Sunday Horse Racing Tips, Best Bets from our Experts & Key Races to Follow

Steve Ryder runs through the key races on 9th February and names his best bets for the day.

There is jumps racing at Chepstow and Exeter on Saturday 8th February in the UK with Navan staging a good quality card in Ireland. 

Today’s Best Bets from Steve Ryder 

Evan Williams and Adam Wedge should comfortably win the opener with Juby Ball and they can make it a quickfire double with SHADE OF WINTER (best priced at 5/4).

The five-year-old has progressed with each of his starts including when 2nd to the smart Julius Des Pictons who contests the listed novices’ hurdle at 2:30 and still has entries for two Grade 1 novice hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival. 

Shade Of Winter was only beaten two lengths that day and on breeding should relish this step up in trip. He should be able to get off the mark in this race. 
 

The Tizzard’s have won this race with their stable stars Native River, Finian’s Oscar and Vision Des Flos and they will be hoping that ALEXEI (best priced at 5/1) can extend his winning sequence. The five-year-old won four times on the flat in Germany and has been impressive in both of his hurdling starts for this stable. 

Alexei won by 25 lengths on his hurdling debut at Taunton before following up by 7 ½ lengths under a penalty over this trip at the same venue on his next start. He only has a couple of pounds to find on ratings with Regent’s Stroll and Dodger Long but could progress past them. 

Ten-year-olds have won the past five renewals of this Veterans’ Chase and GUSTAVIAN (best priced at 9/2) should hold strong claims of enhancing that trend. The Anthony Honeyball trained gelding has a record of 1-21 over fences but he has placed a further 11 times and is well handicapped. He was previously rated as high as 137 but now races off a mark of 126 in this race. 

Gustavian finished 2nd by a neck at Aintree on his penultimate start off a mark of 122 before falling at the second fence at Sandown in a Class 2 Handicap Chase last time. He runs a Veterans’ Chase for the first time in his career and he looks sure to be involved in the finish.