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Ben Linfoot free horse racing tips for Cheltenham and Doncaster Friday October 25
Our form expert has three selections for Friday's ITV action from Cheltenham and Doncaster.
The Verdict: Friday October 25
1pt win Harper's Ferry in 2.43 Doncaster at 15/2 (Paddy Power, 7/1 General)
1pt win Jehangeer in 3.18 Doncaster at 25/1 (General)
1pt win Individualiste in 3.35 Cheltenham at 20/1 (Paddy Power, 16/1 General)
Individualiste worth a punt
Cheltenham swings its doors open for the first time this season on Friday and the Irish invasion is getting earlier and bigger in numbers judging by the card.
Gavin Cromwell struck three times at this meeting last year and he could be looking at a similar return 12 months on with his Path d’Oroux likely to get the ball rolling in the novice chase.
He won’t be missed in the market, but stablemate INDIVIDUALISTE has been in the Glenfarclas Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase at 3.35 and he’s worth a bet at prices around 16/1 and above.
Formerly with Paul Nicholls, the six-year-old has only had the one go over fences - when he was pulled up at Wincanton in February where he didn’t look at ease in the heavy ground.
Over hurdles he was better on livelier conditions, his 16-length win on good to soft at Taunton last December, in a handicap from a perch of 109 (he runs off the same mark on Friday), an example of what he can do on a going day.
Cheltenham has drained well despite lots of rain over the last six or seven weeks and with only one or two millimetres forecast on Friday morning we look set for good ground, which will suit the selection.
Declan Lavery takes the ride and he’s got exceptional numbers for Cromwell, winning eight from 27 rides for him in Ireland, a strike-rate of 30% and a profit to £1 at SP of +£17.30, which is good to know when you're weighing up his relative lack of experience around Cheltenham compared to the better-known jockeys in the race.
The Verdict: Back INDIVIDUALISTE in the 3.35 Cheltenham
Ferry to sail in on Town Moor
Over at Doncaster the ground is soft and I reckon testing conditions back at a mile are really going to suit Ed Walker’s HARPER’S FERRY in the William Hill Committed To Top Prices Handicap.
This son of Lope De Vega looked a really nice prospect earlier in the season and while he hasn’t gone on as connections would’ve hoped he’s got the talent to be winning races like this.
Gelded after finishing midfield in Calandagan’s King Edward VII Stakes over 1m4f at Royal Ascot, the procedure didn’t pay immediate dividends as he pulled way too hard over 10 furlongs in handicap company at Doncaster last time.
However, despite ruining his chance by racing so inefficiently, he was still in there pitching at the business end and he wasn’t beaten far at all at the line, so it was no surprise to see the handicapper leave him on a rating of 93.
Racing half a yard quicker over a mile will hopefully see him settle better with Tom Marquand back in the saddle and that spin here last month should’ve run some freshness out of him in any case.
He’s got form in soft ground and he clearly stays further, so if he does drop his head early on for Marquand he can come home best of all.
The Verdict: Back HARPER’S FERRY in the 2.43 Doncaster
Ryan sprinter to find top ‘geer
Finally, I can’t resist taking a punt on Kevin Ryan’s JEHANGEER at 25/1 in the William Hill More Top Prices Handicap over six furlongs at Doncaster.
This full-brother to Hello Youmzain has been disappointing this season when it looked like he might kick on, a solitary win at Thirsk to show for his efforts after having had wind surgery and being gelded.
Always behind when 23rd in the Ayr Gold Cup last time out, you can see why he’s been priced up the outsider of the field but I can’t forget the promise he has shown on occasion.
His Thirsk win was the last time he encountered a little bit of cut in the ground, while his sole run on soft was a very good third in Listed company as a two-year-old, so conditions could spark major improvement.
And so could the first-time blinkers. Ryan has a remarkable record with outsiders wearing first-time blinkers, showcasing a real intuition for applying the headgear when his horses have seemingly lost their way.
Indeed, of his 36 winners in first-time blinkers exactly half of them were sent off at prices of 16/1 or bigger, resulting in a profit of +£142.63 to £1 at SP, and even with a 100/1 winner in there it’s some effort considering he’s had over 400 goes.
Jehangeer is exactly the type of Ryan horse that bounces back from seemingly nowhere and while he’s clearly not straightforward, the price just looks too big.
The Verdict: Back JEHANGEER in the 3.18 Doncaster
Preview posted at 1510 BST on 24/10/24
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