Profitable trainers and a rare course visit - key punting pointers for Friday

There are five meetings on Friday at Catterick, Lingfield, Chepstow, Dundalk and Newcastle. Here are statistics from those tracks which could help your punting . . .

Catterick

Philip Hobbs has had five runners at Catterick in the last five years and three have won. That 60 per cent strike-rate makes Hold Up La Colmine, Hobbs’s only runner on the card, of serious interest.

This point-to-point winner has not managed to get off the mark in three hurdles starts, but was only beaten a length and a quarter at Lingfield last time. Hold Up La Colmine finished tired on that testing surface, and he should prove tough to beat back on better ground in the 2m3½f maiden hurdle (1.40).

Hold Up La Colmine19:47 Catterick

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Jky: Tnr:

Lingfield

Sean Curran has sent out six winners from 20 runners at Lingfield in the past five seasons for a 30 per cent strike-rate. Backing his horses blind at the track during that same period would have brought a level-stakes profit of £31.95.

His only runner on Friday’s card comes in the concluding 7f handicap (4.20), where Letmelivemylife is set to make his stable debut. This five-year-old was twice a winner on the all-weather for Alan King and has slipped 4lb below his last winning mark.

Letmelivemylife19:47 Lingfield (A.W)

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Jky: Tnr:

Chepstow

Jane Williams has a good record at Chepstow, with five of her 21 runners in the past five seasons winning – a 24 per cent strike-rate that has yielded a £1 level-stakes profit of 13.83.

She sends three horses to the track on Friday for the seven-race card. Balko Saint takes up an engagement in the 2m3½f handicap chase (2.00), where he bids to get off the mark at the fifth attempt over fences. Recent Exeter winner In Rem aims to follow up in the 3m2f handicap chase (3.30), while Gladiateur Allen contests the 2m3½f handicap hurdle (4.05).

Jane Williams’s runners at Chepstow:

2.00 Balko Saint

3.30 In Rem

4.05 Gladiateur Allen

Dundalk

Hilary McLoughlin trained a 10-1 winner at Dundalk last week, her eighth success from 53 runners at the track in the last five years. Backing her horses blind would have produced a €1 level-stakes profit of 46.50.  

Her only entry on Friday’s card is Evening Verse, who runs in the 1m handicap (5.30). She is on an eight-race losing run, but ran well off higher marks in the summer and comes into this on the back of a respectable course-and-distance third. 

Chris Hayes now takes over in the saddle and he is two from seven (29 per cent) when riding for McLoughlin at Dundalk.

Evening Verse19:47 Dundalk (A.W)

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Jky: Tnr:

Newcastle

Alan Brown is a trainer in form having sent out four winners from his ten runners this past fortnight. 

Following Brown's horses at Newcastle is a profitable angle – backing every runner of his to a £1 level-stake would have yielded a profit of 65.20 in the past five seasons.

He has two entries at the track on Friday, with 11-year-old Bobba Tee set to take his chance in the opening 1m4½f handicap (4.30). He hasn’t won since November 2021, but came close to causing an 80-1 shock when third here last month and now has first-time blinkers applied.

Brown’s second runner is Jems Bond, who comes into the 6f handicap (7.45) in form having scored over course and distance earlier this year. He found only one too strong when attempting to follow up at Southwell and now has 3lb claimer Ryan Sexton in the saddle.

Alan Brown’s runners at Newcastle:

4.30 Bobba Tee

7.45 Jems Bond

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