ITV Racing Tips: Three Worth Chancing on Saturday

The Cheltenham Festival is now so close we can almost taste it, but before all that we have a wet and wild Saturday on ITV Racing. The action comes from Newbury, Kelso and Doncaster - weather permitting - and Billy Grimshaw has a trio of tips worthy of your consideration...

13:42 Kelso - bet365 Handicap Hurdle

Kicking things off up at Kelso is a devilishly difficult handicap hurdle for punters to solve, with each-way bets looking the smart play with extra places on offer. The one for money antepost has undoubtedly been The Kalooki Kid, who was as big as 12/1 in places but has shortened into 5s with most betting sites. His claims are obvious, with Nicky Richards' six year old still unexposed and off a lovely looking mark in here. 12/1 would've been a fantastic price, but that's not available anymore and for all that he has strong claims still at half the price now back handicapping and stepped up in trip, I'm taking him on.

The one I fancy to kick us off with a winner is one for the home team from Lucinda Russell, SERIOUS OPERATOR. He is a winner at this course in the past and I liked his run in the Lanzarote Hurdle last time out when he eventually finished in fifth. While this is a slight drop in trip and he was doing all his best work late, Kelso is a stiffer track than Kempton and off the same mark in a weaker race I fancy he will be able to travel sweetly into this contest and outstay the rest of the field. He is only seven himself and surely has some more improvement in him, unlike the pair of veterans Brewinupastorm and Pentland Hills, who have it all to do with big weights to carry.

13:55 Newbury - Greatwood Gold Cup

There has already been money for this horse and indeed some of the 8s is disappearing as I type, but JETOILE looks the bet to me in here. He has top weight to lug around, but Dylan Johnston's five pound claim offsets that somewhat and on the back of his latest few runs I can't understand why the market is underestimating him to this extent in a race that looks competitve but winnable.

He finished last season with back to back handicap successes and proved the fire still burned bright at Aintree on his seasonal debut when claiming the Old Roan Chase. It is unclear whether he was given a break by design or a small issue occurred, but he was then not seen for three months before he headed to Cheltenham on Trials Day to run in a red hot handicap won by GA Law. The form looks rock solid in there and on rewatching the race, you would be hard pressed to say Jetoile wasn't travelling the sweetest of the bunch before his effort petered out. That could have been due to stuffiness after his break, and now that the cobwebs have been blown off and a brilliant claimer is in the plate, he looks another who is rock solid from an each-way point of view for trainer Ryan Potter. If he had a more high profile trainer I'm willing to hazard a guess he would be much shorter in here.

14:50 Kelso - Morebattle Hurdle

There is a big pot on offer in this race alone, and an even bigger bonus on offer for any horse that can win here and at the Cheltenham Festival. The main hope of achieving that is the favourite Under Control for Nicky Henderson and JP. She is probably the best horse in the race, but with Nicky Henderson's team in poor form at the moment and my suspicion being she will be cherry ripe for the County Hurdle rather than today.

With the weather forecast looking decidedly grim at Kelso, there is potential this could be run on a bit of a bog and with plenty in here all about speed, that will hurt their chances. One horse who will love the rain falling is last yea's winner BENSON, who despite having 7lbs more to carry this season rates the strongest bet of the day with double figures and extra places on offer. He won that race from Colonel Mustard last year as he liked, having got himself quite far back at one stage. He is a quirky sort but if anything his form this year has been his best yet and although he is now nine, he is hardly ready for the warm cocoa just yet.

He won last year's race on good to soft but if the ground turns soft that will if anything make him a stronger fancy for me, and the flying form of his trainer Sandy Thomson (40% over the last fortnight with 6 of 15 winning) is another reason to add him to the Saturday staking plan.