Daryl Carter's Tips: 9/1 Back Harry's unexposed chaser to Fry Saturday Cheltenham Gold Cup rivals

• Paddy Power Gold Cup fancy is 9/110.00

• My Noble Lord expected to be the best of Juveniles in the opener

• Look to Kings Hill 16/117.00 to come home strong

• Get A Completely Free Horse Racing Bet for the Cheltenham November Meeting

• Place £10 bet on any sport on the Betfair Exchange to start your Free Bet Streak

---

Paul Nicholls Superboost

Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls saddles the favourite, Ginny's Destiny, in today's feature race, the Paddy Power Gold Cup at 14:20 and the Betfair Sportsbook have boosted the horse's price to finish in the top four from 8/151.53 to 1/12.00.

Having finished in the first two in all of his last five starts Ginny's Destiny looks to have an excellent chance of going close today, so to take advantage of this super-boosted price just click on the odds in the below betslip to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

---

Racing... Only Bettor - Podcast Tips

---

12:35 Cheltenham - Back My Noble Lord @ 3/14.00 1pt

It's a guessing game as to what these could or couldn't achieve over hurdles with such limited evidence, and I am sure the half-brother to Burdett Road, East India Dock, will be popular. He is the correct favourite. However, he achieved no more than the now 114-rated Getalead at Wincanton. Still, that sets the standard in this division, as the crop of horses is well below average for the time of year.

My Noble Lord - 3/14.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - offered plenty of reasons to be positive at Chepstow, and he has the size and scope to prove much of the best of these down the line. He clocked a slow time, but he could have done it with a stronger gallop to aim at, and I'm expecting a big improvement given the pace he showed to make a mistake at the second last and finish strongly.

Today's race will likely be a much more suitable test for him, and the way he powered clear at the line suggests he is worth keeping on side.

It's unknown what he beat into second (Nemean Lion's half-brother). Still, the fourth horse went close at Ludlow and beat Usario Amigo and considering the race was unsuitable for the selection, there must be better to come.

My Noble Lord was firmly on the upgrade on the flat and only rated six pounds inferior to East India Dock, so he has a manageable amount to find, and he is the most promising in the field.

Back the selection at 3/14.00 or bigger. I expect him to go off favourite for this.

---

13:45 Cheltenham - Back Lookaway @ 5/23.50 1.5pt

I want to be against the favourite L'Eau du Sud, who had his debut chase performance at Stratford 16 days ago overrated. He did it well, but he beat nothing in a weak handicap where he had the run of the race at his own pace, and a 10 lb rise for that effort is not warranted, so he is not 11lb clear as the ratings suggest.

Not once was he asked at pace into a fence, and he has the characteristics of a horse that will make mistakes in this sphere, and the move back to 2m at Cheltenham on quick ground will put his jumping to the test.

The more I looked at the race, the more appealing Lookaway - 5/23.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - has become.

He may have only been in a match race at Uttoxeter, but they got motoring through the final three fences, and their jumping was examined. The first half of the race was no more than a sedate gallop, but when push came to shove, he jumped well and showed an excellent attitude to fend off a useful rival who had beaten the likes of Jinko Blue (140) and Jango Baie (146) last season.

Lookaway was second in the Greatwood at this meeting last term, and he had a fine start to the season last year before likely feeling the effects of a grueling Grade 1 Challow Hurdle in December, where he finished second to Captain Teague.

Still, following that effort, he was a clear third behind Mystical Power and Firefox at Aintree when tried in cheek-pieces. He has the form to be competitive here, and he is unexposed and will enjoy the fast ground.

He is one of the likely pace angles in this race, and the winning point-to-pointer should be able to use his experience and kick on from the front. It's worth remembering that he was a 8/19.00 chance for the Betfair Hurdle when L'Eau du Sud was 28/129.00, and the selection's down-the-field effort effect is best excused following the Challow Hurdle test. There's every reason to think he is good value at 5/23.50 or bigger.

Petit Tonnerre is the biggest threat, but he is hard to back at 2m over fences on this sharp old course on good ground and is crying out for a stiffer test of stamina than this.

Back the selection at 5/23.50 or bigger.

---

14:20 Cheltenham - Back In Excelsis Deo @ 9/110.00 1pt e/w (already advised ante-post)

This is not a vintage renewal, and the presence of Protektorat keeps plenty of these out of the weights. However, expecting the Dan Skelton horse to win this handicap from a rating of 167, giving lumps of weight away to some useful rivals on his seasonal return, is a big ask.

Ginny's Destiny is undoubtedly the correct favourite if fully wound up, but sometimes, they always need their first run of the season, no matter how much work you get into a horse. That could be the case with the Paul Nicholls horse, who has improved 30lbs on his RPR ratings each year for a run under his belt.

Gaw Law is an obvious contender following a positive return run at Chepstow and should be fighting out the finish, but he is high enough in the weights for what he has achieved.

Il Ridoto, who has been in and around these races for what feels like an age, has a good record on his second outing of the year and is weighted to go well despite being out of the handicap with Freddie Gingell claiming three, so he must be taken seriously. However, we know all about him and how much improvement there is to come is up for question following 20 chase runs.

In Excelsis Deo - 9/110.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - in turn, has only had ten starts over fences and only four over this trip and is attractive under optimal good ground conditions.

The six-year-old was a big eye-catcher when fresh at the October meeting last year when steaming home behind Dancing On My Own over a trip too short of 2m. He did remarkably well to finish fifth in the Cheltenham Plate at the festival in a race not run to suit when he negotiated fallers and a blocked passage.

He hacked up here over 2m4f on good ground at the April meeting, ending the season on the upgrade.

He is a six-year-old with much more to offer after just a handful of starts. He enjoys good ground and has a good record first time out. Bryan Carver takes over in the saddle with a 19% strike rate for Harry Fry, and this race should be well-suited for a strong finishing effort.

In the hope that the cheek-pieces help him travel into the race a little better, he has lots of upside to his profile from a handicapping perspective, and I have no doubt he will be rated higher than 143 by the end of the season.

He was advised to followers ante-post at 9/110.00 1pt e/w (4 places 1/4 odds) and you can read the case here.

I am happy to advise him again on the day at the same price, as I am convinced he is the best-handicapped horse in the race.

One I will take a minimal chance with is Editeur Du Gite - 40/141.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - who is worth a small bet at wild odds. If I could offer 0.25 e/w, then that is the stake I would suggest.

Interestingly, his prep run was full of promise at Chepstow for a long way, showing his old zest under an easy and patient ride. However, the angle with him is to catch him on his second outing of the year.

He was no match for Jonbon in the Grade 2 Shloer Chase on his second start last term, but he won by 13 lengths the year before at Kempton and won here on this card in 2021 in the Mucking Brilliant Handicap chase (also a winner second time out over hurdles in France).

His latest outing was the same race that his connections prepped their 2018 winner, Baron Alco, and the step up in trip is an obvious move now that he is ten years old. I expect him to go forward and make this a good test, and his swift jumping over the early obstacles will put him in a good position.

This is possibly too stiff of a test, and he may be aimed at the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton in December, but he loves good ground and this track and is a strong stayer at the minimum trip, and his pace may be an asset. He is not an advised selection but one to consider at big odds.

---

14:55 Cheltenham - Back Thanksforthehelp @ 8/19.00 1pt

Dan Skelton's Doyen Quest looks fairly handicapped, but I can't be confident that moving up to three miles for the son of Doyen is the right answer. Many Doyen progeny don't get this trip, and it may be that he is too well treated, but 2/13.00 is a short price to find out.

It is an open race, but the one that appeals from a handicapping perspective is Thanksforthehelp - 8/19.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook. David Pipe's runner had a prep spin for this contest at Uttoxeter last month when given a tranquil time at the rear of the field, but he has needed his seasonal debut every year and improved a good chunk on each of his following outings.

The seven-year-old won last year at Chepstow in a canter over a good field by six lengths and was given an 11lb rise to 128, which saw him sneak in at the bottom of the weights for the 2023 Pertemps Final, for which he went off favourite. He didn't quite get home that day on soft ground but shaped very promisingly for much of the race, and he landed a Novice Hurdle next time at Southwell, which worked out well.

Remarkably, the handicapper has given him a big chance following three no-show runs and has dropped him back to 118 (one pound above his Chepstow victory), and today, the cheek-piece and tongue-tie combination return (won at Chepstow in first-time headgear).

He has the handicapping scope and is much better than his rating on a going day, so he looks well worth chancing with everything lined up for a big effort. The yard has targeted this race in the past and won it in 2014, and he should be going close off bottom weight, but it is an all-or-nothing selection, so a win-only bet is advised at 6/17.00 or bigger. It would be concerning to see a drift!

---

15:30 Cheltenham - Back Kings Hill @ 16/117.00 0.5pt e/w

It's worth taking a swing with the big-priced Kings Hill - 16/117.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - who looks overpriced on his best form and has been crying out for a step up in distance. The only time his connections have sent him beyond 2m was on his penultimate start when not disgraced behind subsequent Pertemps Qualifying winner, The Wall Park.

He is by Kingston Hill, whose progeny have all improved for moving up in trip, and it seems to be the angle that has not been cottoned on to just yet, with many looking to need closer to three miles. He was entered in last year's Supreme Novice Hurdle and travelled like the best horse in the race despite his wild odds of 150/1151.00. The move up in distance on good ground is the angle with him, and he looks like a big price under his regular rider and claiming jockey Jack Gilligan.

Back the selection at 14/115.00 or bigger as I make him half his price.

---

15:48 Newcastle - Back Night Raider @ 7/24.50 1pt

This can go to Karl Burke's Night Raider - 7/24.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - who finally delivered on the promise he offered earlier in his career when he returned to the AW at Kempton 45 days ago.

The three-year-old hacked up at Kempton over the useful Equilateral in a rapid time, and this stiff six furlongs at Newcastle should suit him even better. He is now 3-3 on the AW, and his form is clear of what he has done on turf. It can only be the surface that brings the best out of him.

He is a horse on the upgrade in a division that has lacked any spark all season, and today looks like a fine opportunity to get some black type. The three-year-old has Oisin Murphy in the saddle and is drawn well in stall ten to grab the golden highway down the stands rail. There's lots to like, and he faces horses with something to prove.

He makes plenty of appeal at 11/43.75 or bigger.

---

Podcast selections

13:45 Cheltenham - Lookaway
14:20 Cheltenham - In Excelsis Deo
14:55 Cheltenham - Thanksforthehelp
15:15 Newcastle - Peace Man
15:30 Cheltenham - Kings Hill
15:48 Newcastle - Night Raider

---

Now read more Horse Racing Tips here!

---