Horse Racing Tips: Mick Fitzgerald’s Boxing Day ITV Racing Picks

Mick's backing Shishkin in the King George VI.

By / Horse Racing Tips / 11 months ago

Mick Fitzgerald’s ITV Racing Tips

12:45 Kempton – Russian Ruler
13:05 Aintree – Farren Glory
13:20 Kempton – Hermes Allen
13:35 Wetherby – Into Overdrive
13:55 Kempton – Constitution Hill to win by 6 lengths or more with Rubaud 2nd
14:30 Kempton – Shishkin

*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.

The highlight of Christmas is racing on Boxing Day! The action gets underway early on ITV and finishes with The King George. I’m with Shishkin turning up in the big race and we’re all set for a Christmas cracker.

12:45 Kempton – Russian Ruler

Nicky Henderson had a very good day on Saturday with four winners at Ascot and Haydock. He loves this Kempton meeting and Russian Ruler looked a little rusty with his jumping at Newbury but still ran a good race to finish 4th behind Djelo who was a winner at the weekend. The drying ground will not be a problem for him.

13:05 Aintree – Farren Glory

This is the first time the Tolworth has been transferred to Aintree and they have a decent field assembled, but I think this prize will be going across the water to Gordon Elliot via Farren Glory. He made a mistake at the last yet still had enough in reserve to win the Royal Bond at at Fairyhouse and he may have the legs on the 4-year-olds in opposition.

13:20 Kempton – Hermes Allen

I was a little lukewarm on Hermes Allen when he made his debut over fences at Newbury. But, having had a wind operation in the summer, he took to chasing really well and the further he went that day the better he got. He is a Grade 1 winner and sets the gold standard in here. However, Il Est Francais is a fascinating runner and it will be really interesting to see how he gets on.

13:35 Wetherby – Into Overdrive

I am taking a bit of a punt on race fitness with Into Overdrive but I really like this horse. He is a very good jumper and a strong traveler. The only obvious concern is lack of a recent run on very soft ground.

Constitution Hill to win by 6 lengths or more with Rubaud 2nd

No surprise here with me picking Constitution Hill. With Rubaud in the field we should be guaranteed a true run race and, with that in mind, I would be backing Constitution Hill to win by more than six lengths from Rubaud.

14:30 Kempton – Shishkin

I have nailed my colours to this mast for some time and I am not about to change my mind. Shishkin is a quirky character, as we saw when he planted and refused to run at Ascot. That was something he has never done before and I am hoping it was a one off. I saw him jumping last week and he looked fantastic. The lack of a recent run is a concern, but I am hoping his class will see him through.

Allaho is a great addition to this field and, if he comes back to the level of form we saw him display at Cheltenham and at Punchestown last year, he will be a tough nut to crack. However, he did not look up to that standard when winning at Clonmel recently so the jury is out. Bravemansgame was poor in the Betfair Chase and he did not run at the level he showed when finishing second in the Gold Cup or when winning this race last year.

Boxing Day Horse Racing Tips

MICK FITZGERALD’S PICKS

12:45 Kempton – Russian Ruler
13:05 Aintree – Farren Glory
13:20 Kempton – Hermes Allen
13:35 Wetherby – Into Overdrive
13:55 Kempton – Constitution Hill to win by 6 lengths or more with Rubaud 2nd
14:30 Kempton – Shishkin

*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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