Midweek racing fans are in for a treat on Wednesday. The ITV Racing team will be broadcasting live from Newmarket, where two Classic trials feature on an excellent card. As well as four strong races from Newmarket, jumps fans have got two lucrative races to take in on the opening day of Cheltenham's April Meeting.
Orazio will bid for back-to-back victories in Wednesday's opener. Charlie Hills' sprinter is rated 11 pounds higher this year and has 19 rivals to contend with, compared to just ten 12 months ago.
CHIPSTEAD (20/1) has never quite scaled the heights that his full brother, Oxted reached during his career, but he's shown enough to suggest that he's nicely treated off 99. Roger Teal's six-year-old has always taken his racing well and comes into this handicap on the back of a solid all-weather campaign, during which he won at Lingfield and finished third on Finals Day at Newcastle. Jim Crowley takes the ride on Wednesday and I could see Chipstead contending from down in stall 19.
I'm going to take a chance on WINDTOTHELIGHTNING (18/1), for the Greenall & Guerriero combination. Having won a couple of times in novice races, Henry Brooke's mount finished a close third in a mares' handicap at this meeting 12 months ago, and looked highly progressive when bolting up at Wetherby on her reappearance in November.
Windtothelightning then finished a very close fourth behind Nurse Susan here at Cheltenham in December. Her two most recent runs haven't gone to plan, but better ground on Wednesday should suit and Brooke's mount boasts plenty of good form here at Prestbury Park.
2:25pm Newmarket - Feilden Stakes Tips
We've now got a cracking renewal of the Feilden to enjoy. I'm not overly keen on the Ballydoyle raider Gasper De Lemos, who looked like a big, heavy horse as a two-year-old and will surely be better over longer distances. While Charlie Appleby's horses always take well to the Rowley Mile, El Cordobes has to step up significantly on what he's shown so far in two starts at Kempton.
Andre Fabre won the Feilden with future Classic winner Intello back in 2013. NARKEZ (11/4) will be his first runner since then, having made a winning reappearance at Saint-Cloud last month.
Mickael Barzalona's mount was still neck-and-neck with short-priced favourite and stablemate Supercooled at the two pole that day, only to put six lengths between himself and the toiling favourite in the final 300 yards. Narkez looks like a well-balanced sort and he'll have no problem at all in seeing out the extra furlong on Wednesday. I fancy him quite strongly.
In Excelsis Deo and Il Ridoto both caught the eye with their performances in the Plate at the Festival, and I'm not surprised to see them both topping the market. Despite having no Cheltenham form to his name, I prefer the chances of SAIL AWAY (5/1), who comes to Cheltenham instead of the Scottish Grand National meeting at Ayr - a course he excelled at 12 months ago.
Since an 11-length success on Scottish National day, Sail Away has been campaigned quite lightly. Dan Skelton got four runs into his eight-year-old during the winter - including an outing in the Ascot Chase - and four defeats have helped Sail Away drop from 145 down to 142 in the handicap. Harry Skelton's mount has done all of his winning during the spring and the ground on Wednesday should be ideal. If he takes to the track, Sail Away will go close.
3:00pm Newmarket - Earl Of Sefton Stakes Tips
The Earl Of Sefton has been moved from day one to Nell Gwyn day this year and viewers look to have an excellent renewal to enjoy. Royal Rhyme was last seen finishing fifth in the Champion Stakes and he tops the betting, despite the ground being a little quick for his liking. Embesto retains untapped potential, and last year's 2000 Guineas runner-up High Royal is interesting stepping up in distance.
OTTOMAN FLEET (4/1) saw off Poker Face to win this race last year. Charlie Appleby's gelding will again return to Newmarket on the back of a productive winter out in Meydan, having placed behind impressive stablemate Measured Time in the Al Rashidiya and the Jebel Hatta. Ottoman Fleet loves quicker ground and his record in the Rowley Mile is impressive. He can claim back-to-back wins.
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