Horse Racing Tips on Wednesday, January 19
There are three meetings spread across Britain on Wednesday, January 19th with the action coming from Newbury, Plumpton and Southwell. Our expert tipster has produced their best bets across the cards, which make up our advised Wednesday Lucky 15.
Hawthorn Cottage (3.00 Newbury)
Amy Murphy’s HAWTHORN COTTAGE may now be nearing the veteran stage of her career, but her performances this season have suggested that she is better than ever, and therefore she rates a solid play in Newbury’s Nouveau Cloud And Cybersecurity Handicap Chase.
The mare is at her best when allowed an easy time of things up front, as she showcased when making all to run out a dominant 12l winner at Kempton in November.
She ran up to a similar level of form when fifth in a Listed chase over course and distance last month, only really giving best after a mistake at the final fence.
Hawthorn Cottage had no right to be competitive at the weights, so it looks fair of the handicapper to leave her mark untouched returned to handicaps. That is before factoring in connections entrusting the services of 7lb claimer Miss Lucy Turner, who is operating at a 25% strike-rate this season.
Blueberry Wine (3.40 Plumpton)
Plumpton’s Get Expert Tips At Timeform.com Handicap Chase should provide BLUEBERRY WINE with a fine opportunity to supplement his recent Sedgefield Boxing Day success.
That was the 6yo’s first victory, yet came on just his second chase outing and his first since receiving wind surgery.
Should that continue to have the desired positive effect, Blueberry Wine will be difficult to stop from landing the spoils, with jockey Theo Gillard’s claim negating the weights rise received, and it looking particularly notable that this is the sole runner on the card for the Cheshire-based Donald McCain (who is 2-4 at Plumpton in recent seasons).
Wednesday Lucky 15 Tips. Donald McCain makes the long journey south to Plumpton with Blueberry Wine.
Marettimo (4.10 Plumpton)
The closing race on Plumpton’s Wednesday card is the Visit attheraces.com Handicap Hurdle, a 0-100 handicap where it may pay to take a chance on Bill Tuner’s MARETTIMO.
This Harbour Watch gelding may come into the race a 22-race maiden under rules, but he has been seen only twice on the track since finishing runner-up in a course and distance maiden hurdle back in November 2018.
Both of those subsequent efforts came in maiden hurdles at Taunton on unsuitably soft ground, the most recent just nine days ago.
Whilst that admittedly didn’t scream imminent winner Marettimo returns to handicap company today 6lb lower than when last seen in this sphere and jockey Bill Turner claims a handy 7lb. If the return to these slightly better ground conditions manages to unlock even minimal improvement, it would be no shock to see Marettimo feature in what looks a weak contest.
Broughtons Flare (6.35 Southwell)
The best bet on Southwell’s all-weather card this Wednesday comes in the first division of the MansionBet Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap where BROUGHTONS FLARE takes up his engagement.
Mark Loughnane’s charge has dropped a long way since his 70-rated best, but he was a winner at Wolverhampton as recently as October and is now just 1lb above that winning mark.
He hasn’t been beaten far the last thrice, despite starting slowly on each occasion, yet Philip Price now replaces the apprentice entrusted for those rides and he can be expected to be more aggressive with the 6yo from the gates – particularly with a positive draw to his advantage in stall 3.