Nicky Henderson raids Lingfield with strong 128/1 Acca!

The weather has unfortunately wreaked havoc with this week’s racing programme. With Taunton falling foul of the conditions, we’ll have no jump’s cards on Friday.

We have been saved, however, by Lingfield and Newcastle staging “jumper’s bumpers”. Each venue will stage eight races over the two-mile distance, giving us the opportunity to see the jumpers in action.

We’ll have horse racing tips for all the racing, but one top trainer has quite the string lined-up for Lingfield. He has six entries at the venue, and we believe these runners could be the best of the bunch!

Henderson on a mission!

The Master of Seven Barrows, the Champion Trainer Nicky Henderson has six chances on the jumper’s bumper card at Lingfield. There are some well-known names making an appearance too, including Mengli Khan!

In the last five seasons, Henderson has a 27% strike-rate in bumpers, so all his runners on Friday need close attention. His best chances, in our opinion, can be found below.

11.50 Lingfield – Diva’s Mix

Half-sister to Gold Cupper winner The Giant Bolster, Diva’s Mix makes her debut for Henderson in the opening contest. She’s also related to bumper winner Shanandoa and four winners in Germany.

There’s enough speed in her pedigree to suggest she can take a strong hand in bumpers and Henderson has an excellent record in this sphere. The betting will be informative, but there’s a huge amount to like about her chances on paper.

1.50 Lingfield – Chasamax

He’s yet to strike under rules, but Chasamax has run with plenty of promise and should be up to winning a race of this nature. He was placed in his sole bumper run, beaten just three lengths, and has gone on to place on three occasions over timber.

Going down by under a length in a Cheltenham handicap in November, that sort of form gives him an excellent chance. He has a high cruising speed which will help matters and he should have no problem with the surface on paper. Ridden by Nico De Boinville, he holds obvious claims.

2.20 Lingfield – Whitlock

A dual winner on the flat for John Gosden, this is a golden opportunity for Whitlock to show some of his peak form for his new connections. He gained both his wins on the turf over the ten-furlong distance, but he did run well on the All-Weather on his second try.

Both his runs for Henderson have been disappointing thus far, below form in a pair of novice hurdles. He’s surely capable of better, however, and returning to the flat should help. Rated 87 in that sphere, if he does see out this distance strongly, he’s difficult to keep out of calculations.

3.20 Lingfield – El Kaldoun

Henderson has the top two in the market for the concluding contest, with El Kaldoun shading the verdict. He’s the least fancied of the two, but boasts a crucial bit of course and distance experience.

Winning his rules debut over course and distance back in November 2018, he’s returned to form since being sent over fences this winter. The two-mile distance is perhaps on the short side at this stage of his career, but he did win over 2m 4f on chasing debut at Hexham.

He may be able to dictate terms under Jerry McGrath and if that turns out to be the case, he’ll be a difficult horse to peg back.