Ben Linfoot free horse racing tips for Newbury and Uttoxeter Saturday February 11
The Verdict tips: Saturday February 11
1pt win Regarding Ruth in 1.50 Newbury at 8/1 (bet365)
1pt win Does He Know in 2.25 Newbury at 7/1 (General)
0.5pts e.w. Risk And Roll in 2.45 Uttoxeter at 28/1 (William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4)
1pt e.w. Yorksea in 3.35 Newbury at 14/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair, 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
Yorksea can land Betfair loot
The Betfair Hurdle is always a brilliant race and any fears that the race would cut up on the unwatered ground this year were allayed when 18 were declared for the £155,000 contest.
It’s funny how prizemoney sharpens the focus of the shrewdest trainers in the business and they’re all here; Emmet Mullins with rapid improver Filey Bay, Paul Nicholls with two towards the top of the betting, Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins with JP McManus second and third strings, Nigel Twiston-Davies with a lightly-raced novice, the list goes on.
Gary Moore is always a trainer to watch in this race, too, as he’s won it three times and I always have a good look at his representatives. This year he's got two in there and YORKSEA looks the one to be on at prices around 14/1.
There are plenty you can make a case for here and any strong views are watered down by the strength of the opposition, but with Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook and Hills all going six places an each-way bet is the way to go and Yorksea appeals.
Both he and Moore’s other hopeful, Teddy Blue, ran in the Gerry Feilden at this track in November and it’s a race that Moore used as a Newbury sighter for his 2015 Betfair Hurdle winner, Violet Dancer.
The duo got a good look at the track and Yorksea ran well in fourth considering it was his first run for 335 days. He shaped like he would come on loads for it and he duly did when running out a six-and-a-half winner at Plumpton next time where he ran wide throughout (watch the replay, below).
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He absolutely bolted up and the second, Pyramid Place, who was 10 lengths clear of the third, came out and franked the form in style with a comfortable win at Wetherby last week.
Moore’s first two winners of the Betfair Hurdle, Heathcote and Wingman, won this race off a mark in the mid-120s from towards the very bottom of the weights and Yorksea has clearly being kept back for this once he had proven himself good enough to get in.
His new mark of 126 could still seriously mask his eventual ability and it’s noticeable Niall Houlihan has ridden him twice this season and keeps the ride with his 3lb claim.
Good ground will pose no problems for this former Flat horse and he should love a proper gallop if the handful of front-runners make this a test, so there’s plenty to recommend him at each-way prices even after he came in for support on Friday.
The Verdict: Back YORKSEA each-way in the Betfair Hurdle
Know the score in the Denman Chase
Earlier on, Hitman goes for glory in the Betfair Denman Chase and while Hitman and Denman’s trainer himself Paul Nicholls has won the contest 10 times he’s had some high-profile reverses in it, too, including Clan des Obeaux last year.
Al Ferof was a short-priced Nicholls favourite who was overturned, as well, by Kim Bailey’s Harry Topper in 2014 and the Gloucestershire handler could knockout Hitman in this year’s renewal with the progressive DOES HE KNOW.
This horse is a real stayer and he won over almost 3m4f at Cheltenham last time, but a chance is taken on him back in trip as I think he’ll be ridden more aggressively by David Bass here.
There are a couple of flaky ones in opposition and if Does He Know gets into a rhythm he could grind away over these fences and get plenty in trouble, while he’s shown on several occasions he doesn’t mind this sort of ground.
His Cheltenham form is very good – the second Eva’s Oskar and the third Back On The Lash both won next time out – and he’s got very little to find with the best of these on official ratings.
The Verdict: Back DOES HE KNOW in the Denman
Wadham can ready one off an absence
The other one I like at Newbury is Lucy Wadham’s REGARDING RUTH in the Betfair Multiples Offer Every Saturday Handicap Hurdle at 1.50.
This mare is coming off the back of 645 days off but she’s won off breaks of 210 and 259 days while Wadham is well capable of getting one ready off an absence.
She’s 10 from 69 at 14.49% with horses returning from over a year off and four of those winners were returning after 600+ days off the track.
That’s plenty of evidence in this horse’s favour and there’s more; she hacked up off just 1lb lower when last seen, she’s proven over the trip, all four of her wins came on good ground – and one of those came at Newbury over this trip where she beat the classy Iwilldoit by over five lengths.
Eddie Edge takes another 10lb off with his claim and she’s a must-bet at 8/1.
The Verdict: Back REGARDING RUTH in the 1.50 Newbury
Risk and reward at Uttoxeter?
Finally RISK AND ROLL is the outsider of the field in the deliveringyournetzero.com Handicap Chase at Uttoxeter but he’s been underestimated and is worth a small each-way bet.
The nine-year-old has been handicap hurdling but he’s dead interesting returning to fences after he went hunter chasing and point to pointing for a period after being a consistent if slightly frustrating chaser under Rules.
James Evans has brought him back hurdling and he’s been going well, winning at Huntingdon last season while he’s put in a couple of good efforts this campaign at Newbury and Uttoxeter.
He looked to need his latest run off a two-month break but it should’ve put him sport on for his return to a handicap chase and a mark of 127 looks fair on the pick of his efforts.
Evans is seven from 27 at 25.93% in handicap chases at Uttoxeter and this horse could outrun his price by a fair margin.
The Verdict: Have a small e.w bet on Risk And Roll at Uttoxeter
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