: Saturday January 16
1pt win Konfusion in the 14:00 Haydock at 7/2 (General, min 3/1)
1pt e.w Marche D’Aligre in the 14:53 Ascot at 12/1 (General, min 10/1)
1pt e.w Prairie Diamond in the 16:20 Taunton at 15/2 (1/5 1,2,3,4 General, min 13/2)
1pt e.w Al Hofzan in the 17:00 Southwell at 7/1 (1/5 1,2,3,4 Unibet, Spreadex, min 6/1)
15:50 Taunton
I’m loath to give up on Steal The Moves after the one mediocre effort at Leicester last time as there was more than enough promise in his first chase effort at Lingfield where he held every chance two out before becoming a bit outpaced. With that, you’d have thought the extra two furlongs at Leicester would have suited but his jumping in the home straight wasn’t up to scratch. Maybe being taken right up the inside there didn’t help, I never think that’s the right place to be at Leicester, so I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt. This will only be his third chase start, after all, so there’s plenty of room for improvement.
16:20 Taunton
Little Ledgend is a short enough price for this given Lewis Stones did no better at Lingfield last time than Sean Bowen did on his handicap debut at Windsor back in November. It’s early days so improvement wouldn’t be a massive surprise but all the same, odds of 7-4 look skinny enough.
Martin Keighley has his team in good nick and perhaps PRAIRIE DIAMOND is the each-way answer. An easy winner over 2m4f at Wincanton in 2024, he’s been raced pretty sparingly since and an intended first run of the season back at Wincanton saw him unseat at the first. So his first proper run of the season came at Southwell last month and in the circumstances it wasn’t a bad effort over a trip too short, having every chance two out but fading under a combination of fitness and just getting outpaced.
This trip looks much more suitable and a welcome 2lb drop for that run means he’s only 3lb higher than his win.
17:00 Southwell
Miners Gamble again caught the eye at Chelmsford last time and is no doubt going to be well supported again after another unlucky run, but ultimately he’s 1-22 under all codes and at around the 4-1 mark, he’s easy enough to swerve.
AL HOFZAN looks the one to be with. He’s only had the four starts but ran well on his handicap debut at Wolverhampton, mixing it with experienced handicappers and only beaten a length and a quarter. That was over 7f and he was first off the bridle but he never gave up and was closing in again at the finish. That says to me this step up to a mile will suit him well, as will a stronger pace, and he only needs another small step forward to make his presence felt.
14:53 Ascot
MARCHE D'ALIGRE hasn’t quite lived up to the early hype, but the key with him is simple: he needs soft ground, and he’s finally getting it. His two runs on a softer surface this season have been much more like it, and his latest second at Sandown reads very well — the winner has franked the form since.
What really stopped him that day was his jumping, not his engine. He clattered the third-last, lost his back end, and still managed to drag himself into the race, hitting the front before being outpaced late by a well-handicapped rival. That effort took some doing.
The step up from 2m looks a big plus, and he’s clearly on a mark he can exploit if he tidies up his technique. He doesn’t need to be foot-perfect — he can belt one and still be bang there — but a cleaner round puts him right in the firing line.
14:00 Haydock
Royale Pagaille is a warrior, but this is a savage weight-carrying task against two young chasers on the up. KONFUSION and Myretown both have lofty ambitions, yet it’s Konfusion who arrives with the sharper profile for today.
Konfusion has been one of the season’s big movers, rattling off the Rehearsal Chase and the Rowland Meyrick with authority. He’s still on the climb, and the presence of Royale Pagaille leaves him sitting on a very workable 11 stone. The race shape is ideal, and he looks the one with the cleanest prep and the most straightforward setup.
Myretown is a serious horse for the future, but he comes with caveats. He was too fresh before crashing out in the Coral Gold Cup, and after seven weeks off, that keenness could resurface. More worrying is that a normally bold jumper has now suffered two heavy falls when in front, both eerily similar incidents. The engine is huge, but the reliability isn’t quite bankable yet.
Preview posted at 09:25 GMT on 17/01/26
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