ITV Racing Tips: Where there’s a Will

Tip-top ITV fare on Saturday, February 22; a glorious mixed bag of delights with something to tickle everyone's fancy. Slick hurdlers, bold chasers, flat speedsters - we've got the lot. 

Seven races, the lion's share from Kempton, but also the fabled Eider from Newcastle and two electric flat contests from Southwell. Here then are our ITV Racing tips. Enjoy!

Horse Racing Odds

Today's Horse Races

Full ITV Schedule;

13:50 Kempton - Pendil Novices' Chase (Grade 2) 2m 4 1/2 f
14:25 Kempton - Adonis Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m
15:00 Kempton - Dovecote Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m
15:35 Kempton -  Premier Handicap Chase 3m

14:40 Southwell - Hever Sprint Stakes (Listed Race) 5f
15:15 Southwell - Winter Derby Stakes (Group 3) 1m 3f

14:10 Newcastle - Eider Handicap Chase 4m 1 1/2 f

Rationale;

13.50 Kempton - Imperial Saint @ 5/2

For the principals in the betting this is certainly no Cheltenham stepping stone. Rubaud and Imperial Saint dominate the early shows and chase a tempting £42k pot - no potentially distracting Festival entries between them, either.

Rubaud is best in on official marks but I'm siding with Philip Hobbs & Johnson White's Imperial Saint. The seven-year-old gelding is on an upward curve this campaign, improving his chase rating by a massive 20lbs since October.

He's still notionally rated 4lb inferior to his likely main rival, but running exceptionally well at Grade 1 venues like Aintree and Cheltenham, and being three-from-five in his chase career thus far, encourages a degree of quiet confidence.

Rubaud is stepping up from predominantly 2m too, and that gives 'The Saint,' comfortable at the trip, a definite edge in my book.

14:10 Newcastle - Choosethenews each-way @ 17/2

The Eider is a staple staying test in Geordieland and has been run here since 1952. It's a quality Grand National trial, with Comply Or Die (2008) the last to take both races.

We're paying five places, and with 18 slated to face the starter over an extreme trip I'm recommending playing the heat accordingly. Choosethenews is the one for me - three winners from his last 15 runners for trainer Mark Walford, the horse warmed up for this with a staying-on second here 25 days ago, and he's a previous course winner.

The trip, about 300 yards in excess of four miles, is an unknown quantity. We won't know until around 14:20 or thereabouts but his sire Westerner was an Ascot Gold Cup winner on the flat (2m 4f, run at York, 2005), and had the class to finish runner-up to the great Hurricane Run in that season's Arc (1m 4f) at Longchamp (what an unbelievable display of versatility).

Fingers crossed then, for a decent each-way prospect in what should as per be a thrilling spectacle.

14:25 Kempton - Opec @ 9/2

I'm filing this classy Grade 2 hurdle under 'fiendishly tricky.' There's a hotpot with just one race over timber under his belt, and a difficult bunch to be entirely certain about in opposition.

Full disclosure - my interest in this, stakes-wise, will be minimal. I've decided to have a couple of bob on Opec in the end, as the James Owen-trained Gredley family four-year-old filly is learning her trade nicely and apart from floundering in the Chepstow mud last time was on a very impressive, progressive little three-win run.

Better ground here looks sure to suit and if she decided to bowl along as with several previous performances, Kempton's not a bad venue at all for a front-runner. That probable warm fancy Mondo Man ran Triumph Hurdle hope Lulamba to 3.5l at Ascot in January, and in fairness was rated a street ahead of Opec on the flat.

The winter game has galvanised the filly though and fingers crossed she can get back to winning ways for the excellent Sam Twiston-Davies, the man on board for three of her last four races.

14:40 Southwell - Diligent Harry @ 9/4

A Listed 5f sprint on Southwell's all-weather Tapeta surface, and a definite glimpse towards the return of the flat season proper.

Lovely to see some quality on show and I've plumped for Clive Cox's near-veteran Diligent Harry. The seven-year-old Due Diligence gelding was particularly highly-tried last term in predominantly Group company and returned to action 20 days ago at Lingfield at this level, finishing 4l behind Marshman, another of today's opponents.

Importantly he's a course-and-distance scorer here and is remarkably consistent, showing little or no evidence of decline. That spin around Lingers will have put him spot-on for this, and he comes out favourably being officially rated 110, and carrying 9st 2lb.

Another brilliant puzzle to attempt to solve - and the fact that Will Buick is in the plate (first time) is a definite bonus too!

15:00 Kempton - Miami Magic @ 7/4

Another cracker - Kempton are really pulling out all the stops today - and a host of Supreme Novice Hurdle entries among 'em.

I suspect the eventual winner will have to put up a real five-star performance to improve upon outsider status for the big curtain-raiser on Cheltenham's opening afternoon, but again this is a £40k+ first prize that's a fabulous target in itself.

Miami Magic is in the care of Buckinghamshire trainer Stuart Edmunds, and regular pilot Charlie Hammond has the riding assignment. The six-year-old gelding is seriously progressive this term, going from lifting a Fakenham maiden hurdle in October to a just over 2l second to Potters Charm in a £57k-to-the-winner Aintree Grade 1 at Christmas.

This is notionally an easier task, he comes out best on official figures, and has already scored here impressively over course and distance. Fabulous chance in my book.

15:15 Southwell - Champagne Prince @ 9/2

The Winter Derby - a Group 3 for four-year-olds and upwards over an appropriate middle-distance trip of 1m 3f.

Champagne Prince is my slightly tentative selection, trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam, with once again the two-time champion jockey Buick on top. The four-year-old Lope De Vega gelding is a course-and-distance scorer, hugely important here in my view, and that performance was last time, just over three weeks ago.

Upwardly mobile profile, stays, acts here, gets Buick, consistent - loads to like, this is of course a definite step up in class, but especially at this stage of the season it looks a gamble by connections that's well worth taking.

15:35 Kempton - Beachcomber @ 15/2

Three-mile chasers now, an even bigger pot (£85k), and a decidedly open look to proceedings.

The O'Neills field Beachcomber in this, and the seven-year-old gelding ran a blinder over course and distance 57 days ago when taking a Class 3 readily. He's up to Class 1 company this afternoon, but this has very much been the direction of travel since making his debut over fences in October off 127.

136 is the mark he must defy today, but last time was a revelation and Jonjo Jr is surely in for a very exciting spin around the King George course. No Chelters entries, so one has to assume that after that tremendous effort here last time this handsome prize was duly earmarked; with perhaps then a little look at Aintree in April.

ITV Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.