Rory Delargy delivers Wednesday's Punting Pointers and he has two selections.
Racing betting tips: Wednesday April 1
1pt win Caph Star in the 18:00 Kempton at 9/1 (Bet365, 8/1 General) – min 15/2
1pt win Uniter in the 20:00 Kempton at 9/2 (General) – min 4/1
18:00 Kempton – Class 5 (0-70) Handicap 7f
CAPH STAR was quite an impressive novice winner here earlier in his career, but was sidelined for more than three years after that success, and showed nothing but a tendency to race freely on his belated return for Gordon Treacy late last year. He did a fair bit better when midfield here last time on debut for Mark Rimell, settling better and keeping on at one pace, and should be close to full fitness. He is now rated 70 by the BHA but would have been given a rating of around 90 for beating Baltimore Boy and A E Housman in his days with Roger Varian, so he’s clearly well treated if his new trainer can coax him back to his best. This is the weakest race he’s contested in his career and he certainly shaped as if retaining ability last time, so is worth risking at double-figure odds.
19:00 Kempton – Class 5 (0-75) Handicap 7f
There was a lot to like about the way Lion Of Mali got the better of French Affair here last time, taking his tally in handicaps to two wins and a second in three starts, and he has improved markedly with each outing to date. A winner at Wolverhampton in 0-65 company at Wolverhampton in February, he was taking on better rivals here last time and knuckled down gamely to hold the renewed challenge of the runner-up having hit the front inside the final furlong. He looks an easy conveyance with a progressive profile and a proven ability to battle when the chips are down, all of which should stand to him as he rises through the ranks.
Lion of Mali doesn’t win by far, and a 3lb rise is very fair for his latest win, so he’s a confident shout to bring up a hat-trick of handicap wins.
20:00 Kempton – Class 5 (0-65) Handicap 6f
The overnight favourite for this is Arry Up but trainer Rod Millman’s runners invariably need the run when reappearing in the spring and I’d be concerned that he has been off since winning at Leicester in October off a 6lb lower mark. The one I’m drawn to is UNITER, who shaped much better than a sixth of 7 here in January would suggest, as he closed up well late on despite being very poorly placed in a race that turned into a short sprint in the straight. That was a big improvement on his return and he has since joined Denis Coakley from Andrew Balding.
That move wouldn’t be viewed as a positive by most betting shop aficionados, but Balding has a huge number of horses in training and Coakley does very well with the horses he picks up from other yards. Of four horses he’s acquired from other yards in recent years, three have made the frame on stable debut, with Wonder Starelzaam winning at 18/1. Coakley, not to be confused with his Irish namesake, is in excellent form with three winners and a second from five runners in March. With Uniter fit and ready to go, he is taken to improve on the promise of his latest effort to continue the Coakley stable’s fine recent run.
Preview posted at 09:50 BST on 01/04/26
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