Daily Racing Tips: Holiday bankers on the flat and over jumps

Tipping / Carl Harris / 25 May 2009 / Leave a Comment

A bumper package of tips from Carl Harris from a big Bank Holiday racing programme...

There are no fewer than 47 races at seven race meetings in the UK and Ireland today with plenty of betting opportunities. The six UK meetings are all on the flat except the excellent and unique jumps card at Cartmel, which I can thoroughly recommend as a family day out. Anyone going to Cartmel today will need to set off early but should come home with a winner.

Summer jumping can throw up strange results on firm surfaces but today there is some give in the ground at Carmel which is perfect for jump racing. Venitia Williams has had a sensational year and is definitely on the way to the very top of the training ranks having achieved a great deal with relatively limited resources. Today she introduces a nice type in American Art (3.00) over hurdles who was rated 88 on the flat, with Barry Hills. She has cannily booked Oliver Greenall who, as an amateur, takes off five pounds and is very good value for that allowance. This race should not take much winning, the highest rated horse has a mark of 114, from which American Art will receive 19 pounds and connections will be expecting to move on to a better standard than this is due course. I will be disappointed if American Art cannot win on his hurdles debut.

On the flat my bet of the day is Perfect Silence (3.15) who makes her seasonal reappearance at Leicester. The 4 year-old has won both her starts in handicap company and should be fresh after a 7 month break. She last raced at Windsor, off a mark of 68 when Eddie Ahern was aboard and the pair should complete her hat-trick today from a 4 pounds higher mark. Both wins came from Clive Cox switching her to sprinting and this progressive daughter of Dansili looks one to follow. I expected, given that there are only 8 runners, that she would be shorter than the current price, so a bit of value is to be had in the Betfair win market.

I also think there is value to be had by backing Gibb River (5.40) at Chepstow. Michael Jarvis and Philip Robinson team up with the, currently, odds on favourite Dhushan who has 1 run to his name in a Newbury maiden. Gibb River is selected in preference to Dhushan on the basis of experience and the ability shown at Goodwood last time out, a run that earned him a mark of 83, were he to run in handicaps. Peter Chapple-Hyam's colt should have conditions to suit and should take all the beating. I cannot help but think that the odds on price is more a result of the stable than the form book about the favourite. Dhushan is exactly the type of odds on shot that I like to take on and I will be laying Michael Jarvis' charge at the odds.