Jake Price's Friday Horse Racing Tips at Chepstow

It is a nice card at Chepstow on Friday and I am looking forward to being on course for the official start of the Jumps Season!

There are plenty of Horses that I will be keeping an eye on, starting off with SAINT JEANNAIS in the 13:57. I was hoping that he would be a selection, but he has been well found in the market and at the time of writing is odds-on in most places. That's a bit too short for me, but he was an impressive winner of his Maiden Hurdle at Bangor in May, and we know that fitness is not going to be an issue for the Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies team. In the same race, I will be watching how Dutch Corner shapes with a view to him returning to Handicaps in the future.

The other race I am excited to watch is the Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle, where one of my favourites in COSMIC CONNECTION lines up. He was imperious at the back end of last season, culminating in winning the Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle for this column. As he only won his Novice Hurdle in March he remains a Novice until the end of November, so connections are very much making use of that concession. The only problem however is that he bumps into Lord Byron, who has had a recent run on the Flat to prepare for this target. He is rated 147 having finished a neck second to King Rasko Grey in the Grade 1 at the Punchestown Festival, and if he consents to race before the bird has flown this time, he could take quite a bit of stopping in receipt of a bit of weight to boot. With the prices of the pair largely the same, I am happy to sit it out and watch on this occasion, but it promises to be a fascinating clash. I would not be against having a look at the ‘either horse to win’ market.

It looks like Saturday is going to be a busier day for me in terms of selections at the Welsh Racing Festival, but I have two for Friday below.

KIND INTENTION 0.5pts EW @ 11/1

The opener at Chepstow sees Dan Skelton’s Cooltobecareless installed as a very short priced favourite, but I do question how ready his Novice Hurdlers are/will be. Last October he went 0/27 with Novices’ having their first start of the season during October, and the plan to leave them a little short on work at this time of year certainly paid dividends in the latter parts of the campaign. With his form not exactly looking bombproof either, I thought that KIND INTENTION was a worthy each/way proposition.

This 5yo recorded some decent Bumper form himself, splitting Storming George (144) and Tiddesley Wood (128) at Doncaster in January 2025, but following efforts at Huntingdon and Ffos Las he would then not be seen on track for 400 days. He finally made his return to a racecourse in May when making his Hurdles debut, and I thought he jumped and travelled particularly well considering the absence. Perhaps Ned Fox went a little bit soon that day as he effortlessly hit the front at the second last and soon went clear - but he left himself open to a closer.

Somehow he managed to cling onto victory by a nose to the rattling home Just Call Me Buzz that day, but I think he will have learnt loads from that Hurdling debut effort. Chepstow provides a new challenge in that he now faces a higher calibre of opposition and also has to carry a 7lbs penalty, but providing fitness is no problem once more, I can see him running a big race, and I’d prefer him to King’s Scholar who carries a double penalty offset by an inexperienced 10lbs claimer. It is notable that the selection was entered a few times in September as well, so connections have clearly been thinking about getting him started for a while now.

CAPTAIN HUGO 1pt Win @ 6/1 [Ante-Post]

On Monday I put up CAPTAIN HUGO as an Ante-Post selection for the Welsh Champion Hurdle at 6/1, and I am very happy with that position despite heading into Friday with a maximum field of 18 declared. I won’t go over the full case again as you can read that here, but I will touch on the market and assess whether his current price is worth taking if you are not already on.

All the money in recent days has been for Doctor Blue, who represents the winning trainer of this contest over the last two years in Sam Thomas. Now I have to confess I am one of Sam’s biggest fans, but he will need to have improved this Horse drastically in order for him to be deserving of his current price of 4/1. Last November he would have looked a shoe-in to come to this race with a live chance, but following that Ascot victory his season fell to pieces.

A hefty defeat at Doncaster in December was then followed up by a refusal to even start the race at Exeter in February, where he was wearing the cheekpieces that now return. He ended his campaign when sent off 9/2 for a 2m Handicap Hurdle at Newbury eight days after that Exeter mishap, but once again he was beaten very comprehensively into fifth place. He’s now down to a mark of 123 but has to race 1lb out of the Handicap at Chepstow. A wind-op may help to alleviate backer’s concerns, but I think it is quite evident that he is not of the level of Lump Sum or Celtic Dino, which is perhaps the main driving force behind his support.

Le Beau Madrik is the other Horse towards the top of the market, and he is another I am very happy to take on. All his best form has so far come over intermediate trips, winning over 2m4½f under a penalty at Newcastle in January, and then bolting up by 15 lengths at Haydock over 2m5f in April when last seen. He was in the original entries for the Silver Trophy and pre-season was spoken about as a potential Horse for the Stayers Handicap Hurdle at Haydock in November, so I find it hard to believe he has suddenly shown enough pace to be winning such a competitive 2m Handicap Hurdle.

Perhaps I am pigeonholing him too much, however I could definitely see a world in which he runs well here but shapes as if he will come on for the effort when he goes back up in distance. Afterall, regardless of if this is the correct trip for him, he surely isn’t going to be primed to win first time out with such a long season ahead filled with plenty of targets for a horse like him.

That leads me nicely back to CAPTAIN HUGO then, who in summary I believe is the Horse open to the most progression over two-miles this season. This Morebattle winner and Scottish Champion Hurdle second can surely improve off of his current rating of 135, and he clearly possesses plenty of pace. My only real concern is how ready he will be for this contest, but whilst going Chasing or perhaps going to the Greatwood still remain options in the background, connections will surely want to have a good go at this £50,000 prize. The better ground at Chepstow on Friday will be a big help too, as the Heavy ground at Ayr in April seemed to blunt his speed.

The current 9/2 at the time of writing is very fair about CAPTAIN HUGO, so I would be more than happy to still put him forward as a selection if you are not already on Ante-Post.