Boxing Day Racing Tips: 7/2 Nap heads Owen’s five festive fancies

If you ask me what Christmas is about, the answer is always the racing on Boxing Day. Eleven meetings, featuring 77 races and hundreds of horses. There's no greater gift.

I've studied the cards and come up with five Boxing Day Racing Tips for your consideration. Fingers crossed for some festive cheer.

12:45 Kempton - Leader In The Park @ 7/1

Hopefully LEADER IN THE PARK - a name regular readers are becoming all too familiar with - can get us off to a flying start on Boxing Day in the opener at Kempton.

I've tipped Ben Pauling's six-year-old twice already this season, including just last week, but on both occasions he was a non-runner. Hopefully he stands his ground for this novices' handicap chase over 2m4½f.

I felt there was considerable promise in his chasing debut at Cheltenham's November Meeting despite finishing 21 lengths off the winner Peaky Boy, now rated eight pounds higher, back in fifth.

He got noticeably tired late in the show but before that he was travelling and jumping as well as anything. It was a big ask to go to the home of jump racing first time out in decent company and he gave a good account of himself.

There ought to be lots more to come from this horse. I'm confident he's a good bit better than his mark of 120 and clearly his trainer thinks likewise, for it's been reported he has the two and a half mile novices' handicap chase at the Cheltenham Festival as a potential spring target.

Hopefully he can show that sort of ability on Thursday.

Betfred are offering your stake back (up to £10) as a free bet if your selection in this race finishes 2nd.

13:05 Aintree - Country Mile @ 5/1

The Formby Novices' Hurdle - previously the Tolworth held at Sandown - is as strong a race you'll see in this division in Britain this year. Prior to the Cheltenham Festival, at least.

Of the seven intended runners, it's Nigel Twiston-Davies' Potters Charm who stands out. He's unbeaten in three starts over hurdles and was imperious in a Grade 2 over 2m5f at Cheltenham's November Meeting.

However, he hasn't beaten much and I'm not sure stepping down to 2m1f on lively ground is going to suit. He's opposable in my book.

I'm a big fan of Celtic Dino and especially Roadlesstravelled, who's hard to knock, but my preference is for Dan Skelton's COUNTRY MILE.

He was just three lengths behind the aforementioned Roadlesstravelled in a Grade 2 at Haydock last month and that margin would have been less but for a bad mistake at the final flight. He was travelling as well as the winner, so it's not impossible that he'd have done the business.

The five-year-old son of Ocovango then went to Cheltenham just 13 days ago for a competitive-looking novice hurdle and absolutely hacked up, beating Gordon Elliott's useful Wingmen by over seven lengths in a canter.

I do think that race fell apart. The third set a fast pace in front and Dan Skelton was very clever on the selection, biding his time, but it's hard not to be impressed with the manner in which he did it. It's also not a complete anomaly, due to his prior form on Merseyside.

He had a pretty easy race at HQ, so I've got no worries about the quick turnaround, and conditions are very much in his favour. I think he's a great bet at 5/1.

13:33 Limerick - The Big Westerner @ 5/2

Limerick's feature race on Boxing Day is a Grade 2 novice hurdle over 2m7f - and this renewal can go to THE BIG WESTERNER for Henry de Bromhead.

I was really impressed with the five-year-old at Punchestown just over a month ago, beating Willie Mullins' well-backed Argento Boy by a widening length. That looked a good race on paper and it played out like one too, yet she won fairly snugly in the end.

The five-year-old - a half-sister to 2023 Albert Bartlett winner Stay Away Fay who fetched £120k at the Cheltenham Festival sales this March - steps straight up in trip and grade and I'm hopeful she'll take it in her stride.

There doesn't appear to be much between the likes of Fleur In The Park, Minella Sixo and Mister Pink and I think the selection will prove much too good for them.

She's a fairly confident pick.

13:35 Wetherby - Some Scope @ 7/2

I'm a big fan of conditional jockey Callum Pritchard and my attention was well and truly caught when I saw his name alongside Richard Hobson's SOME SCOPE ahead of the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase.

This six-year-old son of Telescope made big strides over fences during the 2023/24 season, rising from a mark of 110 in November last year to 127 this April, when finishing fourth in a competitive handicap at Cheltenham.

He reappeared at Prestbury Park this term and was pulled-up after a pretty poor showing in a traditionally hot handicap, but his trainer has come out since and said they found a reason for that sub-par performance.

It was clearly a wind-related issue, for he had wind surgery just three days later before returning at Newcastle at the end of last month in the G3 Rehearsal Handicap Chase.

He was ridden cold in the North East and shaped encouragingly, plugging on into fourth. I'd say that was a lovely prep for his big mid-season target - the Rowland Meyrick.

Some Scope has been a dropped by the handicapper in the meantime and Mr. Pritchard takes off a further seven, meaning he carries an absolute feather weight. I think he might take a lot of beating here.

Betfred are offering your stake back (up to £10) as a free bet if your selection in this race finishes 2nd.

15:08 Down Royal - Theflyingking @ 5/4

Finally, a confident vote for Gordon Elliott's THEFLYINGKING in the bumper at Down Royal.

Before the season got going, I'd heard whispers that Gordon's best bumper horses were Classical Creek and this four-year-old son of Jukebox Jury. The former won on debut at Down Royal and was the pick of stable jockey Harry Swan in a Listed contest at Navan recently, confirming the first part of that theory, and now it's over to Theflyingking to do the rest.

All season, the Cullentra handler has been hinting he's got better than what we've already seen at home. I suspect this is who he had in mind.

He's well-bred, costly, his PTP form is strong and he's armed with a fair reputation. He's also got the excellent Barry O'Neill on board. What's not to like?

Strong Link brings the best form to the table and rates the main danger, but if Theflyingking is as good as they think then he simply has to be winning this.

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