Racing tips: Free preview & best bets for Sunday February 21
Keith Hamer expects Cadzand to win the Betfair Hurdle and he has a tip for every race at every meeting in the UK and Ireland.
Keith Hamer's selections:
MARKET RASEN: 1.00 Homme Public, 1.30 Whiteoak Fleur, 2.05 Stoner’s Choice, 2.40 Martello Sky, 3.15 Mick Maestro, 3.50 Getaway North, 4.25 Rintulla, 4.55 Fly By Milan.
NAVAN: 1.05 Coko Beach, 1.40 Envol Pierji, 2.15 Global Equity, 2.47 Fury Road, 3.25 Minella Escape, 4.00 Wowsham, 4.35 Westy Fox, 5.10 Ginto.
NEWBURY: 1.15 Good Ball, 1.50 Sizable Sam, 2.25 Lostintranslation, 3.00 Greaneteen, 3.35 CADZAND (NAP), 4.10 Thegallantway, 4.45 Mucho Mas.
UTTOXETER: 12.50 Elham Valley, 1.22 Discko Des Plages, 1.57 Unohu, 2.32 Midnight Tune, 3.07 Pebbly New Moon, 3.42 Light Flicker, 4.17 Easy Bucks, 4.52 Dharan.
DOUBLE: Cadzand and Greaneteen.
Cadzand can justify his strong ante-post support by winning the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury.
Dan Skelton’s six-year-old has been towards the head of the betting for arguably the toughest handicap hurdle in the calendar right from when the weights were published.
He looked the ideal type for the race when scoring impressively at Kempton over Christmas. Cadzand brushed Christopher Wood aside, and that horse has gone on to win the Scottish County Hurdle in good style.
Cadzand had got off the mark over hurdles at the second attempt at Warwick in November and is open to plenty of improvement.
The six-year-old’s experience before that was restricted to one point-to-point success and two placed efforts in bumpers.
The Skelton stable continues to be in fine form, and their runners must always be respected.
Skelton served as assistant to Paul Nicholls before setting up on his own, and his former boss should strike with Greaneteen in the Betfair Game Spirit Chase.
The seven-year-old had a solid campaign as a novice chaser in 2019-20, winning his first three races and finishing a creditable fourth in the ultra-competitive Grand Annual at the Festival.
Nicholls had no qualms giving Greaneteen his seasonal reappearance in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter in November and was duly rewarded with a game neck verdict over Moonlighter.
Greaneteen was then pitched against his esteemed stablemate Politologue in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown and did best of the rest to take the runner-up spot in the two-mile Grade One.
He is in Nicholls’ Cheltenham plans, holding entries in both the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Ryanair. He can take this en route to the Festival.
Good Ball may also provide an apt success for the Ditcheat trainer in the Read Paul Nicholls On Betting Betfair Novices’ Hurdle.
The French import made a winning British debut over this course and distance in December and could be a bright prospect.
Lostintranslation can get back on track for the Cheltenham Gold Cup by taking the Betfair Denman Chase.
It is true Colin Tizzard’s charge has questions to answer, but the stable is now in much better shape – having been under a cloud earlier in the season.
Lostintranslation will have been helped by a wind operation following a disappointing run in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
At his best, he is undoubtedly one of the top staying chasers around, as he showed last term when winning the Betfair Chase and finishing third in the Gold Cup.
Stoner’s Choice gets the vote in the rearranged Ballymore Sidney Banks Novices’ Hurdle at Market Rasen.
Fergal O’Brien’s six-year-old looks like he is being primed for Cheltenham, where he has two entries, as this is his first start for 94 days.
Before his break, Stoner’s Choice chalked up a hat-trick with wins at Perth, Carlisle and a cosy success on this course.
While he may not be primed to his absolute best, O’Brien will no doubt have him fit enough to do himself justice in his prep run for the Festival.
Mick Maestro can defy 12lb rise in the weights in the MansionBet’s Faller Insurance Handicap Hurdle.
The eight-year-old, trained by Nick Kent, caught the attention of the assessor when bolting up by 15 lengths at Catterick.
He is a useful sort when his jumping holds up and he may be hard to beat here.
Midnight Tune has a chance to make the most of a drop back in trip and testing ground in the starsports.bet £20K Owners Club Guarantee Mares’ Chase at Uttoxeter, while Fury Road should be back among the winners at Navan.
All eyes will be on dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll in the Ladbrokes Ireland Boyne Hurdle, but his Gordon Elliott-trained stablemate ought to defy a penalty as he looks to bounce back from Grade One defeat at Christmas.
Next Off
Most Followed
MOST READ RACING
