Today's tips: Racing preview and best bets
Our star daily duo of Rory Delargy and David Massey are back with two bets for this afternoon's action.
Racing betting tips: Wednesday October 30
0.5pts e.w Smooth Silesie in the 3.38 Nottingham at 7/1 (General)
1pt e.w Grey D'Ars in the 4.08 Nottingham at 14/1 (Paddy Power - 1/5 1,2,3, min 10/1)
3.38 Nottingham
For a 5f handicap, there looks to be a distinct lack of early pace with none of the contestants having made the running of late, but one of them will have to here, and that could prove the key to the contest.
Smooth Silesie was a winner on the one occasion she led this season and that was here at Nottingham in the summer. Now, whether she wants soft ground is another matter - I would say she gets away with it, rather than relishes it, but the other positive is that Jack Mitchell clearly gets a tune out of her, as he’s won twice and finished second on the three times he’s been on board. She is consistent in this grade and if Mitchell decides to go forward on her she might take some pegging back.
Albegone is consistent but hard to win with, while the frustrating Stone Circle has had his conditions a couple of times recently and not fired. Buraback has a win on soft ground and is well handicapped but it’s 185 days and counting since Derek Shaw had a winner. Mehmo is well treated but has been thumped on his last two starts and Mick Appleby has been quite for some time, so the unexposed Collusion may prove the main threat.
The form of his Yarmouth second last week is easy to knock - Enchanted Night was only beaten a length and a quarter and the 45-rated Primrose Maid was close up in fourth. He really should have won that, trading 1.06 when going clear at the furlong pole before getting picked off by Hombre late. It’s hard to know whether that was just greenness that cost him - he did run around a bit late - or whether he’s a bit quirky, but he will have every chance here and can have no excuses if fluffing his lines again.
4.08 Nottingham
The amateurs finish off the card, which will allow most people to go home and avoid the traffic beforehand, but I love these events as you often get a good pace and the form does tend to work out.
Contrast won this last year and has the services of Serena Brotherton, but that isn’t the positive it used to be - she’s just 2-29 this year and may not be the force of old in the saddle having dominated these events for a couple of decades. He looks opposable on current evidence, as is French Martini, who dotted up over 2m1f at Bath last week under David Dunsdon, but his rider that day was one of the few who knew to come stands side in the straight, and there’s a worry he’s grossly flattered by that. In any case, the huge drop in trip is a negative, and Dunsdon, while tactically astute, isn’t the post talented pilot in the line-up.
Isle Of Wolves is bang in form and a regular in these events, with form figures of 4211 when ridden by an amateur, and Hannah Dring gets on really well with the horse, having won again on him at Redcar just shy of a fortnight ago. A consistent sort who handles deep ground, he’ll run his race and should be thereabouts once more.
Isle of Wolves is respected but the horse of most interest here is Grey D’Ars, who hasn’t been seen out since finishing fifth in a blanket finish at Saint-Cloud (beaten half a length) back in June, although his absence is not wellbeing related, but on account of trainer Nick Littmoden relocating to Newmarket having trained successfully in France for the last few years. He’s just had his yard passed by the BHA and Grey D’Ars is his first runner of any sort since the summer, although he’s been in situ for a couple of months, so fitness ought not to be an issue.
Grey D’Ars won a conditions race in the French provinces by 8½ lengths on soft ground back in April, and it appears that the handicapper has let him in lightly off a mark of 60 here. Littmoden cited a desire to support his daughter in amateur races as one of his reasons for coming home (his other daughter is due to give birth imminently), so this looks more of a plan than a starting point for the gelding.
Join Sporting Life Plus for exclusive Breeders’ Cup coverage
Combining Sporting Life’s instinctive eye for profit with Timeform’s unrivalled racing data and analysis, Sporting Life Plus is now available to all logged-in readers.
To access all the content on these pages, readers simply have to log in to the Sporting Life website and click on the Sporting Life Plus icon at the top of the Racing page.
If you're yet to create an account, you can sign up for FREE and gain access not only to the Sporting Life Plus features and cards, but also some exclusive content throughout a huge week in racing.
We’ll have insight from Oisin Murphy, Aidan O’Brien, Charlie Appleby and more, tips from our man in Del Mar, Ben Linfoot, and plenty of additional coverage of the Breeders’ Cup.
In addition, you can use the same log-in details to access ITV7, Super6, and Sky Bet.
Click here to access Sporting Life Plus for FREE!
Preview posted at 0900 GMT 29/10/24
Want to know more about horse welfare within our sport?
Recent success
- Minella Drama 3/1
- Sindabella 14/1
- Gris Majeur 17/2
- Hartswood 10/1
- Northern Spirit 14/1
- Hour By Hour 7/2
- Late Arrival 15/2
- Lethal Levi 8/1
- Rock Melody 9/1
- Dion Baker 9/1
- Going Remote 18/1
- Law Of Average 9/2
- Carrytheone 9/2
- Assailant 16/5
- Get Up Mush 3/1
- Alflaila 9/4
- Olivers Travels 13/2
- Glory Call 15/2
- Forcing Bull 6/1
- Outreach 9/2
- Red Hat Eagle 4/1
- Harvanna 2/1
- Captain's Pick 13/2
- Golden Rainbow 11/2
- Porta Fortuna 5/1
- Jayarebe 10/1
- Ain't Nobody 14/1
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.