Horse Racing tips: Mick Fitzgerald’s best bets at Chepstow on Friday

The UK jumps season is officially back baby and Mick Fitz has your top picks for the opening card at the Welsh track.

Mick Fitzgerald

By / Horse Racing Tips / 3 years ago

* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

13:00 Knappers Hill

Chepstow is the ‘official’ start of the jumps season in the UK and Paul Nicholls always unleashes some of his big guns at the Welsh track. This year is no exception to that rule for the top trainer and Nicholls starts his Aintree winner KNAPPERS HILL off here. His form is really smart as he hunts a fourth win in-a-row, with one of those previous victories coming at Chepstow last year on debut. This looks the perfect starting point this season for the gelding.

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13:35 Honest Vic

Only four runners go to post, but it is a really good contest that should produce lots of winners. I like the potential ‘outsider’ in the field, HONEST VIC as he has won first time out for the last two seasons, so we know he goes well fresh. Last season Henry Daly’s charge won a really competitive handicap hurdle at Cheltenham off a mark of 141. Threeunderthrufive will be worth following this season, but may need more juice in the ground.

 

14:10 Sir Ivan

I love these veterans’ chases. This was a very close call when making my selection and a lot of it is down to trainer form. Harry Fry had a tough season last year and will be hoping his horses perform consistently this term. SIR IVAN won at Newbury over fences last season and first time out ran really well over hurdles at Aintree.

He likes the ground and his sprightly age of 11 just sways it for me over the 12-year-old Dancing Shadow. Sir Ivan ran a belter in this race last year off a 1lb lower mark. He was two short heads behind the winner Present Man with Crosspark in second. A reproduction of that form would see him go very close here. He also has an excellent record off a break, which is noteworthy.

Cheltenham

14:45 – Luttrell Lad

He ran a nice race at Aintree when fourth to the smart Knappers Hill (who runs earlier) to cap a season where he’d already won twice. LUTTRELL LAD has already run this season – winning at Worcester – and it’s usually a positive to come into a contest like this with a run under your belt. Trainer Philip Hobbs has won this contest before with the likes of Bonanza Boy back in the day and Thyme Hill two years ago.

15:20 – Herbiers

HERBIERS cost me last season when he beat Royaume Uni at Ascot back in April. The key to this race will be how it is run. There are so many horses who go forward, but he should be dropped in and that could be the difference. Hell Red was impressive on this card last season and is a big horse. He may have matured physically and will be interesting to follow.

15:55 Runwiththetide

RUNWITHTHETIDE won a point-to-point at Fairyhouse on her second start, where she made all earlier this year. She could be anything. The penalised Nina The Terrier is the obvious danger to Dan Skelton’s runner.

Mick Fitzgerald tips summary:

13:00 Knappers Hill
13:35 Honest Vic
14:10 Sir Ivan
14:45 Luttrell Lad
15:20 Herbiers
15:55 Runwiththetide

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