There’s something special coming… and it’s our Feb 9 horse racing betting tips. Another weekend and another Saturday horse racing schedule packed with delights. There’s plenty for punters to pick through, with bookmakers offering attractive odds on each of the major meetings taking place across the UK and Ireland.
Feeling a bit more adventurous? You can cast your net further afield and bet on the races of note from France, Germany, South Africa, America, Canada, Dubai, Australia, and more.
Not only are we spoiled for choice with races, each leg brings a host of exciting markets for us to wager our cash on. Have your say on the winner of the contest or take a punt each-way on a runner at a bigger price and hope your selection can finish in the major places and return a profit.
There’s also forecast, tricast and Tote betting to choose from; Elsewhere, those after the big wins can play the sport’s most popular multiples, including Lucky 15, Yankee, Heinz and Super Heinz. Flick through the various offers available from your bookmaker of choice and you’ll never be short of an interest on the sport of kings.
The major fixture of the day goes at Newbury, where an action-packed card awaits; however, there can be no doubts over the standout race on the programme – the Betfair Hurdle. Our team of horse racing experts and sports betting value hunters cast their eye over the leading names in the ante-post list and return with their views on a shrewd bet that could see you land a blow on the bookies.
Betfair Hurdle
The Betfair Hurdle is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle race run at Newbury and open to horses aged four years old and above. Two miles stand between the starting pack and a champion and we’ve enjoyed some memorable renewals over the years. The first recorded running of the Betfair Hurdle took place back in 1963 when Rosyth grabbed a place in the history books when scoring for trainer Ryan Price and jockey Josh Gifford.
That proved to be a winning partnership 12 months later when they successfully defended their crown in 1964. However, John Sutcliffe’s Elan ended that domination next time out, David Nicholson sitting in the saddle.
The contest endured a troubled start as racing fans struggled to take to the event with three of the first dozen races abandoned; however, it went on to become one of the favourites of February’s schedule. Now punters have the fixture marked in their calendar as one to look forward to as it serves as a good indication to how March’s Champion Hurdle might go. Persian War and Make a Stand both won this race before going on to claim the big one at Prestbury Park. Cheltenham fans get your notepads at the ready.
Kalashnikov won this 12 months ago for Amy Murphy and Jack Quinlan; followers of the trends will be interested to know he was the third five-year-old in four years to scoop the prize. This means it’s worth keeping an eye on the age of your pick before trusting it with your stake money. The others on that list are Violet Dancer in 2015 for Gary Moore and Nick Williams’ Agrapart who claimed the prize money for connections in 2016.
Al Dancer Arrives on Form
Who do bookmakers expect to reign supreme this year and snatch a win in good time for the Cheltenham Festival? Punters looking to get in early and secure the value will find traders have priced Al Dancer as their favourite and he’s market best price 4/1 with Coral at the time of writing. If you do fancy following the thinking of odds-makers, we suggest being careful who you trust as many firms offer 7/2 on the same bet. It’s difficult enough making a profit from horse racing without taking less of a price on your picks.
French-bred Al Dancer brings a record of four wins and two placed efforts from seven starts and that kind of form is the reason he has been so well respected by bookies. The six-year-old gelding may not fall into the age trends, but there’s plenty to like about his form and Nigel Twiston-Davies will take his horse to course on the back of three wins in his last three.
That purple patch started with victory at Carlisle in a novices’ hurdle over 2m 1f back in October; he followed that with victory around Ffos Las over a shorter trip in another novices’ hurdle. The hat-trick was complete when Al Dancer proved too good for his rivals when contesting a handicap hurdle over two miles at Cheltenham in December, scoring off an SP 3/1f, leaving runner-up Not That Fuisse 11 lengths behind. A thoroughly impressive effort and one that won him many admirers heading into 2019. A short break from action will mean he arrives fresh, fit and ready to target a four-timer.
Monsieur Lecoq High-Five
The only five-year-old involved in the top-four of the ante-post betting is Monsieur Lecoq who represents the Williams yard. The striking bay gelding carries a 14/1 price tag when betting with Bet365 and that makes him a lively each-way option. Two wins and two thirds from four stands out, especially with those victories coming in his last two.
Monsieur Lecoq scored at Ffos Las in a maiden hurdle when running over 1m 7f and quickly followed that up with another visit to the winner’s enclosure when banking a handicap hurdle across the same trip earlier this year. The nine-length winning distance suggests he’ll handle the step up without too much fuss and we’re happy to give him the benefit of the doubt and take a punt at a nice price. He’s a progressive sort and there’s plenty more to come, that’s for sure.
Others in the ante-post betting worth a mention are Getaway Trump at 11/2, Lisp 16/1, Nube Negra 20/1, Leoncavallo 25/1 and Thomas Darby 25/1. Ballyandy also carries a 25/1 price tag and that won’t go unnoticed by value hunters.
Our Tip: Monsieur Lecoq – 14/1 at Bet365
Don’t forget to check out our other top betting tips and best horse racing betting strategies.