RACING in Britain this weekend will be largely overshadowed by the action from Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival, but there are still several interesting contests at Sandown and Musselburgh that present good betting opportunities.
Musselburgh hosts it’s two-day Scottish Cheltenham Trials meeting, and the big betting race on Saturday is the £100,000 bet365 Edinburgh National (2.15pm), run over 3m7½f, where Irish handler Gavin Cromwell is set to field raider PEACHES AND CREAM.
Horses from the Cromwell yard popping up in big British handicaps has been a recurring theme this season and the shrewd operator has an excellent strike rate of 24 per cent in the UK this season, with nine wins from 38 runs.
Peaches And Cream won impressively over this trip at Punchestown in 2022, but since then has been campaigned over shorter distances.
He caught the eye last time out when finishing fifth behind stablemate Malina Girl at Cheltenham in November, when given a quiet ride but seen keeping on into fifth at the line.
The nine-year-old has been given a break since then, perhaps because connections have been looking for better ground, which they should get at Musselburgh.
Now stepping back up to a marathon trip, I thought he was of strong interest, and at 8/1 in places, he looks a great each-way bet to nothing.
At Sandown, there’s the highly competitive Virgin Bet Heroes Handicap Hurdle (3.10pm), where the progressive Ed Keeper should attract plenty of interest at the head of the market.
He’s only had two starts in handicaps and holds an obvious chance, but I’m going to look further down the market for something at bigger odds.
One that stands out is Anthony Honeyball’s GOOD LOOK CHARM, who has shown consistent form in three starts this season, winning once and placing twice.
The last of those was a particularly good effort when staying on into fourth in the Lanzarote at Kempton earlier this month, over what was probably an inadequate trip.
The stiffer track at Sandown and step up to three miles should suit this eight-year-old, and given that she lines up here off an unchanged mark of 117, she looks much too big a price at 20/1.
The Dublin Racing Festival will take centre stage with stars like Galopin Des Champs, Marine Nationale and El Fabiolo set to strut their stuff at Leopardstown.
As always it will be brilliant to watch some of the best National Hunt horses around, but with them all set to go off at prohibitively short odds, many races don’t make appeal from a betting perspective.
One exception to that looks to be the opening contest of the festival, the Grade One Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle (1.20pm), where Willie Mullins currently has an astounding eight of the nine at the head of the betting.
Not all of those will line up but it means the Closutton yard are set to dominate the market whatever they choose to target at this contest, and as a result there may be value to be had elsewhere.
Jessie Harrington’s mare JETARA has won her last three starts and will get weight from all her rivals, so she looks to have been overlooked in the market.
She stays well, as shown when powering clear of some strong rivals in heavy ground last time at Leopardstown, and that ability should stand her in good stead over what can be a stamina sapping 2m6f for these novices.
She should line-up an each-way price and has a chance of surprising the Mullins battalion.
POINTERS SATURDAY
Jetara e/w 1.20pm Leopardstown
Peaches And Cream e/w 2.15pm Musselburgh
Good Look Charm e/w 3.10pm Sandown