2.20pm Haydock Tips & Betting Preview 25/04/2015

Race Time: 2.20pm Meeting: Haydock
Distance: 1m
Full Race Name: 888sport Handicap (Class 2)

Free Tip: Gabrial’s Kaka at 11/1 EW

Sometimes we just love a good handicap, and other times we wouldn’t mind a level weight contest just to make life that little bit easier (in theory), but this is about as tricky as it gets at this stage – though not all of the 37 declared will be allowed to run come race time! With Diescentric pulled out by trainer Julie Camacho Richard Fahey, possibly the most “in form” trainer at present, is responsible for the new top weight with Lincoln “also ran” Gabrial’s Kaka (11/1), and he ought to be in with a chance. Quietly supported at Doncaster to be sent off a 17/2 chance, he was a well beaten seventeenth of twenty-two, weakening close home behind stable mate Gabrial, but we suspect he may well strip a good deal fitter for that run, and off a pound lower mark could end up with a place at the very least this afternoon.

Hugo Palmer has started his season off with a bang and he has decided to send Extremity (7/1) here as the four year old looks to make it career win number five, and from just the twelve starts.  All ground seems to come alike for the son of Exceed And Excel which could be a bonus with rain expected, and although this could be a touch too competitive first time out off his highest ever handicap mark, the stable are in decent form and stranger things have happened in this sort of contest.

As Julie Camacho had the top weight here, it seems worth mentioning that she now relies on Wilde Inspiration (12/1) instead – right down near the bottom of the weights.  It does look as though seven furlongs on soft ground is his ideal but then again he gets so much weight from all bar one of these that he has to enter our calculations and if he does handle the quicker going expected here, then that may well help him get the extra furlong needed to get involved in the action.

Continuing down the card, Off Art (12/1) really catches the eye and has some making up to do after a very disappointing season last year for trainer Tim Easterby. After an educational debut at Ripon when slowly away and green as grass, he ran up a sequence of victories at Thirsk, Doncaster, and Ayr before niggling problems saw the son of Dutch Art miss the second half of the 2013 season and fail to reappear until March last year. Big things were still expected but failed to happen with just the two races comprising of a promising fifth at Doncaster followed by a well beaten twelfth of fourteen at Thirsk and this really is a make or break season to see if he still harbours both the talent we know about and the will to put it to best use.

Lastly, do keep an eye in the betting on the Karl Burke runners as he is well entered up at this stage with some pretty decent horses. Yourartisonfire (15/2) is the one we hope to see take them on here after his recent win at Nottingham suggested he is at his peak. A course and distance winner, he has two wins and two third places from five visits to the track so clearly likes it here (includes this race last season), though on that form alone there is no way he can finish in front of Gabrial’s Kaka at these weights, though horses like to make fools of us all.