Racing tips: Bells Of Peterboro needs to win in style if they want to go to Cheltenham

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The less spoken about yesterday's selection in the Devon National, the better. Today is a new day, and a very good day of racing from multiple tracks, finger's crossed we can land a few winners. Good luck if you're following, and good luck with all of your bets.

Chepstow 1:43

Not my strongest ever selection, but a horse who simply too big in odds is, LANDSMAN. Ideally, slightly better ground would've been better for his chances, but he's that well-handicapped, he is worth a shot on this testing ground.

This horse was in the high 120s when he first started his career over jumps, and now his chase rating is as low as it's ever been at 110. He is still a maiden over fences, but he has ran some encouraging races along the way, so to say he hasn't taken to fences is harsh. Charlie Price takes off a further 3lbs, which is going to help that little bit extra, and I think the drop back in trip will be better suited for him as well. His best form has come over shorter trips, so it looks the correct decision. He does stay further, which if anything, is going to be a positive for him as it will be testing out there today, so the fact he has stamina for longer will be a plus.

Tim Vaughan won this race last year, and Charlie Price was the rider as well, so there is a possibility this race has been the plan for this horse. At the odds of around 25/1, I think he is worth a small EW play.

Chepstow 2:18

Another Tim Vaughan selection at Chepstow for me, with BELLS OF PETERBORO looking like a good pick for this Pertemps Qualifier Handicap Hurdle.

Chepstow is often referred to as a course specialist kind of track, so the fact this horse is 2/2 over hurdles at Chepstow is instantly a green tick next to his name. But, what I find interesting is the fact that Tim Vaughan is rolling the dice again in a Pertemps Qualifier, as he tried it at Huntingdon, where he finished in the top 6, so would qualify, but the fact that he's rated 128 means he is going to be too low to get into the race, so they must want to win this and win well, in order to get a high enough rating to get into the final race at the festival.

The testing ground conditions look perfect for him, as he had no problem winning over this C&D at the back end of December, winning by 22L! I think you can forgive his run from lto, as that was simply not a true running of his ability, and horses do have off days. If he returns to anywhere near the run at Chepstow the time before, he is a huge player in this.

Chepstow 2:53

In this race, you'd have to say that Eclair D'Ainay is the one they have to beat, but the fact he is carrying 11st 12lbs on this kind of ground is very off-putting, so can be swerved. FUGITIF caught my eye when winning at Newcastle, as his jumping wasn't great that day, but he showed guts and the amount of ability he has as he won quite comfortably in the end, and looked like a horse who had more to offer.

It seems that this lad will either win, or he'll run a stinker. Looking through his form, he runs below par, then wins, then runs below par again, in which case he is due a win as so far this season his form reads: 1PU14. The recent fourth, was in a Grade 1, which is easy to forgive as he was up against it that day, and was also upped in trip for the first time. A drop in grade, and a drop in trip on testing ground looks much better for him. He was only raised 4lbs for that win, and hopefully with a better round of jumping he will prove to be better than his current mark of 135. I think the Skelton horse is the one to beat, but he is vulnerable to a potentially well handicapped horse, like he was last time out when finishing runner-up to Frero Banbou, who carried 7lbs less. Fugitif carries 9lbs less and is still very unexposed as a chaser.

Kempton 3:37

This is a very competitive handicap chase, which is what you'd expect for a Grade 3 on a Saturday, with £85k going to the winner. However, I do think CAP DU NORD has been set out for this race, and even though his odds are slightly shorter than I'd like, I will still be taking them.

This lad is extremely well handicapped, there's no hiding that. He finished 5th in this race last year off a mark of 142, he runs off 127 today, with a further 3lb being taken off by Jack Tudor. His form since his run in this race has been very inconsistent, with a decent run in a Grade 3 at Sandown, where he finished 5/16, another good run in a Listed race off a mark of 135 in November, and then his most recent run was much better than the time before, so is returning to some kind of form. The interesting thing for me is the cheekpieces return, as they've been off for the last couple of times, and it's something which has brought the best out of this horse, so it's an interesting thing to note.

Christian Williams is in good form at the moment, with 3 winners in the last 14 days. A lot of attention has been put on his other runner this week, Five Star Getaway, who was put on twitter by The RacingBlogger, which has resulted in his price plummeting. However, despite the hype around his stablemate, I think Jack Tudor's ride is the one to be on, as he carries a small weight, and looks to have been targeted this race again.

Newcastle 3:15

DANILO D'AIRY has been a total revelation this year, racking up 3 wins from 3 runs over fences, and there's no reason why his progression as a chaser will come to halt now.

He started off being well handicapped, and now he tackles his first real test in a race where he'll have to answer a few questions, but I think he could be up to it. It's hard to tell whether horses will stay this kind of trip, until they've tried it, but over 3m he has looked an out and out galloper, which is why I'm siding with him. I'd rather be on an unexposed horse who could prove to still be on a lenient mark than an older exposed horse who is vulnerable. This is a big step up in grade, but the manner in which he rode the horses into submission in his previous runs was very impressive, and the fact that Gavin Sheehan comes to Newcastle for one ride really does catch the eye.

His most recent run over hurdles can be overlooked, as he is clearly a chaser and the smaller obstacles don't suit. Also, there is a strong possibility that was a prep run for this, as he's never looked a good hurdler at any point, but in the process of having the run, he has preserved his handicap mark. He gets into this race off 10st 2lbs, right at the bottom of the weights, so it could be a very nice bit of placement by Robert Bevis.

LATE ADDITION

Kempton 1:50

I was toying about putting up IMPULSIVE ONE up on the thread last night, and after thinking about it, I think the bookies have got his odds valued up all wrong. The fact he is currently around 6/1 makes him an outrageous EW bet in a race where only a few really have shown the level at what they potentially belong at, with the selection being one.

This horse needs a decent surface, and come the time of the race, the ground will hopefully be more good than good-to-soft, in which case, will suit. He is a horse for a flat track, hence why he handled Musselburgh very well, and has Aintree as his next target after this race. Speaking of the Musselburgh race, he won that with plenty in hand, and I know this race is a tougher assignment, but he couldn't have been any more impressive.

If you think he can't reverse form with the favourite, then fair enough, but there are reasons to suggest he could. They met earlier in the season at this track, where the favourite did get the better of him. However, that day, Knight Salute was receiving 7lbs from Impulsive One, and the tactics of that race didn't suit the selection, as he had to make his own running, and was quite keen. With a larger race today, and a few noticeable pace setters, that will allow the race to be set up perfectly for Impulsive One, who is a quick horse, and has improved as the season has gone along.

If you're a supporter of the Nicholls' horse, Pleasant Man, then you should be backing him Ante-Post for the Triumph, as his price won't be anywhere near what it is come the day if he wins this, as if he does beat Knights Salute and Impulsive One, he goes there with one of the best chances from this side of the Irish Sea. If he doesn't win, I can't see Paul sending him there for the Triumph, so you should get your money back as the markets are currently No Run No Bet.

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