Saturday Racing Tips: Spirits high amid weather warnings

We've already lost Newcastle to the weather and inspections are due at Cork, Sandown and Wincanton in the morning, so Saturday's schedule could yet be further reduced.

Hopefully at least Sandown survives, for the majority of my Saturday racing tips - including an 8/1 Nap - come from the Surrey venue.

12:58 Wincanton - I've Madeupmymind @ 15/8

This mares' novices' hurdle over 1m7f looks a match between the top two in the betting and I'VE MADEUPMYMIND that Ben Pauling's runner can come out on top.

The five-year-old daughter of Blue Bresil bumped into some classy mares - namely Jubilee Alpha, Honky Tonk Highway and Anno Power - in bumpers last season and made an encouraging debut over hurdles at Hereford last month.

Despite being sent off 13/8f, she could 'only' manage third, six lengths off the pace. It was a relatively strong contest though, with the now 122-rated winner having bolted up by 12 lengths on his previous start and the experienced runner-up boasting a lofty mark of 133.

Paul Nicholls' Miss Altea Blue has been allocated a mark of 130 for her exploits in France for Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm, but that's looks inflated after her 21-length beating by a 107-rated juvenile at Newbury in November.

As a four-year-old, she receives plenty of weight on Saturday - although much of that is negated by the excellent seven-pound claimer Callum Pritchard aboard I've Madeupmymind - and while I do expect her to leave that Newbury effort behind, it's no guarantee especially for a yard in a spot of bother recently.

The selection only has to concede six pounds to the likely favourite and that must give her every chance.

13:15 Sandown - Doddiethegreat @ 9/4

DODDIETHEGREAT was pulled-up after jumping just one hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, but the fact Nicky Henderson is happy to send him back out just nine days later suggests he's none the worse for whatever happened.

The nine-year-old son of Fame And Glory was reverting to hurdles after a highly-disappointing chasing debut a month prior and was sent off 10/3 for a more competitive assignment than the one he faces on Saturday.

On his best form, a mark of 129 - three pounds lower than when fourth in last year's Betfair Hurdle - is very generous and in this company he looks to have an outstanding chance of recording his first win since November 2023.

15:35 Sandown - Spirits Bay @ 8/1

Last but not least, I think Nigel Twiston-Davies' SPIRITS BAY is a very attractive price for the finale at Sandown - a 0-140 handicap hurdle over the minimum trip.

He caught my eye when finishing fifth, beaten seven-and-a-half lengths, in a competitive contest at Cheltenham's Christmas Meeting last time out.

The seven-year-old, who was a useful novice, ran with the choke out in rear for the majority of the race, before making good headway after the penultimate flight to reach the front of the chasing pack behind runaway leader Mirabad. He weakened in the final stages, but that's no surprise given how keen he was throughout.

He's usually a strong traveller, so hopefully it was just a case of him being quite fresh after 265 days on the sidelines and he'll be a much easier ride for Jordan Nailor with that run under his belt.

I'm expecting a good bit of improvement to come from this lightly-raced gelding who will appreciate conditions too, given his form on soft or worse reads 2F11.

This is a competitive race, there's no doubt about that, but I think he's overpriced at time of publication and rates my Nap of the Day.

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