Rory Delargy and Dave Massey have seven bets in a bumper Saturday edition of Punting Pointers.
Racing betting tips: Saturday April 12
1pt win Homme Public at 7/1 in the 1.10 Ayr at 7/1 (General, take no lower)
0.5pts e.w Pinot Rouge in the 2.55 Ayr at 28/1 (1/5 1,2,3,4 Paddy Power, min 28/1)
0.5pts e.w Magna Sam in the 3.35 Ayr at 28/1 (1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6 Bet365, min 22/1)
1pt win Rashabar in the 2.35 Newbury at 4/1 (General, min 7/2)
1pt win Silver Sword in the 3.12 Newbury at 6/1 (General, min 11/2)
1pt win Muhib in the 6.20 Nottingham at 17/2 (Hills, min 8/1)
1pt e.w Edvard Grieg in the 7.20 Nottingham at 8/1 (1/5 1,2,3,4 Bet365, 7/1 General, min 13/2)
1:10 Ayr
We like different ones here but a form line connects the pair of them and as such, they are both worth a mention.
HOMME PUBLIC is Rory’s pick. He ran a good race over hurdles last time out but on his previous chase start ran better still when second to Maghull Novices’ Chase runner-up Brookie at Doncaster. The assessor has raised him just 1lb for that career-best effort when he might have given him more, in retrospect, and the blinkers he wore for the first time at Doncaster are refitted now.
Tommy’s Oscar won this from Traprain Law last year (similar weights again this time around) but came into the race off the back of a break, having run at Doncaster the month before. This time, he comes here just a week after an unseat at Aintree which of course asks a question, but he’s closely handicapped with Homme Public on their running at Doncaster the time before, and under conditions he clearly likes, has to be given a chance too.
1:43 Ayr
Ideal Des Bordes ran poorly at Kempton last time, the stewards happy to accept Nicky Henderson’s excuse that “the gelding stopped quickly on this occasion” and it was much the same at Exeter last season when he did the same, only this time James Bowen had already reported it at scales, a fact those of us watching the race had already worked out.
However, wind surgery did the trick, ideal Des Bordes winning easily a year ago at Kempton, and it also explains why he might be similarly transformed today after a similar tweak after a poor effort when last seen out in February. His previous effort, when splitting Eyed and Sea Invasion over C&D, has worked out well enough, with that pair finishing second in competitive handicaps on their next starts, the former from a 5lb higher mark, and the latter behind a subsequent winner. He was taken out of an intended engagement earlier in the month due to the ground but would be of significant interest if allowed to take his chance here.
Masaccio has again been nudged up for getting beaten but to be absolutely fair to him, he won’t be seeing the backside of either The Jukebox Man or Jagwar this time, and this does look a good opportunity to get a well-deserved win for his efforts this season.
Bar a moderate effort when not staying three miles in the Kauto Star at Christmas, he’s not run a bad race all season, and lost nothing in defeat when giving a bit of weight to all those that finished around him when third in the Plate at the Festival last time out. We’re probably getting towards the top end of his mark but this is a little less competitive and he can finally get his head back in front.
2:15 Ayr
You’ve not had to look too far down the market to find the winner of this in recent times, and with that Kabral Du Mathan looks just the right type for this.
Lightly-raced, having only had the three handicap starts, he looked the winner at Ascot at Christmas but found Fiercely Proud in no mood to give it up, and was beaten a short-head. He again ran well in a competitive handicap at Windsor last time, one that has thrown up winners from those in behind that day.
He was entered up to run in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham but swerving that and coming here might prove a shrewd move. He has that blend of travelling speed and stamina needed for a test like this, and is the one to beat.
2:55 Ayr
Disagreement again, but both require a case making for them.
The case for Rockola Vogue is easy enough, as she was a winner last time out and the handicapper has left her on the same mark, having beaten a mare that was 12lb out of the handicap last time. She was a useful bumper performer but has been quite slow to learn over hurdles, her technique holding her back a little until last time out when winning the Lady Buttons Mares Final last time, picking up an easy 20k. Her jumping was better when needed in the closing stages as she reeled in the well-ridden O’Faolain’s Glory and she looked like she had more left in the tank. She should improve for this step up to three miles and Rory’s feeling is that she’ll have learnt plenty from that last run.
There are more likely winners for sure, but offer me a bit of 33s and I’ll take a chance that Pinot Rouge can bounce back to some of her better form, which would give her a chance off today’s weight.
To say her form is patchy is an understatement; five of her last six runs have seen her finish last or pull up, but somewhere in the middle of all that is a close fourth to O’Toole under a big weight over this C&D, a good effort that, if she could repeat it from a 5lb lower mark here (and Jack Power takes another five off) would give her a chance. She needs a solidly-run race which she should get here, and whilst another blowout is every bit as likely as her turning things around, we don’t need a lot on at the price to see if she fancies it today.
3:35 Ayr
It’s all very harmonious here, though, as the pair of us initially liked Sail Away earlier in the week, he jumped and won as he liked when he won here a couple of seasons ago, his last visit to the track, and quotes of 40/1 in the week just looked wrong. However, he’s half that and less this morning and any value has dried up.
He has stamina to prove for this and that goes for quite a few of them, in truth, and so we decided to basically look for a guaranteed stayer that goes on the ground that looks overpriced. Step forward old Pointers friend MAGNA SAM, who won the Edinburgh National last time out and has had a break to freshen him up since. He was fifth in this two years ago, rushed up to take the lead in the home straight and rather paid for that in the closing stages, fading out of things but running better than his finishing position suggested. He ran off a 4lb higher mark that day so despite being slightly out of the handicap looks well enough treated, and if David Noonan can hang onto him a bit longer than Alex Edwards did, he should be returning an each-way dividend today.
2:35 Newbury
RASHABAR gained his only win to date when an 80/1 shot in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, so it’s easy to be negative about his prospects as a three-year-old. However, he showed improvement in his two starts after that, finishing second in the Group 1 Prix Morny to Whistlejacket before filling the same spot in the Group 1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere at Longchamp, shaping better that the bare result on both occasions.
In the Morny, the winner led throughout on the stands rail while Rashabar was pushed very wide on the track as he launched his challenge, doing very well to separate himself from the pack and set off after the leader, and it was a short-looking three-parts of a length he was beaten at the line. In the Lagardere, he was involved with a battle for the lead for much of the straight before succumbing to the late charge of Camille Pissarro, rallying gamely to be beaten just a neck. Possessed of natural speed as well as an admirable fighting spirit, Rashabar is well suited by this trip and can reprise Brian Meehan’s 2023 victory with Isaac Shelby in the same colours.
3:12 Newbury
SILVER SWORD benefited from a return to a mile when scoring at Meydan last time, and despite a 4lb rise, he remains on a winning mark having scored off 93 at York in 2023. He ended up high in the weights last season after a couple of creditable runs in black-type races but should be competitive after working his way down the weights this spring.
6:20 Nottingham
There’s one in here that’s on my tracker - has been for a while - and in the hope he gets a bit more luck in running than he did at Doncaster, MUHIB looks the bet.
He’d twice caught the eye on the all-weather this winter and I thought him worthy of a bet at Newcastle two starts ago. However, a slowly-run race went against him, but all the same, once he found stride late on was closing in on the placed horses quickly, and would have been second in a couple more strides. In a bigger field at Doncaster last time he got the better pace he needed and was just on the move when checked badly in his run, causing him to lose momentum and ground. He rallied in game fashion once in the clear and was only beaten four lengths.
Down another pound and with Cian Horgan able to claim the full five off his back this time, Just An Hour and Bobacious should ensure a solid gallop and both a small field and Nottingham’s wide-open expanses in the straight should ensure no hard luck stories this time.
7:20 Nottingham
A couple of interest in a weak finale.
EDVARD GRIEG’s best effort - by some way - came over C&D here on quick ground last August, that after a short break, so has all those conditions in play today. He’s a whopping 12lb lower than that today after some poor all-weather efforts but I could see him bouncing right back to form.
First Encounter went close to winning fresh last year and handles quick ground, as he showed when winning at Leicester in the summer. Decent pilot takes five off, looks fairly handicapped and a chance of ready to go. Yard - and owners - like a winner here.
Preview posted at 0935 BST on 12/04/2025
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