ITV Racing Tips on March 18th - Seven races covered at Uttoxeter and Kempton

Here are our free ITV Racing tips at Kempton and Uttoxeter on Saturday.

I was very keen on ANY NEWS when he ran over this course-and-distance last month. Neil Mulholland's eight-year-old was rated as high as 144 at his peak, but entered that handicap off a reduced mark of 127.

Jumping the last, Any News looked set to win, but couldn't find that extra gear and was relegated to third in the closing stages. The runner-up that day has come out and won since and Sam Twiston-Davies' mount will run off the same mark again today. Hopefully the first-time cheek-pieces will help Any News rediscover that winning thread.

With plenty of likely front-runners in the field, stamina will be all-important in the closing stages. OPTIMISE PRIME has seen out three miles before now, but proved two-and-a-half miles was his optimum distance with an excellent victory at Lingfield in November. 

Ben Pauling's charge hasn't run since a poor effort in a much better handicap at Kempton over Christmas. Optimise Prime was dropped a pound by the handicapper for that effort and Tom Cannon's mount often does his best work when fresh.

Having shaped like a stayer for most of his career, Gary Moore has finally found the opportunity to step YORKSEA beyond two miles.

Moore's charge was last seen running on to place fourth in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury, having been badly outpaced earlier in the race. Yorksea remains on the same mark and Niall Houlihan's claimer reduced his burden to just 10-13. This step up in distance could bring about plenty of improvement.

Several runners in this wide-open handicap are returning to hurdling having run most recently over fences. One of those is GENTLEMAN AT ARMS, who didn't take to fences at all at Leicester or Warwick.

Following four poor runs this season, Stuart Edmunds' star has been dropped down to a mark of 136, which seems very lenient, considering he placed at Listed and Grade One level as a novice this time last year. Ciaran Gethings' mount has had a wind-op since he was last seen and I'm willing to take a risk on Gentleman At Arms at his current lengthy odds.

Milton Harris may not have his stable in the best of form at the moment, but I'm surprised to see JACAMAR sitting so far away from the head of the market.

Jonny Burke's mount loves going right-handed. He's a previous course-and-distance winner here at Kempton, having won during the Christmas Festival in 2021. Jacamar looked back to his best when winning at Leicester on his penultimate start and runs here off just a two-pound higher mark, having been dropped three for failing to see out three miles here behind Our Power last time out. He'll surely go off much shorter than 12/1.

Read our full guide to the 2023 Midlands Grand National to get the latest odds, key trends and our two against the field.

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We end Saturday's coverage with another handicap where the bookies are going 5/1 the field. Anthony Honeyball runs two, with Aidan Coleman riding the progressive BLACKJACK MAGIC.

Honeyball's eight-year-old has only run twice over fences, finishing second to the capable Eden Du Houx on debut. Blackjack Magic then found loads for pressure on heavy ground at Exeter in January, seeing off 6/4 favourite Rose Of Arcadia quite comfortably in the end. A mere five pound rise for that win seems fairly lenient and there's clearly loads more to come from this lightly-raced gelding.