ITV Racing Tips: A Duo Of Additional Fancies

Cheltenham is now just over a month away and while some may be keeping their powder dry, there is still some good racing to get stuck into this weekend on ITV from Newbury and Warwick. Billy Grimshaw has two additional plays along with his big race previews...

13:50 Newbury - William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle

I'm taking a bit of a risk in here with a horse who has shown absolutely nothing for nearly two seasons, coupled with a trainer who is bang out of form. Not exactly the perfect start when tipping one up, but the odds of 20/1 (I expect him to drift even further so there's no rush to take the price) mean BALLYGRIFINCOTTAGE will somehow once again have my support in a national hunt race. The case for backing him is that he is back over hurdles, where he was once a wonderfully exciting novice prospect who placed in the Albert Bartlett, and while his chasing career never really caught fire for Dan Skelton he does at least have some good hurdles form to fall back on and give us hope.

Another factor in his favour is that he is a stable-switcher to Harry Derham, a man synonymous with revitalising newbies in his yard. He is not in the best of form at the minute, due to his gallops washing away in the recent floods one suspects, but he is a talented trainer and can sprinkle new life into new recruits. It's a big ask for the ten year old to wind the clock back four or s seasons but he's with the right man to do it and headgear could be a plus, so in a race that looks winnable I am advising a small stakes each-way bet.

The chief threat is obviously favourite Up For Parol but I'm not convinced he will have enough pace in here to win, while Kruger Park has a nice racing weight for Nicholls and claimer Freddie Gingell so has his chance.

14:40 Warwick - Read Nicky Henderson's Weekly Unibet Blog Mares' Hurdle

Perhaps a reason will come to light and I would be worried if she drifts rather than shortens, but at the current prices I cannot understand why GALA MARCEAU is not odds-on here. Willie Mullins has not had the best time of things sending his stars over to Britain this season for graded races, with Lossiemouth, Kargese and Ballyburn all coming back in recent months empty handed. Nevertheless, it would be folly to look at this as anything more than coincidence or simply being beaten by a better horse, and I don't see a better horse in this contest than his 6/4 favourite.

Perhaps a case could be made for West Balboa being better at her peak, but she has looked a real head scratcher of late and once a mare goes that way I am keen to desert them. As such, with the 2/1 second favourite discounted in my mind, the hotpot makes plenty of appeal on the back of her brilliant campaign last season. Only Losseimouth has proven much better than her, which is no disgrace, so far in her career and I am in no way put off by the fact she's been off since last May given how long a break Willie seems to like giving his best mares these days. I expect Danny Mullins, who should still be on cloud nine after another brilliant DRF, to make the running with Gala Marceau and while some freshness is to be expected, I don't expect her to see another rival.

Provided there's not a marked drift, which will tempter my enthusiasm, she is the NAP of the day.