Horse Racing Tips: Move Forward with Badger Beer Plan

There's a mixture of Flat and Jumps racing in the UK & Ireland on Saturday, with six meetings taking place across the afternoon and into the evening.

Among my Saturday horse racing tips is an eight-year-old chaser representing Anthony Honeyball in the feature race at Wincanton.

14:23 Wincanton - Handstands @ 7/4

HANDSTANDS is the suggestion in the five-runner Grade 2 Rising Stars Novices’ Chase earlier on the Wincanton card, representing Ben Pauling whose representatives are beginning to hit full stride this term.

The five-year-old Getaway gelding won an Irish point on his debut at this time last year.

He won comfortably over just shy of this intermediate trip on his hurdling debut on good ground at Hereford in December, before following up at Newcastle in January and in Listed company at Huntingdon in February.

The selection produced a lacklustre effort when going for the four-timer in the Grade 1 Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival in March, but returns fresh for this first start over regulation fences, arguably retaining the most potential in the field, being out of the family of a Thyestes Chase winner.

14:55 Wincanton - Rubaud @ 1/1

Finally, a remaining select field of three are set to go to post for the G2 Elite Hurdle at Wincanton, and the Paul Nicholls-trained RUBAUD is considered capable of retaining the prize after a comfortable winning return to action in Listed company at Kempton last month.

The selection is 6-8 on good ground and 2-2 at this time of year whereas his two opponents are arguably better with some cut in the ground. Conceding 6lb to both won’t be easy but Rubaud seems up to it.

15:30 Wincanton - Forward Plan e/w @ 9/1

FORWARD PLAN is considered one of the best each-way bets of the day when he contests the Badger Beer Premier Handicap Chase at Wincanton on Saturday, representing Anthony Honeyball.

Honeyball went 3-9 (33%) with his runners in the past fortnight and landed this race last year through Blackjack Magic. The Dorset handler runs three this year but Forward Plan is considered the pick over stablemates Lord Baddesley and Gustavian further down the handicap.

The eight-year-old has won when fresh in the past and developed into a useful handicap chaser last term after finishing sixth in this race in behind his stablemate Blackjack Magic on his seasonal reappearance in November 2023.

Expect the selection to be much more readied for this return to action this time around.

The son of the French sire Valirann won over 3m at Doncaster in December, and reached a nose second back there over the same course and distance in the Great Yorkshire Premier Handicap Chase in January, before going on to land the Grade 3 3m Coral Trophy Premier Handicap Chase at right-handed Kempton in February. He finished an excellent season with a good third at Aintree in another Grade 3 3m1f Premier Handicap Chase.

He is still open to more improvement with another summer on his back, and a mark of 138 seems exploitable with that level of form in his corner.

This is a Super Extra Place Race, with 4 places available instead of 3 at 1/5 the odds for all each-way bets.

Click the links for the latest Horse Racing Odds and Today's Horse Races

Find more Horse Racing Tips here at Betfred Insights