Timeform TV Focus: ITV racing tips on Friday

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Market Rasen

1.25 1 pt – 8 Nocte Volatus

A 0-150 in theory but in practice this is nothing like so strong as that might imply, and the case for Nocte Volatus looks solid. He doesn’t have a huge amount of miles on the clock for his age and he’s been back to very near his best in 2 runs since returning from a summer break, winning at Chepstow in a race that’s thrown up several winners before doing best of the rest behind Gemirande at Ascot, form that looks even stronger in light of the winner’s December Gold Cup success 3 weeks later. Nocte Volatus runs from the same mark here in what amount to shallower waters, with Cameron Iles – who rode him to success at Uttoxeter in the spring as well as at Ascot last time – retaining the ride, and his 7 lb claim is very handy.

2.35 1 pt – 2 Eldorado Allen

Hopefully third time lucky so far as the Veterans Final is concerned, the first 2 attempts to stage it having fallen foul of the weather. If anything, the latest change of venue could suit Eldorado Allen even more, particularly as it’s hard to think he should face much competition for the lead in this 8-runner field. Admittedly he hasn’t won for fast approaching 3 years, but for the majority of that time he’s kept top company, and the drop to veterans races has seen him return to form in finishing placed on his first 2 runs of the season. Throw in a lack of peak fitness in the first (following another breathing operation) and the trip being shorter than ideal at Cheltenham last time, and his chance looks even more compelling back over 3m with his mark having eased slightly. The refitting of headgear could be the final piece in the jigsaw.

3.10 1 pt – 9 Smile Back

It’s hard to have a strong view given a number of these mares have shown very similar form to date, but perhaps the best value option could be Smile Back. It was probably inevitable that she wouldn’t be given the respect of some of the others in the market given she hails from a smaller yard, but her strong-galloping performance when winning at Carlisle on her Rules debut marked her out as a well-above-average prospect. Perhaps this likely lesser test of stamina won’t suit so well, but, against that, she’s achieved at least as much as some of those shorter than her in the betting on Thursday afternoon, has the scope for a good deal better yet (had also won her only point), and she should come in for the right sort of ride for the track.

Windsor

1.50 1 pt – 1 Caldwell Potter

Caldwell Potter was perhaps a bit disappointing at Cheltenham when last seen, but it’s not as if it was a bad run on form, just twelve days on from his successful reappearance/chasing debut, and two and a half miles on a stiff track might’ve stretched him anyway. Paul Nicholls has given him more than a month off to get over those exertions, and there’ll be much less emphasis on stamina back at the minimum trip at a track in Windsor that seems to test finishing speed above all else. It’s hard to believe that Caldwell Potter isn’t simply by far the best chasing prospect in this field, harking back to his novice hurdle campaign that yielded a Grade 1 win, and prices around the even-money mark strike as fair even if each of the other three are potentially very useful novices in their own right.

2.25 1 pt – 5 Party Vibes

This is predominantly an established set of mares – Ilovethenightlife and Party Vibes are the only two in their first season chasing – and the latter, with considerably fewer miles on the clock than her rivals, strikes as the clear pick of the field in terms of potential. She did well as a novice hurdler last season, winning a couple of times, and she’s taken smoothly to fences this season, finishing third in a listed race on her chasing debut prior to edging out a promising rival in a small-field novice at Exeter. Her opening chase mark of 125 is fair on those efforts, with more improvement on the cards on her second try over a trip that really should suit.

3.00 1 pt – 2 Nemean Lion

This is rather trappy, but Timeform ratings do point the way towards Nemean Lion, who’s top on form yet the outsider of the field at the time of writing. It was an especially weak handicap for the grade that he won at Hereford last time, but he couldn’t be faulted for the way he did it, looking value for about double the winning margin, and he’s got plenty of more robust pieces of form to his name anyway, including a win in last season’s Kingwell Hurdle. Nemean Lion has got the gears to cope with what looks sure to be a muddling race, and if he produces something close to his best then it’s unlikely he’ll be far away at the finish.

3.35 1 pt – 2 Hansard & 1 pt – 11 Wreckless Eric

This is really competitive and it’s worth having a couple of bites at the cherry. Hansard had a long break prior to his reappearance at Kempton just after Christmas, and it looked like it was lack of peak fitness rather than his handicap mark that found him out late on after he’d loomed up early in the straight. He should be sharper for that three weeks on and has the smooth-travelling style to thrive in a big-field handicap. Wreckless Eric is likewise very well suited to this type of race, winning one at Cheltenham in November then showing even better form when second back at the same track a month later. A 3 lb rise for that latest effort looks more than fair – he’s top on Timeform ratings – and there should be even more to come on what will be just the seventh outing of his career.

Newcastle

2.10 1 pt – 12 Heathcliff

There’s a good Flat card at Newcastle and this very useful sprint handicap is probably the pick of it, 5 of the 14 successful when last in action. The market has focused in on the right pair, but although Catejan’s ready win at the course last time has been well advertised by the runner-up since, that he got plenty of cover from the crosswind that day probably exaggerated his superiority, and the case for Heathcliff does look more solid. Winner of 4 of his 6 handicaps and placed in the other pair, his latest win at Kempton suggests there’s better yet to come. Not only does he have a style that lends itself to staying ahead of the assessor, but he’s from a yard that has a fine record with improving sprinters, and what’s more, although most of his wins have come at Kempton, Newcastle is a track that should suit him even better.

You can access the TV Focus selections and rationale at 5pm the evening before racing for £7.50 on the Timeform website.

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