Racing tips: Handstands looks a solid bet against the odds-on Henderson hotpot

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Ithaca's Arrow should've been a win in my opinion. He was beaten by a short-head but he was inconvenienced at least three times in the straight and that was enough for him to lose by that small margin. Stewards in the UK as per usual didn't do a thing, but they'll change a decision which won't need changing in the future.

Ah Whisht needs a drop in trip, or the ground was ridiculously worse than what Ludlow was saying it was as the top 3 in the race were all strong stayers over 3m, and those in behind the top 3 were finishing legless over 2m 5f. You Say Nothing was another typical honking runner from the Christian Williams team, who evidently only seem to try on the big days, so that's a yard I won't be touching with a barge poll as I get burnt more often than not when siding with his runners.

Doncaster 3:50 – Art Decco 10/1 (0.5pt EW, WilliamHill 4pl)

Art Decco is an interesting runner for Robert Walford at Doncaster. If the meeting goes ahead, I do expect this horse to be backed in quite nicely as this is the trainer's first runner at the track since March 2021, and he has only ever had two runners at the track (same horse) which has seen him get one win from the two attempts.

Art Decco is undoubtedly a horse who can win off his mark of 103 (100 as Harry Kimber takes off 3lbs) as he hosed in off a mark of 100 (93 with 7lb claimer), and he has been placed on four other occasions, with a 2nd to Quick Draw looking like strong form now with him improving 24lbs since the pair met in 2022. The heavy ground he has faced the last two times probably isn't for his liking, with good to soft likely to be his best type of ground and if the snow does land then it might change the going to good to soft, which gives this horse a fighting chance.

Robert Walford is based in Dorset and he's not a trainer who likes to venture too far north with his horses unless they go there with a live chance, not only shown by his 1/2 record at Doncaster but also his 3/7 record at Aintree. What also is an interesting take on Art Decco is the first time cheekpieces which have been applied, which could be another pointer to a big run on the horizon.

Huntingdon 2:50 – Handstands 3/1 (1pt, Bet365/WilliamHill)

Given the way Ben Pauling has settled into his new yard over the last 12 months, his horse Handstands has to be the play in this.

Jango Baie is the one to beat on all known form with him winning the Tolworth Grade 1 on Boxing Day, but he has to shoulder a 5lb penalty as a result of that and I'm not so sure that the form is as strong as it might appear to be. The fifth has since been beaten by 12L in a Class 2, and I do think he might've struggled to have beaten Farren Glory if he didn't fall and that horse has since been smashed by a proper Grade 1 novice, Ballymore in Ireland and he was out of site at Leopardstown whereas he was cantering at Aintree, so is the form really that strong? for me, I think you've got to take him on and the one who looks like the main player is Handstands.

Ben Pauling will know where this horse ranks with his novices, and he should be able to know if his horse has a chance of beating the Henderson horse as Pauling had a close runner-up to Janho Baie with Tellherthename and I think he knows that Handstands could be better than that horse so is more than happy to take him on today. Harry Cobden takes over from Ben Jones, and that is a very positive jockey booking.

This horse has done nothing wrong from his first two starts over-rules and looks like a really smart horse, and with him getting 5lb off the Henderson horse I think he could upset the apple cart massively.

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