ITV Racing Tips: Three Selections On Bumper Good Friday

Good Friday brings with it a huge batch of all-weather racing and ITV Racing will be broadcasting live from Lingfield, Newcastle and Chelmsford. Billy Grimshaw has had his nose in the formbook and likes the look of three at decent prices...

14:05 Lingfield - BetUK All-Weather Vase Middle Distance Handicap

I'm willing to give KOY KOY a chance here on his return from wind surgery and a break, with excuses easy to find for why his last two runs before his absence were so poor. George Boughey's charge is available to back each-way at 14/1 at the time of writing and it'll be interesting to see if the horse is expected to run well or need it, and the market should tell us given the stable's liking for a punt.

He is six now but has some very smart form in the book, including a first and second at Wolverhampton last autumn before being asked to go 1m5f which clearly stretched him and saw him pulled up. He was sent out once more in 2024, back at Wolverhampton, but was never going a yard and laboured to finish last of seven, but there was clearly something amiss as he's been off since and had that aforementioned wind op.

Lingfield is one of the fairest tracks around in terms of draw bias but I'm pleased to see he's drawn low and near the expected pace setter, favourite Mr Baloo, who should have a big chance himself for Richard Hannon and has proven himself something of an all-weather specialist. He rates the main danger in my mind but at the prices Koy Koy appeals more given Boughey has hit form of late and he has a solid enough record with horses like this returning from a fairly long absence.

If he is back to the form he showed at Wolverhampton in the autumn before his season went south I think he's a player in here off a mark of 88 and Jack Callan is a jockey I think is definitely worth his seven pound claim.

15:00 Newcastle - BetMGM All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap

There is an argument this race is deeper than the renewal of 2024, but even if that is the case I'm not sure the horse that was just nabbed for second 12 months ago KINGDOM COME should be a double figure price.

There are negatives, of course, and the main one is the horse's patchy form recently and the fact he seems to have developed an irritating habit of starting slowly, however over the mile at Newcastle those who come from off the pace have a definite advantage so that perceived bad habit could actually work in his favour. 

He's in here with Rossa Ryan once again in the saddle and runs off the same mark as he did when going down a short head in the dying strides to Talis Evolvere, so while his form tailed off after this race last season there has been enough in his last two starts - when second and third - to prove to me he'll be ready to give another good account of himself in here.

Fantastic Fox was just over a length behind 12 months ago in third and has place claims again, while Valiant Force is an obvious threat but I would be willing to take him on assuming he races as the front runner or prominently as has been his style throughout his career.

15:35 Newcastle - BetUK All-Weather Sprint Handicap

This looks a seriously tricky punting puzzle to solve to wrap up the action at Newcastle on ITV but I did think there was enough in the profile of habitual front runner WE NEVER STOP to make him an each-way play. Marshman just about heads the betting at the time of writing and although there's been a marked uptick in his consistency since being gelded, I am not convinced he has the ability to win a race this competitive off top weight.

Unlike the races over a mile here, sprints at Newcastle do tend to go to front runners or prominent racers which will aid Marshman who likes to get on with things, but it should help our pick We Never Stop even more.

Kevin Ryan's gelding has won his last two races at Southwell and Wolverhampton and what was notable about those victories was that although he once again went from the front, he did not - as he had in the past - take such a keen hold and blow his chance before the race really reached its crescendo.

That was the case when he was sixth to Marshman here three starts ago but he showed plenty of speed that day and on his two starts since so at a bigger price I am willing to chance him each-way and hope Shane Gray can keep a lid on him to use his energy at the most opportune time, toward the finish.