Another fantastic afternoon of British and Irish horse racing on the card this Saturday as the schedule aims to match the level we’ve seen over the last fortnight, with the Grand National and Scottish National giving followers a real treat. Here are our top Saturday 20 April horse racing betting tips.
We have the Irish National meeting to look forward to in the coming days, but before getting into that, our team pick through the best of Saturday, with racing scheduled at some top tracks, including Haydock, Kempton, Mussleburgh and Cork.
Stick with the horse racing section of our site where you’ll find a look at the antepost betting for some of the Easter weekend’s biggest races, including prices and advice on which firms are offering best price. Let’s aim to get started with a Saturday winner or two to boost your betting balance for an assault on next week’s Irish National meeting at Fairyhouse.
Easter Handicap – 1.55pm Cork
A one-mile handicap with a chunky prize pot available, we’re expecting a large field for this one and the antepost betting suggests it’ll be a competitive renewal, with no more than three points separating the first eight in the betting. That is tight indeed.
Traders at bet365 are giving nothing away in the early stages and have priced Luke Volta as their 5/1 favourite, ahead of Parys Mountain and Porth Swtan at 6/1. Each-way backers will get 1/4 the odds a place 1-2-3 and that allows us to be a bit more ambitious and take a shot at one carrying bigger odds. When betting each-way you’re looking for a pick good enough to force a place, but with a chance at pulling off an upset and winning the race.
A Generous Price
The runner to carry our stake in the Easter Handicap at Cork will be Hayadh who can be backed at a generous 8/1 (Bet365), a price that looks too big for a horse of this class. The Rebecca Bastiman trained six-year-old gelding has 20 previous runs under his belt, winning four and placing on another four occasions. That’s not immediately impressive, but he was third at Musselburgh earlier this month in a decent race and has finished in the top-three in three of his last five goes. That includes a win around the Scottish track late last year in a 7f handicap when sent off as favourite.
Our Tip: Hayadh to win – 8/1 at Bet365
Royal Mile Handicap – 2.25pm Musselburgh
This Class 2 event decided over the mile at Musselburgh will be one of the standout races of the day and we have some famous names in attendance, all looking to wrestle the crown worn by Mark Johnston’s Book of Dreams 12 months ago. The odds-makers at Bet365 have been a little more convincing when setting out their early prices for this one, pinning Politicise as their 9/2 favourite, ahead of Riviera Nights at 5/1 and On The Line at 6/1.
We opposed the jolly in the last race but think bookies have this one spot on and are behind the right horse, although there still looks to be a bit of value in him at the current price and we intend to follow the crowd and get our money down.
The Bookies Have it Right
Politicise comes to us from the William Haggas yard and despite this being only the three-year-old’s fourth outing, he has started strongly, winning once and finishing second on another occasion. He needed a spin around Doncaster to get used to things, but it didn’t take long for the penny to drop and he won on his second start at Newbury when claiming a Novices Stakes over 7f.
The pick was last seen finding only one too good at Windsor last year, ending behind the impressive Shoot For Gold over a mile. He has been given a bit of a break from action and we’re expecting to see signs of his development here. Handlers have hand-picked this race to launch his year and they’ll be confident it gives him the best chance to win and showcase his talents. There’s plenty of improving left in Politicise and we should see proof of that here.
Our Tip: Politicise to win – 9/2 at Bet365
Scottish Sprint Cup – 3.00pm Musselburgh
We saw the Scottish National last week, but with summer fast-approaching, we get another of the nation’s favourite races, the Scottish Sprint Cup. A five-furlong dash for the finish, this throws together some of the most promising sprinters on the circuit and we’re set for a thrilling renewal. With over £30,000 paid to the champion, it’s no surprise to see top trainers head north of the border for a crack at this one.
Another wide-open betting market at the time of writing, Bet365 horse racing punters have Tanasoq as their 5/1 favourite, ahead of A momentofmadness at 7/1, Copper Knight 8/1, Final Venture 10/1 and Mokaatil 10/1. Plenty of value there, but which runner should you invest your hard-earned cash on? We’ve got to say the favourite is a better price than we expected him to be and that means we’re back following the market.
25% Win Rate
The Midgley trained Tanasoq boasts plenty of experience on this circuit, bringing a 24-race CV made up of six wins and eight placed efforts. The six-year-old gelding carries a 25% win rate and followers who have stuck with this one from the start have enjoyed strong profits off level stakes. That alone means he owes them nothing and there will be more than a few shrewd backers happy to stick with the bay again here.
Tanasoq won last time out to boost his stock, claiming the Borderlescott Sprint Trophy over course and distance earlier this month and we believe a similar effort will be enough to see him revisit the winner’s enclosure and boost connections balance again.
He scored off a stunning 12/1 price tag that day, battling gamely to hold off SP favourite El Astronaute by a head. A gutsy performance, we saw enough there to make him worth sticking with and it’s obvious bookies did too, slashing his odds in plenty of time for his return.