Robin Goodfellow's Racing Tips: Best bets for Saturday, January 16
Robin Goodfellow’s Racing Tips: Best bets for Saturday, January 16
Put your trust in trainer David Pipe and back MAKE ME A BELIEVER (Warwick, 2.25) to land the Ballymore Leamington Novices’ Hurdle.
The Pipe operation ended a Grade One drought at Chepstow last weekend courtesy of Adagio and, although today’s hurdling feature is a level down, victory for the imposing son of Presenting would be further evidence of a renaissance in the Pond House academy.
Related to the talented King Rowland, Make Me A Believer bumped into a class prospect in Bear Ghylls at Lingfield on his comeback before connections felt he would benefit from wind surgery.
Sportsmail’s racing expert Robin Goodfellow dishes out his tips for Saturday’s meetings
The procedure paid immediate dividends before Christmas at Cheltenham, where the selection displayed terrific tenacity and resolve to battle back and overhaul Any News after jumping the final hurdle in arrears.
The two mile, one furlong trip that day appeared a wholly inadequate test for a horse that looks a solid galloper and a three-mile chaser in the making, so this afternoon’s step up in distance by another four furlongs could well be the catalyst for another marked improvement.
The Pipe juggernaut has picked up pace since Adagio’s victory at Chepstow and everything looks in place for Make Me A Believer to convert a legion of new fans this afternoon. Having won this race twice in the last decade, Dan Skelton’s representatives are always worthy of a second look so Midnight River could also make a bold bid to follow in the hoof prints of previous stable winners Beakstown and Three Musketeers.
Although the Midnight Legend gelding made heavy weather of scoring at Leicester last time, he remains an exciting prospect and, providing he manages to cope with the prospect of deep ground with morning rain forecast, could trouble the selection.
It has been 10 years since Alan King lifted the Classic Handicap Chase with West End Rocker but NOTACHANCE (Warwick, 3.00) can defy his name and supplement a smooth comeback win.
There is even a chance that we are yet to see the best of the seven-year-old, who spent part of his career biding his time over hurdles, waiting to develop physically before being sent over fences.
Staying chases always looked likely to be his game and so it proved when he capitalised on a lenient mark at Exeter on his second start over the larger obstacles.
The point-to-point winner took the eye on his return to action last November with a compelling win at Bangor, where he defied a lack of chasing experience to beat a talented group of rivals soundly.
A 7lb ride for that cosy success doesn’t look too harsh a penalty and I am hopeful Notachance can find a rhythm around this track given he coped with the turns of Bangor so well.
WARWICK
ROBIN GOODFELLOW
12.40 Will Sting
1.15 Amoola Gold
1.50 Next Destination
2.25 Make Me A Believer (nb)
3.00 Notachance
3.35 Flemcara
4.05 Gold Bullion
GIMCRACK
12.40 Frankincense
1.15 Sky Pirate
1.50 Next Destination
2.25 Adrimel
3.00 Storm Control
3.35 Come On Teddy
4.05 Gold Bullion
MARKET RASEN
ROBIN GOODFELLOW
12.20 Sizing Cusimano
12.55 Across The Line
1.30 Blue Hussar
2.05 Edwardstone
2.40 On The Blind Side
3.15 Merry Mistress
3.50 Hugo’s Reflection
GIMCRACK
12.20 Mac Tottie
12.55 Diakosaint
1.30 Fawsley Spirit
2.05 Oscars Leader
2.40 Lil Rockerfeller
3.15 Eileendover
3.50 Easy Bucks
Newmarket – 3.15 Eileendover (nap)
KEMPTON
ROBIN GOODFELLOW
4.15 Global Acclaim
4.45 Bint Al Anood
5.15 Good Soul
5.50 Rochford
6.20 Babajan
6.50 Lequinto
7.20 Dancing Feet
7.50 Cape Greco
8.20 Cashel
GIMCRACK
4.15 Global Acclaim
4.45 Valentinka
5.15 Law Of The Sea
5.50 Cristal Pallas Cat
6.20 Discomatic
6.50 Elmejor
7.20 Broughton Sunpearl
7.50 Cape Greco
8.20 No Diggity
Newmarket – 6.50 Uzincso (nb)
Northerner – 6.50 Irreverent (nb)
LINGFIELD
ROBIN GOODFELLOW
11.45 Cafe Milano
12.15 Keane’s Kingdom
12.50 Skulk
1.25 Lord Rapscallion
2.00 Dutugamunu (nap)
2.35 Apollinaris
3.10 Total Commitment
3.45 Bombastic
GIMCRACK
11.45 Cafe Sydney
12.15 Gypsy Dancer
12.50 Sky Bright
1.25 Corazon Espinado
2.00 Dutugamunu
2.35 Bint Dandy
3.10 Sun Power
3.45 Swiss Pride
Northerner – 1.25 Crownthorpe (nap)
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