Matt Brocklebank tipped a 7/2 winner on New Year's Eve and John Ingles picks up the baton with his best bets from around the tracks on January 1.
Thursday selections
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COUL ANGEL – 14:30 Southwell (NAP)
There’s good prize money on offer on Southwell’s all-weather card where COUL ANGEL can register another win in the valuable six-furlong contest. He made into a useful sprinter for Mick Appleby as a three-year-old in 2025, with four of his five wins coming on the all-weather, including a quick double at Kempton in the autumn. His hat-trick bid was foiled at the same track last time, but he showed that the handicapper hasn’t caught up with him just yet as he should probably have won that race too, catching the eye with how much ground he made up to finish second after an awkward start from a wide draw. Still a sprinter on the up, he can make amends here.
🏇 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻 🎥
— Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) December 29, 2025
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SEASMOKE – 12:35 Exeter
Exeter’s meeting needs to pass an inspection but if it goes ahead SEASMOKE can get the New Year off to a winning start in the opening contest for conditional jockeys. Billy Aprahamian’s mare has taken well to fences this term, winning a handicap on her second start over the larger obstacles at Market Rasen when gradually warming to her task and then running well from a 4 lb higher mark when bumping into thriving course specialist Ali Star Bert at Southwell last time. Seasmoke runs off the same mark here and can get back to winning ways with Jack Andrew in the saddle.
CALIFET EN VOL – 12:50 Cheltenham
Cheltenham’s novice chase looks an interesting contest with all five runners potentially better than they’ve shown so far over fences. Regent’s Stroll will no doubt be a popular choice as he settled better than on his chasing debut with a hood back on when beating Nicky Henderson’s Jeriko du Reponet in a match at Wincanton last time. However, Henderson might fancy getting his revenge here with CALIFET EN VOL who is getting a handy 5 lb from Regent’s Stroll. There was plenty to like about his chasing debut over course and distance at Cheltenham’s last meeting, only left behind by winner Sixmilebridge after a stumble two out. He’s sure to do better with that run under his belt.
HAVE SECRET – 13:30 Catterick
Richard Fahey has very few runners under National Hunt Rules these days – he had a bumper winner in 2022 but you have to go back to January 2020 for his last winner over jumps. It looks significant, therefore, that HAVE SECRET makes his debut in this sphere in the maiden hurdle at Catterick, and if he can show anything like his useful Flat form, he should take all the beating. The five-year-old has held his form well on the level all year, winning at Ripon in April and Redcar in November, and shaped as if still in good heart in a 0-105 handicap at Lingfield last time.
FASOL – 13:40 Musselburgh
Paul Nicholls has a busy day with runners at several meetings, including a raiding party at Musselburgh where his runners always need respecting. The one that takes the eye there is FASOL in the Hogmaneigh Handicap Hurdle, ridden by daughter Olive fresh from a good win on the stable’s Viroflay at Kempton last week. A winner at Taunton last season, Fasol again showed his effectiveness on flat right-handed tracks when landing the odds under the same rider in a novice at Wincanton last time from a stablemate who has won since. Fifth to the smart Alexei at Ascot on his previous start, Fasol can follow up returned to handicap company.
HARTINGTON – 14:50 Windsor
Hopefully Windsor’s revived New Year’s Day fixture won’t suffer the same fate as it often did in the 1990s when falling victim to the weather as they too have an inspection. All being well, HARTINGTON should be able to get back to winning ways for Joe Tizzard in the New Year’s Day Handicap Hurdle. He was runner-up in a novices’ handicap hurdle over course and distance last January and meets the winner of that race, Guard Duty, on much better terms here. That’s despite two good runs this term, winning at Carlisle before shaping best when going down by a neck to Electric Mason in the Betfair Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle at Haydock last time. He can do better again back down in trip.
ANTRIM – 14:59 Newcastle
By Dubawi out of a close relative to Enable, ANTRIM must be the best-bred horse in action on New Year’s Day, and he can complete a course-and-distance hat-trick at Newcastle. He was a five-length winner of a novice here in October before John and Thady Gosden sent him to the sales where Karl Burke had to go to 130,000 guineas to secure him. Returned to the scene of that success, Antrim made all for a ready win on his handicap debut for his new connections, showing further improvement and suggesting there’s more where that came from, in keeping with that blue-blooded pedigree, which should make him hard to beat.
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2025-26 winners (Naps competition Oct 19 - Apr 25)
- Nebras 7/2
- Mapledurham 5/2
- Soldierofthestorm 9/4
- Lake Como 11/10
- Ballymackie 5/6 (NAP)
- Kruger Park 3/1
- Indeevar Blue 9/2
- Kitzbuhel 13/8
- Gazette Bourgeoise 7/2
- Supreme Malinas 7/2
- Heart Over Head 4/1
- Saint Cyr De Pail 7/2
- Westcombe 7/4
- Intervention 7/2
- One Big Bang 8/11
- Zryan 4/1
- David's Well 6/4 (NAP)
- Atreides 5/4
- Salver 6/4 (NAP)
- Castanea Breeze 3/1
- Ribble Vibe 6/4
- Medieval Gold 6/5
- Fierce Warrior 11/10
- Mambonumberfive 5/2 (NAP)
- Bibendum 85/40
- Seasmoke 10/3
- Teardrops 2/1
- Secret Vino 11/2
- Blenkinsop 7/4 (NAP)
- Roaring Conquest 6/4
- Molto Bene 7/4
- Nocte Volatus 11/4
- Sparkling Duke 9/2
- Chuggy 11/10
- Germanic 3/1
- Special John evens
- Fat Harry 5/4 (NAP)
- Formel Park 3/1 (NAP)
- Sixmilebridge 6/4 (NAP)
- On The Go 2/1 (NAP)
- Ikarak 13/8
- Clearpoint 3/1
- Bahadur 2/1 (NAP)
- L'Empire Vert 3/1 (NAP)
- Without Compromise 2/1
- Solarize 3/1
- Hartington 7/1
- Bloodsweatandtyres 9/2
- Pep Talking 13/2
- Tigers Moon 8/11
- Sea Poetry 2/1
- Fine Interview 7/2
- American Flight 7/1 (NAP)
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