Horse Racing Tips: Paul Jacob’s Best Boxing Day Picks

Value's the name of the game when PJ's in town and he's all over the Boxing Day action.

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By / Horse Racing Tips / 11 months ago

Paul Jacobs’s Racing Tips

13:35 Wetherby – Houston Texas
13: 45 Leopardstown – Ca Plane Pour Moi
14:57 Market Rasen – Had To Be Hugo
15:40 Kempton – Pounding Poet

*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.

    A quick word about the King George VI race at Kempton before my value plays. I am siding against Bravemansgame who I thought had a hard enough race at Haydock Park and this is a much better race than last year’s below-par renewal.

    There is set to be plenty of pace on here with Frodon and The Real Whacker up top which could leave Allaho’s stamina pushed to the limit. I know I am taking a chance on his mental state, but this sets up beautifully for Shishkin who is still unexposed at the trip. The admirable Hewick needs the ground to dry out even further, if it does, he should also make his mark.

    13:35 Wetherby – Houston Texas

    What a shame that there are only six runners for this famous Christmas handicap chase which has been won by some of the great staying chasers down through the years, including Cheltenham Gold Cup winners, but with decreased prize money it has only attracted an ordinary field by those standards with the top weight being Does He Know off a mark of 155.

    Kim Bailey’s charge, HOUSTON TEXAS, has a cracking record when fresh and has been dropped 3lbs for his last run back in spring at Newbury behind Zanza and he is not written off lightly at what looks a very fair price. Karl Phillipe should put pace to the race, but I think he is better over a stiff two-and-a-half miles and this race sets up very nicely for my nine-year-old selection.

    The son of Dylan Thomas stays particularly well and started this season as he ended last year with a fluent win at Carlisle and although a 10lbs higher mark asks plenty more I think he could be up to the task granted an end-to-end gallop.

      13: 45 Leopardstown – Ca Plane Pour Moi

      This looks highly competitive for the level and after plenty of study I got a field of 23 down to five and then it was back to the drawing board again. I think that New York Honours is considerably better than his last run over hurdles (has since run on the flat twice). In that Listed handicap hurdle he made two serious mistakes at the first and third and did well to get back on the heels of the leaders turning for home only for those earlier exertions to take their toll; he is a player for sure.

      But the value call here could well be the Wexford raider, CA PLANE POUR MOI. He has definitely been and indeed is a work in progress and after two down-the-field runs over the minimum trip, the selection was radically stepped up to three miles when he was given a very conservative ride.

      Always prominent, he was outpaced between the third and second last before gaining his second wind to finish a distant but nonetheless promising third to the smart Better Days Ahead. A fast run race back at two miles could well suit and he gets the vote over NYH and Peter Fahey’s Showman.

          14:57 Market Rasen – Had To Be Hugo

          Unlike in previous years, the three-and-a-half-mile Lincolnshire National Handicap Chase won’t be run on deep ground, but it will still take a lung-bursting performance to land the feature race on the card.

          Had he not bled here in April, the progressive Animal would have recorded his third win in four outings. His success last time out at Sandown was achieved through sound jumping and the ability to gallop right through the line and a 4lbs penalty looks pretty lenient to me so I find it very hard to find him out of the mix here and he looks the biggest danger by far to my value pick.

          Concetto and Inis Oirr are closely matched up on their runs at Musselburgh last time out, but the Rebecca Menzies’ charge, HAD TO BE HUGO, is very interesting. This will only be his second start over fences, so that in itself is a tip from the very shrewd Stockton-On-Tees handler. As a staying hurdler he wasn’t slick over his obstacles, but this was always going to be his game.

          He made a satisfactory debut over fences at Kelso first time up, needing the run, and then was freshened up over hurdles behind Niceandeasy at Kelso. A mark of 109 looks playable and we will know if he is a big player through the first three or four fences and that is a chance I am willing to take at the price.

          15:40 Kempton – Pounding Poet

          I thought that this was the most intriguing race on the card including the big race itself and if eight or more go to post I fancy that this formerly smart hurdler, POUNDING POET, could be a springer in the market.

          Second to West Balboa in the Grade Three staying handicap hurdle at Aintree in April off a mark of 133, his two runs over fences this season have been an absolute blowout. But down to 130 on his return to timber, I am hoping the switch will rekindle his enthusiasm on a spot of decent ground which should help his cause.

          Mahons Glory takes a swift drop in class following a run in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury, while I also have maximum respect for the hat-trick-seeking Classic Lord and the five-year-old Emailandy. The last named would have been two from two this season had he not stumbled at the final flight at Newbury and may be worth a saver of the players at the top of the marketplace.

          Boxing Day Horse Racing Tips

          13:35 Wetherby – Houston Texas
          13: 45 Leopardstown – Ca Plane Pour Moi
          14:57 Market Rasen – Had To Be Hugo
          15:40 Kempton – Pounding Poet

          *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.

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