Today’s horse racing tips for Saturday take in some of the big action from the second day of the Ayr Festival.
The big feature of the day is the Scottish Grand National for which we have a separate racing tips preview.
Along with some more action from Ayr, we also dip into cards from Newbury
Here are the best of today’s horse racing tips for Saturday, 2nd April 2022.
All times listed are GMT.
Table of Contents
- 1 14:45 Newbury Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle Horse Racing Tip
- 2 15:55 Newbury Handicap Chase Horse Racing Tip
- 3 13:15 Ayr Handicap Chase Horse Racing Tip
- 4 13:50 Ayr Novices’ Champion Handicap Chase Horse Racing Tip
- 5 14:25 Ayr Scottish Champion Hurdle Horse Racing Tip
- 6 15:00 Ayr Novices’ Chase Horse Racing Tip
- 7 William Hill Bet Boosts
14:45 Newbury Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle Horse Racing Tip
Race Type: Grade 2
Age: 4-year-olds plus
Declared Runners: 16
Distance: 2m 4 1/2f
Race Preview
HOLLY HARTINGO has made quite the impact this season having made such a promising start to the hurdles.
She kicked off the season with back to back mares’ novices victories.
Holly Hartingo’s fourth-place finish at Hereford in a handicap effort on her latest can be excused.
She didn’t look as if she enjoyed the drop back to 2m in that one, so the move up back up puts Holly Hartingo right in this.
SPEECH BUBBLE made a very promising debut over the hurdles, claiming a runner up spot.
Then she got off the mark in the sphere, comfortably taking a score at course and distance in January.
Further improvement by Speech Bubble followed when he was second to a Cheltenham Festival winner in a Grade 2 run at Sandown 44 days ago.
Speech Bubble is the top weight for Ayr on Saturday but looks very competitive for a winning yard.
COREY’S COURAGE is undefeated and made it three from three over the hurdles at Doncaster last month.
She showed tremendous authority in landing that score in a mares’ novice.
Corey’s Courage rates a big danger as she moves into handicapping on Saturday.
NINA THE TERRIER is much higher quality than her recent bare results are suggesting.
The last two runs, the latest of which was a poor run in the Dawn Run at the Cheltenham Festival, were both on far too heavy ground.
Nina The Terrier looks to be on a very good mark considering form from earlier this season on better ground.
Ones to watch: Nina The Terrier 9/1, Speech Bubble 7/2
* (odds recorded 18:22 GMT on April 1st 2022 at William Hill)
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Click to see our Scottish Grand National tips 2022
15:55 Newbury Handicap Chase Horse Racing Tip
Race Type: Class 2
Age: 5-year-olds plus
Declared Runners: 5
Distance: 2m 4f
Race Preview
AL DANCER is likely to get heavily involved in the action in this handicap chase at Ayr.
He made such a good start to the fences last season, but he did drop his form somewhat at the end of the campaign.
But last time out he hinted at a revival.
Al Dancer placed at Chepstow on his latest run, just over a month ago. The extra trip plus the addition of first-time cheekpieces could get him there.
DORKING LAD was pushed up to Listed company on his latest run as he was given a stiffer test.
That didn’t quite work out as he claimed a third-place finish there. He never got into it really after making an early mistake.
Victories at Wincanton and then Huntingdon before that can make a case for him in this one. Dorking Lad is also 1lb lower.
BARTON KNOLL is the final one on the shortlist in this competitive-looking small field.
On his penultimate run, he claimed a win at Doncaster. He followed up with a good second at Wetherby too from Saturday’s mark, so could be a player.
Ones to watch: Al Dancer 9/4, Barton Knoll 9/2
* (odds recorded 18:22 GMT on April 1st 2022 at William Hill)
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13:15 Ayr Handicap Chase Horse Racing Tip
Race Type: Listed
Age: 5-year-olds plus
Declared Runners: 10
Distance: 2m 1/2f
Race Preview
SEBASTOPOL claimed a victory on his return run, which was at Kempton a couple of weeks ago.
That win was earned in good style and he keeps the visor that he had on for the first time there.
Sebastopol has shown enough form this season to get himself in this.
MALYSTIC lost his rider at Doncaster a fair distance from home, so we never really got to see the best of him on his reappearance although he looked to be shaping well.
That run at Doncaster was after a break of 11 months. Last season Maylstic looked like a really good novice and looks to retain plenty of big jumping ability.
SAO may well feature strongly if he is right in tune after a break of 112 days.
There was a Wetherby handicap chase score by him in January 2021 and both efforts for this season have been good.
Sao hasn’t totally had the rub of the green so far this season, especially on his fourth palace at Doncaster, and could get in this.
Ones to watch: Sebastopol 9/4, Sao 10/1
* (odds recorded 18:22 GMT on April 1st 2022 at William Hill)
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13:50 Ayr Novices’ Champion Handicap Chase Horse Racing Tip
Race Type: Class 2
Age: 5-year-olds plus
Declared Runners: 9
Distance: 3m
Race Preview
SOUNDS RUSSIAN is thriving at the moment and has turned into a winning beast since moving to the fences.
He completed a hattrick under an 11lb rise at Kelso back in February on his latest run.
The handicapper has given him more to work with and comes up in class.
But Sounds Russian has been winning convincingly and may still have even more in his tank. He’s likely to be a big contender.
DUSART opened the season in fantastic style winning back to back novice chase efforts, reaching 3m as well.
On his latest effort, the hattrick bid didn’t pan out, but Dusart ran with total credit to take fifth in the Grade 1 Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival.
Handicapping now, Dusart commands respect.
DOYEN BREED is such a good consistent one who scored on his chase debut in November in a Hexham 3m trip.
He has since followed up with a run of three straight runners-up finishes, including a Grade 2 on his latest at Ascot.
Doyen Breed comes back to handicapping with a big chance.
Ones to watch: Dusart 2/1, Doyen Breed 6/1
* (odds recorded 18:22 GMT on April 1st 2022 at William Hill)
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14:25 Ayr Scottish Champion Hurdle Horse Racing Tip
Race Type: Grade 2
Age: 4-year-olds plus
Declared Runners: 9
Distance: 2m
Race Preview
ONEMOREFROTHEROAD has won three times this season (hattrick) and the latest of those was at Newbury three runs ago.
Since then he claimed a superb runner up at Ascot and then Onemorefortheroad still looked in great nick with a fourth in the Imperial Cup.
Onemorefortheroad generally has a great attitude and can get himself in the thick of the action on Saturday in the Scottish Champion Hurdle.
ANNA BUNINA was coming along nicely in handicaps at the end of last season, and was a runner up in last year’s renewal of this.
She has taken a little time to warm up this season but showed much better form on her latest.
That was a third place at Musselburgh and the yard may just have timed her return to peak form for this.
Anna Bunina also drops 3lb which gives her solid claims. She’s down 5lb from last year’s Scottish Champion Hurdle rating.
MILKWOOD is the final one for the shortlist in this contest who was last year’s winner of the Scottish Champion Hurdle.
He followed that up with an eye-catching runner up spot in the Galway Hurdle.
Milkwood didn’t quite get things together on a chase debut in October and has been away since then. This big hurdle effort will have been his target, however.
Ones to watch: Onemorefortheroad 4/1, Milkwood 5/1
* (odds recorded 18:22 GMT on April 1st 2022 at William Hill)
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15:00 Ayr Novices’ Chase Horse Racing Tip
Race Type: Grade 2
Age: 5-year-olds plus
Declared Runners: 5
Distance: 2m 4 1/2f
Race Preview
MINELLA DRAMA picked up a win on his penultimate run, which was at Haydock and a similar kind of fixture to this.
He is a really good novice and although his latest run at Kempton didn’t go quite as planned, Minella Drama is a big player here.
Minella Drama has racked up a couple of wins this season and has Brian Hughes booked so should go close.
DO YOUR JOB made a winning handicap debut over the fences at Newcastle just over a month ago.
That was the second win of the season having landed a Warwick novice on his chase debut. Do Your Job goes to graded company again and will likely be involved.
KILTEALY BRIGGS has made some hugely positive strides over the fences this season, winning a couple of times at Haydock and Musselburgh.
Kiltealy Briggs was thrown in the Ultima in his latest which was clearly way too much for him. This is more within his scope.
Ones to watch: Do Your Job 2/1, Kiltealy Briggs 7/1
* (odds recorded 18:22 GMT on April 1st 2022 at William Hill)
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