3 Weekend ITV Outsiders & a 9,224/1 Each-Way Treble!

The Silviniaco Conti Chase is the feature of Saturday’s racing on ITV, with last year’s winner Top Notch a warm order. That race appears sewn up already, although there’s a number of fiercely competitive handicaps in which there’s plenty of value.

Here are three big priced outsiders from Kempton and Warwick, including selections in the Lanzarote Hurdle and the Classic Handicap Chase. Be sure to make use of all our tips and analysis over the weekend, as well as our Free Bets.

Vive Le Roi

The nine-year-old gelding was rated as low as 99 in the summer of 2018, but two impressive wins last autumn saw his mark shoot up to the 130s. A couple of graded contests proved beyond him in the spring of 2019, but he returned to form on his reappearance in October when finishing third at Stratford from a pound lower.

He had shipped his rider at Aintree subsequently, but made amends for that effort with a career best performance over three-miles at Newbury, a race he’d won the year before. He was beaten just a length by previous winner Champers On Ice at odds of 25/1.

All of his best form has come when making the running, including when in the vanguard for a long way last time out. A drop down in trip shouldn’t trouble him, and his yard could hardly be in better form, having saddled three winners from six runners over jumps in the past fortnight.

Goodnight Charlie

Three of the last four winners of the Classic at Warwick have returned at double-figure prices. Impulsive Star took advantage of a light weight in 2019 and Goodnight Charlie is more than capable of emulating him this year around.

With Page Fuller’s claim, the veteran has to carry just 9-11, having slipped five pounds down the weights this term. Those efforts have not been without encouragement under big weights, two of which came on unsuitably heavy ground. A sounder surface, a flyweight and the return to Warwick can inspire a comeback this Saturday.

Caroline Fryer’s mare has won two of her five starts at Warwick over fences, and finished runner-up on two other occasions. Her two wins have seen her score by an aggregate of twenty-eight lengths, including on her only start over three-miles-five. With Fuller’s claim, she’s effectively just two pounds higher than when scoring at Cheltenham in April. Current prices greatly underestimate her chance.

Igor

A competitive Pertemps Qualifier including last year’s winner of the race proper Sire Du Berlais. He has a stiff mark to contend with though, unlike Nicky Henderson’s Igor, who is thrown in from a mark of 132 on handicap debut today.

The lightly raced seven-year-old is a big imposing sort who will make a cracking chaser in the future. The Presenting gelding is more than capable of figuring in a race of this nature over hurdles however, with the likely strong pace sure to suit him.

He returned to action with an impressive success in an Ascot maiden before going off just 13/2 for a Novice Grade Two at Cheltenham. He could only finish sixth there, however he was beaten just nine lengths, only a neck behind his 148 rated stablemate Valtor. Unsuited by the mad dash for the line in that slowly run contest, this event affords him a great chance to continue his upward progression.