Horse racing betting tips: Veinard and Gassin Golf look value alternatives in Betfair Hurdle
LOOKING back at the roll of honour for Saturday's Betfair Hurdle (3.35pm), plenty of quality horses have masqueraded as handicappers to land this hugely valuable contest.
Get Me Out Of Here (2010), Zarkandar (2012) and My Tent Or Yours (2013) are just three recent examples of winners who went on to be regulars at Grade One level.
Looking at this year’s renewal and the one that immediately screams off the page is last year’s Champion Bumper winner Ballyandy.
Even his trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies admitted he had been pleasantly surprised by the allocation of a handicap mark of just 135.
However, for every ‘handicap snip’ that wins, there are also plenty of expensive failures that fluff their lines on the big day.
Take Willie Mullins’ well-backed 4/1 favourite Blazer 12 months ago who only finished 9th.
Don’t forget Paul Nicholls’ Calipto the year before, or even Walkon back in 2011.
I’m not saying that Ballyandy won’t win, he just doesn’t appeal at 4/1 with Star Sports when you consider that he is still yet to win over hurdles.
Paul Nicholls’ Movewiththetimes is another lurking on a dangerous mark, but he too is plenty short enough at around 5/1.
Instead, I’m prepared to take a chance on a couple at much bigger prices whom I’m convinced can outrun their prices.
To start with, Kerry Lee has her string in great form and I’m expecting a bold showing from her 33/1 outsider GASSIN GOLF.
The eight-year-old lines up at Newbury tomorrow from a 2lb lower mark than when bolting up here back in March 2015.
Soft ground is ideal and a decent-sized field going a good gallop from the outset are also in his favour.
Ireland’s current leading trainer Gordon Elliott sends one runner over to Newbury tomorrow and that’s VEINARD ridden by the unstoppable Jack Kennedy.
He looks a whopping each-way price at 25/1 and ran far better than his eventual finishing position suggests at Leopardstown last month.
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He’s another well-suited by a strong pace with some cut in the ground too.
If Altior takes his chance in the Game Spirit (3.00pm) he should be very hard to beat, but will be sent off at an unbackable price and is best watched in his first chase outside of novice company.
Instead, I’m prepared to take a chance on BRISTOL DE MAI upsetting red hot favourite Native River at 6/4 in the Denman Chase (2.25pm).
The race is over a distance just shy of three miles which plays to the strengths of my selection who may just have too much speed for the Cheltenham Gold Cup second favourite.
POINTERS SATURDAY
Bristol De Mai 2.25pm Newbury
Gassin Golf e/w 3.35pm Newbury
Veinard e/w 3.35pm Newbury