Horse Racing Tips on Wednesday, April 20
Three daytime meetings occur in Britain on Wednesday, with Lingfield and Salisbury racing in the evening. Our editor’s Lucky 15 best bets come from Catterick and Perth, with a trio on the flat and one over fences.
Bicep (2:15 Catterick)
The principals in this race emerge from the same maiden handicap two weeks ago. However, the mere nature of that race is enough to want to take them on.
BICEP was thought talented enough by Archie Watson to race in Royal Ascot’s Windsor Castle Stakes last summer. Despite declining marks in handicaps since then, he had run well on a couple of occasions.
He was fourth at Newbury after that Ascot run from a mark 6lb above what he will have in this race. Similarly, he was third at Bath to conclude his juvenile season and can be forgiven freshness on soft ground on his stable debut for Grant Tuer last time out.
That should have put him right for this and a further easing of 1lb in the handicap will not do any harm either.
Sao (3:00 Perth)
The participation of Coach Carter for Gordon Elliott could easily spell danger for his British rivals here. However, it may also have skewed the market overly in his favour.
Rebecca Menzies may not be firing in the winners at quite the same rate as she started at in 2022, but she is still enjoying the end to her most successful season yet. SAO could yet provide winner number 32.
He was second in a strong Aintree handicap off this mark towards the beginning of the term, as well as in this race a year ago off 2lb higher. His fourth at Doncaster came when he raced too freely, but he was still beaten only three lengths.
In the Listed Scotty Brand Handicap Chase at Ayr, he was lucklessly brought down at the first. The fact he returns just 17 days later suggests he is still fighting fit and ready to go and he still looks very plausibly handicapped.
May Punch (4:00 Catterick)
Tim Easterby’s stable form in 2022 is an obvious concern, yet the yard is coming off once of their more successful recent hauls over jumps. Now that the turf is really beginning in earnest, a turnaround is likely just around the corner.
MAY PUNCH is still yet to win in 13 career starts, but on some of her efforts last season, she is now remarkably well-handicapped here. There are also excuses for her final four runs of last term, with them having either come on soft ground or the all weather.
Her mark has continued to decline, but she was third at Ripon in three straight races over 6f last summer, twice beaten just 1¼ lengths. The latest of those came off a mark of 69 and even though the form of that contest is dubious, she is now a full 12lb lower in the ratings.
It is a gamble suggesting both trainer and horse may put it together here, but there are a number of positive signs that this could be the race.
Eldelbar (5:05 Catterick)
Four of the top five in the market are course and distance winners, but it is the longest-priced of those, ELDELBAR, who is turned to in the final leg of the Lucky 15.
Of those other three, Motawaazy may be high enough in the handicap, Redrosezorro has been disappointing on his more recent efforts at Catterick, while Annie Rose’s win here came on soft ground. She has also been running almost exclusively on the all weather since October 2020.
Geoffrey Harker’s charge, meanwhile, may now have risen eight, but has been consistent enough since the start of 2021. In that time, he won over track and trip from a mark of 67, but is 1lb lower now, despite generally performing with some credit since.
He has had three all-weather runs since February, which should have him right for this and he should be in with a shout.