2023 Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday Tips – DS
2023 Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday Tips
Some say Cheltenham is the Greatest Jumps Show on Earth. After this week, I disagree. More like the Greatest Shitshow. It was an absolute nightmare from start to finish. A money pit. The final insult was Protektorat getting done for 4th in the Gold Cup on Friday. I’ve never been as glad for a meeting to finish and I’m already dreading next year. Roll on the flat! Let’s hope we can salvage something on Midlands National Day. Check out our 2023 Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday tips below.
1.30 Kempton – Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Class 3)
We backed Any News two runs ago but he needed that second run after a year off. He showed the benefit of that outing last time out when finishing a close 2nd over this C&D. Good to soft ground is fine for the son of Stowaway and he is lurking on a very dangerous mark. He should be up to winning this but he is just 4/1 today. Just seven run and even though plenty are paying three places, it is hard to make a case for the two priced up at double figure odds. No bet.
2023 Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday tips: No Bet
1.50 Uttoxeter – Handicap Hurdle (Class 3)
The ground is softer at Uttoxeter. There isn’t much more rain forecast so it shouldn’t deteriorate any further but even so, you’ll need to be backing horses that handle an ease. We backed Up For Parol in the Lanzarote earlier this season and he ran a cracker in 3rd. He likes soft ground and he is only a pound higher today than he was at Kempton. He does have to carry a big weight in this lower grade but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was more than up to the task. If you fancy him at 7/1, I wouldn’t put you off.
At bigger odds, if Del La Mar Rocket is on a going day he could run big. Trained by Ben Pauling, David Bass is on board and he has won a bumper on this son of Fame And Glory. He seems to take a couple of runs to get fit on last season’s evidence. After wide margin defeats on his first and second runs last term, he hacked up in a soft ground Ffos Las maiden hurdle (22f) at 33/1. He followed that with a decent effort over today’s C&D in a novice when 2nd before flopping over 24f in Listed company.
Pauling’s charge has run twice this season and been well beat in both races. Over 23f here he faded badly late on and he looked a non-stayer over the same trip at Cheltenham back in January. He now drops back to a more suitable distance at a track he has run well at before and if he is going to bounce back to form, today could be the day. He was 20s last night when I wrote this preview and even though he is into 10s now, he is still the e/w pick.
2023 Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday tips: Del La Mar Rocket e/w @ 10/1
2.05 Kempton – Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
Surely Too Friendly is a shade overpriced here at 11/1. The Skeltons had a good Cheltenham and this horse has been running well without winning all season. Since his seasonal comeback when 5th at Chepstow (16f gd) the son of Camelot has had four runs, finishing second in three of them.
The first two runner up efforts came at Wetherby and Cheltenham over 16f/17f. Skelton then stepped him up in distance at Huntingdon and he went down by a neck off 125 to Sonigino. Last time out at Ascot he stayed on very nicely over 19f (gd/sft) and he had Petit Tonnerre, who subsequently ran well in the County, a head behind him in 5th. Given how he finished off his race last time, this 21f trip should suit Too Friendly and at odds of 11/1, he is the e/w selection.
2023 Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday tips: Too Friendly e/w @ 11/1 (4 places) NB
2.25 Uttoxeter – Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
I had my eye on Party Business for Cheltenham but he swerved the Coral Cup and failed to qualify for the Pertemps. I’d imagine Aintree is his aim again and this ground might just be on the soft side for him today. So, I’ll instead take a chance on Lynwood Gold. Formerly trained by Jessie Harrington, this son of Mastercraftsman loves getting his toe in.
He had a spin on the flat on his first start for Barr and ran ok at Pontefract (18f gd/sft). Then, back over hurdles next time he hosed up at big odds at Lingfield, winning easily by 6L off 128 for Thomas Doggrell. He was in the process of running well off his revised mark when falling at Exeter next time and though he wasn’t going to win, it was a good effort on ground probably a shade firm for him.
It was just Lynwood Gold’s second win over hurdles, the first being a head defeat of Blackbow on heavy ground at Navan (16f). Lynwood Gold has had 11 starts over timber overall and his form figures on left handed tracks on soft/heavy read 2121. Barr has a near 50% frame hitting strike rate at Uttoxeter (2/21 with 7 top 4s) and at 40/1, Lynwood Gold is worth chancing e/w.
2023 Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday tips: Lynwood Gold e/w @ 40/1 (4 Places)
2.40 Kempton – Handicap Chase (Class 2)
The one to take a chance on here at tasty odds is Dublin Four. Trained by Fergal O’Brien, this son of Arakan is back at arguably his optimum trip of 20f today. He gets in off a mark of 132, 5lbs higher than his last winning rating, but with Jack Hogan’s handy 5lbs claim, he is effectively running off his last successful mark.
That win came over 19.5f at Chepstow and in fact all four of his wins have come at 19.5f to 22.5f. He has never won going right handed so that is an obvious negative but he has finished in the first four on three of his five attempts going right handed and he was in the process of running well when falling two out at Ludlow on his last right handed run.
Good to soft ground is fine for him and he’s effectively 6lbs lower than when beat 3L by Into Overdrive on his seasonal comeback at Wetherby (19f gd/sft). That horse was winning off 132 and he is now rated 147 so it was an excellent effort. This is the most valuable pot he has competed for this season so hopefully he is trying and if he is, Dublin Four should reward e/w support at odds of 16/1.
2023 Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday tips: Dublin Four e/w @ 16/1 (4 places) NAP
3.00 Uttoxeter – Midlands Grand National (Premier)
I was tempted to put Major Dundee up in this 4m 2f marathon. However, he was 3rd in last year’s Scottish National off 132 and with stable jockey Tom Cannon preferring to ride Notachance, I have a sneaking suspicion that Major Dundee will be saving his best for a return visit to Ayr in a few weeks’ time. So, instead, I’m going to back his well handicapped stablemate e/w at bigger odds.
Notachance is the mount of Tom Cannon and he races off 132 today. That is 7lbs lower than he was when winning the Classic Chase at Warwick, his last victory back in January 2021. This horse relishes soft ground and three of his wins have come going left handed. He’s never tried a trip this far before but that Warwick win came over 29f and his sole try at 4 miles he finished lame so you couldn’t say for sure he won’t stay.
Two runs ago Notachance went for a repeat bid at Warwick where he finished just 3.75L behind Iwilldoit off 130. He is 2lbs higher today but the winner is 8lbs higher so if they both ran to the same level again, there should be very little between them. He ran poorly on good to soft at Haydock last time but back on softer ground, Notachance can hopefully outrun his big odds of 28/1.
2023 Uttoxeter and Kempton Saturday tips: Notachance e/w @ 28/1 (5 places)
3.35 Uttoxeter – Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Given his fine course record, Fern Hill has to be worth chancing e/w in this 24f handicap. On his last visit to Uttoxeter, he won quite easily over 22f on soft off a mark of 133. The assessor gave him a 7lb rise for that effort and he has struggled in two runs since. They were in much better races than this one though and the return to this track gives cause for optimism.
He has had three previous runs around Uttoxeter, returning form figures of 321. The son of Dylan Thomas clearly likes it around here and he showed when beat 1.25L by Castle Robin at Wetherby last March that he can be competitive over 24f. Soft ground is key for this fella and he has finished in the first two on six of his nine runs on soft.
The handicapper has given him a couple of pounds back and he races off the same mark as when beat a neck at this track over 20f in a Novice handicap chase in Dec 2021. Ben Case had a nice winner at Fakenham on Paddy’s Day, hopefully this lad runs a big one too at odds of 22/1.
