UK Horse Racing Tips

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In the Royal Hunt Cup (5.00) at Ascot on Wednesday, Gm Hopkins is 9lb higher in the weights than when winning the race last year, from stall 11, but is only 3lb higher than when not beaten far, after an interrupted passage, in the valuable Balmoral Handicap over course and distance last October and could make another bold bid. The Dubawi gelding is 2-3 over course and distance, including on the prevailing good to soft going and, having won on soft going earlier in his career, shouldn’t be unduly inconvenienced if the forecast heavy showers do arrive in Berkshire between now and Wednesday afternoon.

Over the straight mile at Ascot, big fields typically split into two or three groups, with a slight bias towards those drawn low, but the first six home in this race last year were drawn 11, 19, 10, 21, 14 and 20, so Gm Hopkins is far from impossibly drawn in stall 18 this time around. At around the 20/1 mark in the ante post lists, John Gosden’s charge should give us a good run for our money.

Selection: Ascot 5.00 Gm Hopkins (20/1) to win

This summer, tens of thousands of flat racing fanatics will travel to Ascot for Royal Ascot – one of the highlights of the racing season. Every year, the fastest thoroughbreds compete in some of the most prestigious races of the calendar year and this summer will be no different as the best trainers, jockeys and owners battle it out on the big stage.

The meeting spans five days and plenty of famous faces are usually spotted throughout the week, including the Royal Family and other celebrities. In fact, the Queen’s horse Estimate was actually crowned winner of the Ascot Gold Cup back in 2013 and Her Majesty’s delight was evident from the beaming smile on her face.

With eight Group One races, Royal Ascot truly is one of the sporting highlights of the summer and you can keep up with all of the latest Royal Ascot tips and news via Coral’s website. Who knows, there might even be a few hurdle horses – such as the Mullins-trained Limini – who features this year, she’s certainly capable of switching to the flat.

But this year is all about finding a horse that can emulate the legendary Frankel. The late Sir Henry Cecil-trained colt was phenomenal on his day before retiring to stud and won a number of races at Royal Ascot. Now, he has his own statue overlooking the winner’s enclosure and spectators may be treated to the next big flat racing legend with a bit of luck this summer.

As previously mentioned, Limini may make the switch to the flat ground this summer after struggling to impress over hurdles at Cheltenham and Aintree but there are plenty of other thoroughbreds that could follow in her tracks. Our Thomas and Mysteree, are two possible contenders across jumps and flats and Coral writer David Metcalf may be offering Royal Ascot tips on these two should they make the switch.

If nothing else, the 2016 Royal Ascot meeting will be a festival of fun and entertainment, culminating in the Ascot Gold Cup. The Queen won’t have a runner in this year’s event but there will still be plenty of reason to tune in and watch one of the most exciting and prestigious races in the sport. And with horses travelling at up to 35 miles per hour, it will be both fast and furious…

It seems like no time at all since the excitement of the Cheltenham Festival and yet top racing action is still coming at us thick and fast, with Royal Ascot just around the corner. Of course even before that comes the jewel in the National Hunt crown, none other than the 2016 Grand National. This year the action will unfold at 5:15pm on Saturday 9^th April. That’s an hour later than usual, in order to avoid a scheduling clash with that afternoon’s live football.

Current favourite for the Crabbie’s Grand National is Many Clouds at 8-1 with most bookmakers at time of writing. Oliver Sherwood will be eager to land an impressive back to back victory with Many Clouds, the first time since Red Rum did the double back in 1973 and 1974, and who can blame him. Joint second favourites with most bookmakers are both Silviniaco Conti and The Last Samurai at 12-1 . Those looking for mid price winner could do worse than to go for Midnight Prayer (winner of the 2014 National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham) or Rule the world, possibly each way so that you’d benefit from even a top four finish. Considering the field size of the Grand National and jumps to traverse it’s a case of ‘anything can happen’.

Of course even a 40-1 or 50-1 option isn’t enough for some greedy-guts punters, so if you’re looking for a win of the magnitude that you’ll be telling your grand kids about, there’s a case to be made for some. Personally in that price range I’d go for the Sandra Hughes-trained ‘Golden Wonder’ as a contender. For lots of people having a punt on the Grand National is all a bit of fun at the office or at home anyway and so why not reach for the stars odds-wise and have a punt to remember. In any case Mom Mome won at 100-1 in 2009 and Auroras Encore at 66-1 in 2013 so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that history will repeat itself. In many ways, The beauty of the National is in its unpredictability.

Looking forward to June, we’ll have a few Royal Ascot updates come your way. It’s ten years now since Frankie Detorri pulled off the amazing feat of riding all seven winners at Ascot in September 1996. It’s gone down as one of the biggest shocks in racing history, with plenty of punters cashing in, in the process. There are even games based on his achievement such as the Frankie Detorri’s Magic Seven game which is a good time waster when played for free and can certainly get adrenalin going when played for cash too. Much the same as other casino games like online roulette which always ramps my heart rate up. I’m usually a black or red man combined with sticking with one single number come what may. You’d be surprised how frequently it works out!

Whatever you bet on during this year’s Grand National, be sure to catch it on 5:15pm, 9^th April on Channel 4 in the UK. And remember, if you win big, the drinks are on you!

In the 32Red All-Weather Marathon Championships Conditions Stakes (2.40) at Lingfield on Friday, it may be worth taking a chance on the fitness of Moonrise Landing, who returns to action after an absence of 104 days. The Dalakhani mare is 4-5 under Jim Crowley and meets Anglophile on the same terms as when staying on well to beat Charlie Appleby’s charge by 4½ lengths over a slightly longer distance in December. That form has worked out very well so, with Moonrise Landing presumably trained with this race in mind, she looks a worthy favourite at around the 5/2 mark in the ante post price lists. She readily won her maiden on the Polytrack at Lingfield as a 3-year-old and ran respectably after just over a year off when making her seasonal debut at Bath last May, so may not take much getting ready. Fellow 5-year-olds Notarised and Anglophile won’t go down without a fight, but Moonrise Landing looks the one to be on this time.

Selection: Lingfield 2.40 Moonrise Landing to win