Daryl Carter's Tips: 33/1 Our Champ the pick of three Betfair Hurdle selections

• Our Champ can continue trainers' fine Betfair Hurdle record

• Ocastle De Mottes confidence is infectious

• Hometown Boy can cause a surprise

• Under Control added on Saturday morning

---

* A note to say that Under Control remains in the Betfair Hurdle betting this morning and has been added to the column @ 22/123.00 0.5pt e/w.

---

Newbury Superboost

If you fancy Shishkin to Win the 14:05 at Newbury then head over to the Betfair Sportsbook, click on Horse Racing then Specials, and you can back Shishkin at the boosted price of 1/12.00 to win the Betfair Denman Chase.

---

14:40 Newbury - Back Funambule Sivola @ 10/111.00 0.5pt

Whether we continue on this Funambule Sivola - 10/111.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - train or not will be determined by the outcome of this race. I was bitterly disappointed that he couldn't get the job done at Doncaster last time in handicap company, but I put that down to the ride more than anything.

It could be that he is not the force of old now pushing nine, but the return to Newbury lures me in for one final hurrah with him. His record here reads 1121, and the power of "horses for courses" should not be underestimated, given he hasn't won since scoring for this column last year.

Still, underfoot conditions are of no serious concern given he has handled similar previously and run well, so with enough in his favour and questions over his rivals, he must be the bet at double-figure odds.

There's little doubt that Edwardstone is the one to beat, but I'm not too fond of adding the cheek-pieces on Editeur Du Gite, and along with Boothill, they are both better right-handed. Edwardstone had not been beaten right-handed until unseating at Kempton in 2022, and it's only Jonbon that has beaten him going that way over 2m. Left-handed sees a different picture and the form a little shakey, and with a tame finishing effort last time, I am happy to take him on.

Back the selection no shorter than 9/110.00. After all, he beat a 170-rated horse in this race last year.

---

15:15 Newbury - Back Our Champ @ 33/134.00 1pt e/w (6 places)

After much deliberation, I have decided to weigh in with Chris Gordon's Our Champ - 33/134.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - who would have to break the trends to win this race but holds strong handicapping claims.

Earlier this season, Our Champ clocked a very good time when winning at Cheltenham and was much faster than Lookaway on the same card, and it's a performance I can't get out of my mind.

He was ridden with extreme confidence and won that handicap off 117 under Freddie Gordon's three pounds claim (114 effectively), bolting up by eight lengths over a useful rival in Black Poppy. The runner-up didn't look out of place next time in the Xmas Grade 1 Hurdle when fourth of five behind Constitution Hill (the other four finished in a heap), and, in reality, there was no second to Our Champ that day.

He went up to a rating of 128 for that effort and has since put in three average runs. Still, he went off 3/14.00 favourite next time at Ascot over the likes of Altobelli but took on the leader from a long way out and set it up for the closer's, finished very tamely and cut out quickly as though something was a miss.

He went on to run moderately at Newbury and Kempton, but it might not be a coincidence that he followed the same track path as the yard's winner last year, Aucunrisique.

Given how quickly he stopped, Ascot could not have been his true running. He was tenderly handled in his following two runs, so it's fascinating that before today's race - which has seen the trainer hold form figures of 1443 in the last four years (including two 66/167.00 chances) - he has had a wind operation and receives a first-time tongue-tie.

If they knew after Ascot that he needed a wind operation - exactly what it looked like - then a bigger performance can be expected than his last three runs.

Regarding handicap ratings, he is now off 124 and under Freddie Gordon's five-pound claim 119 - just five pounds higher than winning at Cheltenham and nine lower than his Ascot rating.

Interestingly, a comment from the trainer also sticks in my mind. He said that he worked all over Aucunrisque at home and carried two more stone on his back, while he also said he would look at Graded Novices races as time passed. Those comments may seem wild, but it will take a very well-handicapped horse to give the best part of a stone if he repeats anything like that Cheltenham performance, and I am not convinced the ground will be too much of an issue.

The caveat is the ground. It was good at Cheltenham, and it's testing here. However, he was a big eye-catcher in a Sandown Novice in 2022 in horrendous conditions (the meeting was abandoned immediately following). He caught the eye, travelling strongly through the splashing mud behind Colonel Harry under hand and heels riding with Aurigny Mill narrowly ahead all out in 4th, and he is the best part of a stone better off with that rival.

In the hope it's not horrendous conditions, he is worth throwing a few quid at, particularly as a second-season novice, and the trainer's excellent record in a race where a case can be made for nearly every runner.

Back him at 25/126.00 or bigger.

---

15:15 Newbury - Back Ocastle Des Mottes @ 7.0 1pt

Not often does a horse come around that is rated higher in Ireland than he is in Britain, but that is the case with Willie Mullin's French recruit Ocastle Des Mottes.

The five-year-old is an entirely unknown quantity, but the Irish Handicapper has him rated at 139 - and typically, with British tax added, he would be running off a rating in the mid-140s. However, he lines up here rated just 133, thanks to how the British and Irish handicappers adjust for French ratings.

For now, those ratings are meaningless, but on the bare form, in France, it does look as though he has been let in only a small bit lightly and taking into consideration the improvement he should have received by joining Willie Mullins and his age, it's not wild to think he is well handicapped.

One piece of form saw him beat Roi K'Alin - the same horse as Under Control (137) did in France - by a manageable eight lengths while the British horse only four. From the same race, the runner-up is a three-time winner since, including a Listed Hurdle and a Grade 1 Chase (albeit not form to take literally).

Looking at other French recruits in recent times, Venetia Williams has played this hand well. Her most recent runner, Demnat, was given a French rating of 61kg and a British rating equivalent of 122, and he bolted up by 15 lengths at Ludlow. Fire Dancer is another example, given the direct equivalent and won on his British debut.

As for other horses, Gala Marceau was rated 68kg in France (136) compared to her current 141 in Britain/Ireland. Gaelic Warrior was rated 63kg (126) and ran in the Boodles off 129, and it only took him another three runs to reach 157.

Most recently, Sophie Leech has improved French recruit Madara to win at the Dublin Racing Festival, proving his French rating of 132 to be ten pounds wrong. The percentage call is that Ocastle Des Mottes, with a year at Willie Mullins' and another year older (only five), has plenty more to come.

Further conviction of Ocastle Des Mottes chances comes through Simon Munir and Isaac Souede's racing manager Anthony Bromley who led a conversation with Nick Luck about the horse with damning confidence about his chances.

He explained that he was entered in the Greatwood for a handicap mark and then due to run at Xmas in the Betfair Exchange Hurdle only to scope badly. Connections immediately looked at the Betfair Hurdle or, as he put it, "the next biggest handicap pot". He was only entered in the DRF for confirmation as Mullins - according to Bromley - couldn't believe he was rated so indifferently.

While confidence from the camp is a welcome sign to backers, the fact that this has been the target since Christmas must be a huge positive, given they could have run him in any race since, even for a prep run.

Bromley continued his Nick Luck interview by mentioning races like the Martin Pipe, County Hurdle and Coral Cup after this race as they will look to "bounce" into Cheltenham with him.

All of this noise is something I would typically ignore. However, the horse showed plenty of ability in France and is open to improvement. At the same time, the ground has gone against many of the players in this race since the entry stage but not him, and it's not often this rating scenario comes around, so he looks well worth chancing, and this time, it might be worth taking the hint.

Altobelli is interesting in this ground. Iberico Lord is very popular and looks solid if bouncing back from Ascot but is priced accordingly, and Aurigny Mill is progressive but may have been flattered by sitting off a robust pace last time. It only looks a little deep outside of those, although solid each-way cases can be made for Lookaway.

Overall, the percentage call is to back him with no better trainer to bring out further improvement and target a race. Back the selection at 11/26.50 and no shorter, but there is plenty of 7.0 on the Betfair Exchange.

---

15:15 Newbury - Back Under Control @ 22/123.00 0.5pt e/w (6 places)

Integrity has gotten the better of me, and having napped Under Control on the Racing Only Bettor Podcast, it's only correct that she makes this column. I am still unaware if she will run, but I am about to head off to Newbury early this morning, so I want to add her to the column.

Under Control - 22/123.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - looks fairly handicapped off of a rating of 137, and she has shown big improvement race-by-race, so I don't want to let her go despite the weakness in the market this week.

She won in France on deep ground, and her Sandown victory last year over Iberico Lord confirms it won't be a significant issue.

The ground was certainly too quick for her at Doncaster when needing a stronger pace, and she split two useful Willie Mullins mares when on a recovery mission from the Gerry Fielden flop. The fact that she bounced back so quickly there highlights how fast she is improving and strengthening up all the time.

It would be astounding if she did not rate close to the mid-140s at the end of the season, and this big field, strong-paced scenario looks right up her street.

Her form ties in with all of the English hopes in this race, leaving me continuously returning to her. She travelled like the best horse in the Gerry Fielden on return trading at 2.26/5 in the running, had been a big drifter on the day and, if on the song, would have surely beaten the winner Hansard given how powerfully she travelled. The winner finished close up at Ascot in a bunch finish next time, with Altobeli, Luccia, and Iberico Lord in close proximity.

She also beat the subsequent Greatwood winner, Iberico Lord, on soft ground at Sandown last term when undoubtedly hitting the front well too soon. She tanked through that race, and despite being worse off at the weights, I think she was value for far more.

The quick 13-day turnaround is of no concern, and she has every chance if connections decide to run (she could wait for a County Hurdle if they feel conditions are not correct).

---

15:50 Newbury - Back Hometown Boy @ BSP 1pt

Hometown Boy - currently 8/19.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - went straight into the tracker after his return from a 929-day absence at Carlisle when only faulting for fitness late in the day behind Good Risk At All.

He suffered an overreach injury on that occasion, which explains his absence since, but he went very well for a long way and looked like a natural chaser when given a gentle introduction to fences.

Providing he is straight today, he looks well handicapped, 11 pounds lower than his hurdle rating and back up to a more suitable distance, and the unexposed nine-year-old might be able to buck out and make all.

He is a risky but well-handicapped proposition and offers good value at double-figure odds, but he will be a fair BSP price with the sportsbook going in defensive compared to the general market place.

---

Read Cheltenham Focus Week 14 Here.

---