Horse Racing Tips on Sunday, March 11
Three meetings from Carlisle, Chepstow and Downpatrick take place in Britain and Ireland on Sunday. Selections from the latter duo make up our editor’s 11,210/1 Lucky 15 top tips.
January Jets (2.40 Downpatrick)
Henry De Bromhead has opted to go down a completely different route with JANUARY JETS, with a number of changes occurring ahead of this run.
The most notable is that he returns to hurdles for the first time since October 2020 after a decent spell novice chasing. He finished in behind some very decent types early on over fences, including Envoi Allen and Janidil.
He has been off since November this season, when he was fifth in a handicap chase to Dunvegan at Fairyhouse from a mark of 137. The winner has gone in again since, and ensures that January Jets has competed at the highest level of any of these rivals recently.
Cheekpieces go on for the first time, while the other significant change of heart is that he held a Grand Annual entry earlier in this week, but has been routed here instead. The class act of the field, he should be able to go close in this lineup.
Portstorm (3.45 Downpatrick)
A useful novice hurdler in the 2020/21 season for Ian Duncan, PORTSTORM was second in the Grade 2 River Don Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster that term.
He has been rather backwards since, however, not threatening in his final two starts for that yard. A move to Ireland and a switch to fences did not immediately improve matters either.
That Doncatser performance did show that he had significant reserves of stamina though. At Punchestown last time, and back in a handicap hurdle, he finished second on heavy ground over three miles.
This new test should be right up his street, so while he has not convinced entirely over fences, there could easily be more to come once his stamina comes into play.
Kissesforkatie (4.10 Chepstow)
The class horse in this handicap is Whitehotchillifili, who has competed in three Pattern contests in her most recent three runs.
The last of those came when having a thankless task conceding 4lb to subsequent Mares’ Hurdle winner Marie’s Rock, but she was probably flattered by her proximity in the finish and was not in contention when last seen in a handicap off 2lb higher.
Instead, Jeremy Scott’s KISSESFORKATIE is taken to defy her. She was a ready winner in this type of event on New Year’s Day and only a bad mistake stopped her going close against the boys off this mark 10 days later.
She was second to Bellatrixsa, last time out, but she was conceding Venetia Williams’ charge a stone and now receives 1lb from that rival.
Fair To Dream (4.45 Chepstow)
This is a bit of a wild swing, with FAIR TO DREAM having had 12 winless starts under rules to date.
However, after being given a provocatively high opening hurdles mark after his initial novice days in 2019, the nine-year-old finally dropped to a mark off which he could challenge when second at Ludlow last season to a runaway handicap blot.
That was off a mark of 79 on soft ground, which he prefers overall and after his last run,he was dropped a further 7lb. While he is yet to significantly threaten the judge, he may find himself lightly treated in a weak race here.