Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday Tips Dave Stevos
Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday Tips
Friday at Cheltenham was an absolute disaster. Tax For Max settled better than on debut but he wasn’t good enough. Getaway Gorgeous made a couple of jumping errors and never got into the race. Al Boum Photo’s jumping cost him dearly too and Lostintranslation was well beat. I think it summed up the week when the only Rachael Blackmore horse I tipped up was pulled up! At least we got some compensation in the last with Dallas Des Pictons who drifted out to 66s and nabbed 5th (advised e/w NB for 6 places). We are back to the bread and butter stuff tomorrow. Check out Dave Stevos’ Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday ITV racing tips below…
1.50 Uttoxeter: Handicap Hurdle (Class 3)
The Midlands’ National is the feature on what is a big day for Uttoxeter racecourse. The ITV4 cameras will be showing four races live and first up is this 12 runner, 23.5f handicap hurdle. One I like at a decent each way price is Milvale for Sandy Thomson and Sam Twiston-Davies. This 7yo son of Ask comes here on the back of a poor chase run at Ayr (20.5f sft). He made a couple of bad mistakes and he should be well suited by the return to hurdling today.
His last outing over the smaller obstacles came over 24.5f at Haydock on heavy. He finished 3rd, 4L behind Potters Hedger, off a mark of 118. It was a good run and he is in off 1lb lower today. His sole win came over 22.5f on heavy ground at Kelso and he has also placed over that trip on soft. If he can reproduce the form of his Haydock run in this weaker looking race he shouldn’t be too far away. At odds of 16/1, Milvale is the each way selection.
Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday: Milvale e/w @ 16/1 NB (4 places Boylesports)
2.05 Kempton: Novices’ Handicap Chase (Class 3)
Just the seven will go to post for this 16f novices’ handicap chase. The ground is good at Kempton and the bookies are taking no chances in this tight heat. Doukarov heads the market for Sean Curran and Harry Bannister after his easy win last time at Leicester. That came on soft but he has won on good ground too. He has an obvious chance. Fairway Freddy, Zoffee and Onthefrontfoot will like the ground too and you could probably make a case for all of them. With just two places on offer this race doesn’t appeal in the slightest as a betting heat. No bet.
Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday: No Bet
2.25 Uttoxeter: Novices’ Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
Three miles is the distance for this Novices’ Handicap Chase and nine horses go to post. The horse I am interested in on the soft ground is Acey Milan for Honeyball and Coleman. This 7yo has plenty of ability but he doesn’t show it every time he runs. He has been a frustrating horse at times but on his day he is more than capable of winning races like this one. His last victory came on his return to action at Aintree back in November. He beat Smackwater Jack by 1.5L off 130 and he is racing off a 5lb higher mark today.
He was sent off at just 15/2 in a far stronger race than this at Haydock last time when he took a pretty heavy fall. It is the only tumble he has taken in his career so far and I am hoping it hasn’t dented his confidence too much. He ran well on his only previous visit to Uttoxeter when 3rd in a valuable 20f handicap on heavy ground. He should find things a bit easier in this race. Hopefully, there won’t be as much pressure on his jumping in this lower grade. If he puts it all together he is more than capable of running well off his current rating. At odds of 12/1 Acey Milan is the each way selection.
Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday: Acey Milan e/w @ 14/1
2.40 Kempton: Silver Plate Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
This race serves as a consolation to those horses that failed to get a run at Cheltenham. Nine have stood their ground for the 21f contest and the one I like at a price is Lord Accord for Neil Mulholland and Brendan Powell. This son of Yeats started the season off on fire. He landed a Fontwell bumper by 4L on his first start under rules (17..5f gd). He looked even better when romping home in a maiden hurdle at the same track upped to 19.5f (gd/sft) next time. That race has thrown up multiple winners and it is solid form.
Lord Accord was kept to Fontwell on his next start, a novices’ hurdle, but this time the ground was heavy. He fell at the fourth and his trainer put him away after that, presumably to wait for better ground. Mulholland gave him a pipe opener in a Novice at Southwell but again, the ground was too soft for him and he ran a poor race. However, I think he will be hoping for a much better display now that he is back on his favoured ground.
This 6yo has been handed a rating of 128 for his handicap debut. The form of his maiden hurdle win suggests that could be workable. The runner up won two novice hurdles subsequently and is now rated 125 (13L behind). Mr Harp was another length back and he has since won off 115, been placed off 123 and he chased home Alaphillipe in a Grade 2 on his last start. Neil Mulholland’s horses are in good form, Brendan Powell is 3/12 with four top 4 finishes for the owners and at odds of 20/1 Lord Accord is the e/w selection.
Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday: Lord Accord e/w @ 20/1 NAP
3.00 Uttoxeter: Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
Thibault was an 80/1 shot when he ran a cracker for us at Ascot last time out. The bookies aren’t taking any chances with Adam West’s charge this time though and he is 4lb higher now. I would be slightly worried about the extra furlong today as he didn’t exactly finish off his race that strongly the last day. He has won over 20f at a lower level but at the odds I’d rather look elsewhere for a bit of value.
One that could go well at a nice each way price is Nickolson for Olly Murphy and Aidan Coleman. This son of No Risk At All showed plenty of ability in his bumper and maiden/novice hurdles last Spring. He won his bumper at Ayr on good to soft and a maiden win at Wincanton followed on good ground. He then finished 2nd in a soft ground novice at Warwick and his conqueror that day, Hooligan, went on to win his second handicap start off 134.
Nickolson found just Ribble Valley too good on his next outing and he was just 5L behind that 146 rated horse. He had Molly Olly’s Wishes behind in 3rd and she has since won a handicap off 130 and a Listed mares’ hurdle at Warwick to earn a rating of 147. Nickolson disappointed on his handicap debut off 134 when the ground was bottomless at Sandown. This ground should suit much better. His all-weather run last time should have him spot on fitness wise and if he tries I think he is well capable of making his presence felt off a mark of 133. At odds of 14/1 Nickolson is the each way selection.
Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday: Nickolson e/w @ 14/1 (4 Places Skybet)
3.15 Kempton: Handicap Chase (Class 3)
We backed Mellow Ben last time out over 3 miles at this track. Richard Johnson was on board that day and he gave him a shocking ride. This horse is a front runner so I wasn’t surprised to see him go to the front. What did surprise me though was the absolute lunatic pace he set. It was no shock to see Mellow Ben run out of petrol late in the day and fade into 7th place. Tom Cannon is back on board this time and he was in the saddle for this fella’s last victory back in October 2019.
That 3.5L win came over 21f at Fontwell off a rating of 135. Mellow Ben is in off a pound lower today. He has won a total of four races during his career, three of them at 19f to 21f. The drop back in trip looks sure to play to his strengths and he has placed form at Kempton over timber. His four runs at 20-20.5f have produced form figures of 231. If Cannon gets the fractions right he could be hard to peg back this afternoon. At odds of 11/2 a small win bet is advised.
Kempton Saturday Tip: Mellow Ben win @ 11/2
3.35 Uttoxeter: Midlands Grand National (Listed)
A marathon trip of 4 miles 2 furlongs awaits the field of 20 for this year’s Midlands National. One horse that has proven form over this sort of a trip is Calett Mad. He looks a huge price off a mark of just 142. This son of Axxos spent nearly two years off the track before returning to action at Aintree in the Becher Chase. He was running a nice enough race that day when unseating at the 10th fence. While he didn’t complete, there was encouragement to be gleaned from the run.
He now steps back up in distance after another break and this sort of trip is what he wants. Calett Mad ran a massive race over 4 miles in the Borders National at Kelso in 2018,. He was beat just 0.5L by a horse he was conceding almost two stone to. He then ran a blinder on his next outing behind Impulsive Star at Warwick off 145. So, his current mark of 142 definitely looks workable. The 100 day break since his last run is not too big a worry given his record fresh and his trainer has been amongst the winners. 33/1 looks a big price for a horse with his credentials and with 5 places on offer, an each way bet is advised.
