Jake Price's Free Racing Tips for Saturday

Tip 1: DANCE AND GLANCE - 1pt Win

Best odds of 4/1 available at William Hill while publishing.

I have had a bit of an affinity with DANCE AND GLANCE at various points this season, but everything looks right for him to overcome some unfinished business at Haydock on Saturday. Just last May there was a gamble on him in the Premier Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock where he was sent off 5/1f, but they held him up quite dramatically in that 16-runner affair, and he could never get involved barring staying on strongly at the finish for fifth.

This season though he has racked up some really nice pieces of form, including when second to the injured but talented Manuelito (130) on debut at Newton Abbot. His fourth behind Alexei (158) at Ascot in November reads very well now, and even his victory over All In You (126) and Let It Rain (130) back at Ascot in December is working out well. The formerly named rival reversed form next time at Sandown in January, but importantly it qualified him for this series final, and none of the other horses in that race were even entered for Saturday.

DANCE AND GLANCE was last seen running a very respectable fifth in the William Hill Hurdle at Newbury despite that atrocious ground being the opposite of what he wants, and therefore the 1lb drop to a mark of 120 makes him very competitive on much nicer ground following a 56-day break. I like that Sam Twiston-Davies has been booked for the ride too, as it suggests a no-nonsense approach this time around.

Tip 2: BLUE CARPET - 1pt Win

Best odds of 4/1 available at Ladbrokes while publishing.

This is not the most competitive Challenger Stayers Handicap Hurdle Series Final you will ever see, and as such I think that Dan Skelton’s BLUE CARPET is going to take quite a bit of beating considering how easily he won at Wetherby in a Qualifier for this race 37 days ago.

Like most Dan Skelton Novices’ who ran in the month of October, this useful Bumper recruit shaped very eye-catchingly on his debut at Chepstow when staying on for second behind Masked Man, but he very much was there for educational purposes with a late drift in the betting from 9/1 to 12/1. With fitness on side next time at Wetherby he absolutely bolted up however, and he was one of the first to open the Dan Skelton Novice floodgates.

With two runs under his belt and a mark of 118 allotted, connections wasted no time in pitching him into handicap company, with his debut in that sphere coming at Newbury in November when also stepped up in trip to 3m½f for the first time. He was settled nicely in the rear by Harry Skelton and travelled probably the strongest of all – but slight interference at the last didn’t help his cause, and in the end he had to settle for second, splitting two nice horses in Keable (131) and J J Moon (130).

Following that effort which marked him down as a handicap winner in waiting we didn’t see him for 90 days, but he finally returned to action at Wetherby at the end of February. He certainly wasn’t as strong in the market as you would expect having drifted from 4/1 out to 5/1 before the off which perhaps suggest they left a bit to work on with this weekend in mind, but he tanked into the race on the bridle, switched wide around the field, and still went on to win by a very easy 3.25 lengths over Woodland Park (125).

Assuming that the Challenger Final is his big day and that he improves for that Wetherby run as you would expect, he is going to take some beating here despite a 7lbs rise to a mark of 127. Harry

Skelton also returns to the saddle which is another factor in his favour. As mentioned previously, I don’t think there is much to fear in this lineup.

Tip 3: KARBAU - 1pt Win

Best odds of 7/2 at William Hill at the time of publishing.

We made the case in February when KARBAU was 20/1. The odds slowly began to contract. The noise from the yard remained non-existent, just how I like it. At the 48-hour stage, Paul Townend then elected to ride. The odds instantly crumbled. We went off 4/1f for the County Hurdle. Part one of the plan was executed to perfection.

Unfortunately, the race itself was anything but perfection. On a week of the Cheltenham Festival where is paid to race prominently in almost every race (largely due to the quicker ground), being held up in the rear of the field was surely never the play – especially in a race where there wasn’t the sort of pace burn up that would benefit a horse staying out of the firing line in the early stages.

Coming down the hill to the second last KARBAU had to switch to the widest position on the track and briefly looked like he could get involved, but that sort of passage is never ideal on the Cheltenham New Course unless you can bag the stand-side running rail. Once that gap closed the game was over, and he instead ran on eye-catchingly through traffic into sixth place. That effort was the best of the Irish as the British managed to take 7 of the first 8 home, but it certainly left me frustrated on the day.

There is no time for sentiment or emotions in Horse Racing though. The case was a good one, the horse ran well, things just didn’t fall right for us on the day. Off what is a 1lb lower mark in Ireland the same case applies to Fairyhouse on Saturday however, and overall, this is a weaker contest than the 23 runner County Hurdle he contested last time. Last Spring he showed he can back up well having placed at both Aintree and Punchestown, and therefore considering Paul Townend keeps the faith, he has to be worth one more chance.