Five more race meetings take place across the UK and Ireland on Wednesday as the festive racing buzz moves into a third day.
They go at Catterick, Leicester, Leopardstown and Limerick over jumps, while there’s an all-weather offering from Newcastle bringing up the rear. We’ve got previews of the Grade 1 Jack De Bromhead Christmas Hurdle and the Savills Chase on site, alongside our remaining Leopardstown fancies, so here are our UK fancies on Wednesday.
They include a promising filly for Nicky Henderson looking to snare her second win in as many completed starts over fences.
Selections
- Leicester 3.10 – Ile De Jersey @ 3/1
- Catterick 2.13 – Blue Hawaii @ 5/1
- Newcastle 4.55 – Streak Lightning @ 7/1
Tip 1
The Pertemps Network Leicestershire Silver Fox Handicap Chase (3.10) is one of two races from Leicester to make the ITV Racing billing this afternoon and Nicky Henderson is fancied for more festive success with ILE DE JERSEY (3/1) in this two-and-a-half-miler.
She looked all set for a winning start over fences at Taunton last month only to land awkwardly over the second last and crumple to the floor. Nico de Boinville took over for her subsequent trip to Southwell – a first run at this distance – and they scored perhaps with more in hand than a one-length winning margin might have suggested.
Further improvement is anticipated over fences and Ile De Jersey can prove herself good enough to master Our Jet – Dan Skelton’s gelding having started life as a chaser with a decent second at Southwell over a similar trip on good ground last month.
Tip 2
An opening here for BLUE HAWAII (5/1) in the Novices’ Handicap Chase (2.13) over a course and distance where the mare has previously run well.
That run came four weeks ago on chasing introduction, with Blue Hawaii cutting out most of the running and getting collared only in the dying strides by Duke Of Luckley.
That effort at least matched anything she had done over hurdles and went in the book as a promising start to her chasing career. A 2lb rise in the ratings doesn’t look prohibitive as she attempts to go one place better now.
Tip 3
A seven-furlong handicap on the Tapeta at Newcastle (4.55) where the likes of Tickets for Ivan Furtado and Bin Hayyan for David O’Meara can be expected to prove popular.
However, STREAK LIGHTNING (7/1) was a winner here in March over 6f when last spotted, running on strongly to land a Class 5 contest from which plenty winners emerged subsequently.
He’s rated 3lb higher now and that spring success came off a layoff, so his absence since is not off-putting. That was the five-year-old’s first success for Ruth Carr yet he remains well handicapped on his old form for Mark Johnston and the Night Of Thunder gelding has winning form over C&D too.
