TONY CALVIN: THIS Saturday’s ITV course/race details – with double entries and copy now included

RACE-BY-RACE ANALYSIS OF THE ITV RACES

1.10pm Kempton – Late ITV addition and no prices

This 20k 2m5f handicap hurdle has just been added to the ITV schedule on Tuesday afternoon, so I haven’t looked yet.

No-one has priced it up yet anyway (and probably won’t bother now) – not even the sponsors – so there is no point in doing so.

1.25pm Lingfield – 2/1 Diligent Harry just about heads the betting

Just the eight in here at the five-day stage, but at least we only have one double entry – the 66s outsider Accrual.

I currently have no betting opinion in this, with the 2024 winner Diligent Harry heading the market at a best-priced 2s, as it makes total sense to hold fire until we see the final field at 10am on Thursday.

Pace and draw will be key in this 5f Listed race around here.

I will say it could be a very strong race for the grade if seven turn up.

The 4s about Leovanni was taken on Tuesday afternoon.

1.45pm Kempton – Big trainers being spoon-fed money in Graded races

The ground shouldn’t be too bad at Kempton. Maybe good to soft, but it all depends on how much rain they get on Wednesday. That forecast has been changing.

You’d have liked to have seen a lot more than nine five-day entries for this 80k Grade 2 Juvenile Hurdle, with over 45k to the winner – the big trainers with the better horses are being spoon-fed money in these Graded races – and certainly a lot more depth talent-wise, but it should be an informative race if Precious Man, One Horse Town and Mustang Du Breuil all go (it is 16s bar those three).

However, Mustang De Breuil is also in the Dovecote later on the card, so who knows where he is going.

Calling Frank Berry….

Precious Man heads the betting at [5/6], with One Horse Town at [11/4] and the JP-Nicky Henderson horse at [7/2].

I’d certainly favour One Horse Town at those prices after a good second at Cheltenham last time, and he also beat Precious Man by 3 3/4 lengths at that track in November, though the runner-up did impress when beating a subsequent winner next time up at Kempton and is 5lb better off here.

It is no surprise to see the bookmakers are only betting 1/4 1,2 on this, so there seems little point in trying to find an each-way angle against the top three in the betting, even with the Henderson horse a possible no-show.

Falls Of Acharn, a 20s poke, is also in at Exeter on Friday – he wasn’t confirmed for that on Wednesday – while the talented and expensive Flat recruit Fantasy World was soundly beaten on his hurdling debut at Musselburgh on Sunday. As a result, he is a surprise entry here.

2pm Lingfield – “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse…”

Just the seven in here for this 100k Group 3 Winter Derby – so, as Richard III implored when sitting on his arse during the Battle Of Bosworth, a “horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.”

I imagine Rich would be working for the BHA these days….

Someone on X claimed this race was worth more to the winner in 2005 than it is this year (£56,710).

I went and checked and he was right.

Eccentric won £58,000 for beating 13 rivals in 2005.

Still, 56 bags for beating a maximum of six rivals is not to be sniffed at, and Chancellor at [15/8] seems best placed to cop the first prize if the betting is to be believed (the Gozzas also have the 4s third favourite Nebras in here).

It could be a tasty race if the main six turn up though (only the 100s outsider Angel Hunter could go elsewhere this week – and he is now set to run at Southwell on Friday), with all of those rated 100+.

2.25pm Kempton – Just four runners could be on the cards here

With just seven five-day entries (it looks as if Crystal Box has been scratched this morning), I wonder if contingency plans are being put in place to replace this 75k Grade 2 novices’ chase on ITV with a bigger-field contest, if necessary – certainly having Ladbrokes sponsor the whole card makes it easier should they wish to do so.

With Old Cowboy set to run at Newbury today (Tuesday) – actually he came out of that race at 11.17am because of the going, so maybe he is being re-routed here, and I wouldn’t like to be laying him at 33s now – and Blueking d’Oroux (Paul Nicholls also has Go West in here) and Kdeux Saint Fray in the valuable handicap at 3.35pm on the card, there is obvious potential for this race to cut up.

Mind you, there is 2k and 1k available for fifth and sixth, respectively.

Jax Junior has been put in as the [5/4] favourite and that looks fair enough after an impressive win over a sub-2m at Sandown last time. He steps back up in trip here, and that should be no hardship at all.

2.43pm Newcastle – Last year’s 16-length winner Knockanore wants Mr Vango to swerve this – as do plenty of others

It sounds as if top weight Mr Vango is not a certain runner here, so the weights could go up by at least 6lb.

This is what trainer Sara Bradstock said about the horse on Monday.

She said: “The plan is to run, but at the moment he’s got special shoes on because he came back from Sandown with an abscess under a corn.

“That is the only proviso – he’s obviously got to have those off and his racing plates on and I’ll have to make sure he’s not feeling it at all before we declare him on Thursday.

“He was hopping lame the day after Sandown. He had a horrible abscess underneath the corn. He always suffers with his corns and he manages quite well, but this time he had an abscess under it, so it’s not surprising he ran as he did – Jack (Tudor) thought he probably felt it going round the first right-handed corner.”

Tudor is currently jocked up, for what it is worth.

Seven of the entries will be hoping Mr Vango doesn’t run (they are out of the weights), and chief among them will be Whistle Stop Tour, Red Delta and last year’s 16-length winner Knockanore.

Knockanore has run like a drain since but he is now only 1lb higher than when laughing at his field in this race last year, so little wonder there have been nibbles for him at 33s and downwards last week into a current top price of 10s (and as low as 7s in several places).

Obviously, his connections will be hoping Mr Vango stays at home – or else he will be 10lb wrong here.

And if Mr Vango isn’t confirmed, and second top weight Intense Raffles doesn’t come over from Ireland  (he is still in the Bobbyjo at Fairyhouse on Saturday), the weights will go up a whopping 17lb.

Venetia watch continues, and her 16/1 chance Tanganyika is a dangerous floater here – if he runs

Venetia Williams has been in the moderate list of my Trainerform section of my column pretty much all season, but she could be emerging from her 2025/26 training fog after a double at Wincanton on Saturday and I wouldn’t be in a mad rush to lay her Tanganyika at the general 16s.

She has just had a Wednesday treble, too.

He has run badly on his last two starts but the 8yo is now only 1lb higher than when a length second to Mr Vango in the 4m2f Midlands National in March – 14 lengths clear of third – and that makes him a serious player here if he can return to form on his Newcastle debut.

The track was heavy, soft in places, on Sunday but it looks like being good to soft on Saturday and that will suit.

However, I have no idea if he is an intended runner (Charlie Deutsch is jocked up on him, but he is also on Martator and others at Kempton, too).

3pm Kempton – How is Hamlet’s Night the general favourite and as low as 7/2 ?

This is more like it. Fifteen five-day entries for this 80k Grade 2 novices’ hurdle .

But I can’t believe that Hamlet’s Night is the general favourite and as low as [7/2] for this  – under no circumstances back him ante-post as he is due to run on the Flat at Kempton on Wednesday night.

Sure, he is the highest-rated horse in here and has a leading chance if he runs, but come on.

He actually won on Wednesday night, too.

Of the others only Mustang De Breuil and Doctor Blue are double entered.

Other than that, I have no real opinion at the moment.

3.15pm Fairyhouse – Bobbyjo the latest race to be added to ITV coverage

The Grade 3 3m2f Bobbyjo Chase has been added to the ITV coverage on Wednesday.

3.35pm Kempton – Sean Bowen jocked up on Rising Dust – and that could be significant

Just 16 five-day entries for the 150k 3m handicap chase (85k+ to the winner), and Blueking d’Oroux, Kdeux Saint Fray, Josh The Boss, Leader In The Park, Soul Icon, and Viroflay could go elsewhere.

You’d hope most will run, given the cash on offer.

I still have a shortlist of too many here – chief among them the 5s fav and last year’s winner Katate Dori, 9s poke The Doyen Chief and Emmet Mullins’ Rising Dust at 12s – so I couldn’t say I had a strong current take on this race.

Rising Dust has rattled off a Thurles chase hat-trick since returning to fencing , and mighty Sean Bowen has just been booked for the horse today.

That suggests he is an intended runner at least, though the Irish weekend entries aren’t out yet.

Bowen has ridden five times for Mullins in the UK, with one winner, one second, one third and two fourths.

He is 2 from 3 in Ireland, with the other ride a fourth.

SATURDAY’s ITV COURSE DETAILS

KEMPTON (5mm overnight)

GOING – Good to soft, soft in places

Going Ratio: 70:30

Going Stick 5.8, Thursday 7am

Rails: Rails The Chase Course is 1 yard out from its inner configuration and the Winter Hurdle Course is on its inner configuration, with the effect on distances added to race distance details.

• Race 3:Race distance is now +8y to 2m 4f 118y
• Race 5:Race distance is now +11y to 3m 11y
• Race 6:Race distance is now +8y to 2m 4f 118

Thursday morning course update: Showers.5mm of rain overnight. Forecast: Staying unsettled with heavy showers.

Weather (yr.no latest – 7.45am Thursday) : 0.2mm Thursday; 4mm Friday; 1.4mm Saturday

NEWCASTLE

Going: Good to soft, soft in places

Going stick: 6.2, Wed 4pm

Rails: Shared bends with rail set to the innermost running lines.

Thursday morning course update: Dry since Monday. 14mm rain in the past week. Thursday looks largely overcast and increasingly mild. Occasional bright spells and the chance of a passing shower (1-2mm) through Friday and Saturday. Remaining mild on a south-westerly breeze. Highs of 11C and lows of 6C.

Weather (yr.no latest – 7.45am Thursday) : 0.3mm Thu; 0.5mm Friday; 0.8mm Saturday

LINGFIELD

GOING: Standard

Stalls: 5f & 1m – outside Remainder – inside

Wednesday morning course update: Forecast: Cloudy this morning. Rain this afternoon, heavy at times. Maximum temperature 5C today. Showers Thursday, 7C, and Friday, 11C. Overcast with a risk of showers on Saturday, 12C

DOUBLE ENTRIES (pay particular attention to horses in bold – updated 10.15am Wednesday)

1.10pm Kempton (just added to ITV schedule; 18 entries): Green Book, Glynn Brae, King Of The Lake, Ambion View

1.25pm Lingfield (eight entries): Accrual

1.45pm Kempton (nine entries): Mustang De Breuil (NB: Fantasy World ran on Sunday)

2pm Lingfield (seven entries): Angel Hunter (due to run at Southwell on Friday)

2.25pm Kempton (eight entries): Blueking d’Oroux, Kdeux Saint Fray, (NB: Old Cowboy  was a NR at Newbury on Tuesday because of the going)

2.43pm Newcastle (19 entries): Jubilee Express (due to run at Exeter on Friday), Intense Raffles, Gold Clermont (due to run at Exeter on Friday)

3pm Kempton (15 entries): Mustang De Breuil, Doctor Blue (due to run at Exeter on Friday), Hamlet’s Night (won on the Flat at Kempton on Wednesday night), Blues Singer

3.15pm Fairyhouse (11 entries): Intense Raffles

3.35pm Kempton (16 entries): Blueking d’Oroux, Kdeux Saint Fray, Josh The Boss, Leader In The Park, Soul Icon, Viroflay