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Latest Profit & Loss Figures
After a poor start, we ended the week with a 9/1 winner on Friday before successes at 3/1, 3/1, 2/1, and 7/1 (Nap) from Saturday’s ITV Racing tips, resulting in a profit over the six days of +£11.61.
- P/L for the week ending Sunday, October 12th: +£11.61
- P/L for the year 2025 to date: -£3.17
- P/L for the year 2024: +£200.42
- P/L since 1st September 2022: +£482.82
Alan Kelly's Tips - Thursday, October 16th
Many of Britain’s national hunt tracks are crying out for some rain as the jumps season begins in earnest. Watering is currently taking place at both Carlisle and Ffos Las ahead to Thursday’s action.
1:57pm Carlisle - Tellherthename (Nap)
A field of only 4 for this beginners chase but a fascinating contest all the same. The ex Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Push The Button, now with trainer Mark Walford, has some pretty smart handicap hurdle form to his name having finished 6th of 24 in the Martin Pipe before being been beaten a shade over 5 lengths in a Premier Handicap at Aintree’s Grand National meeting.
The grey six-year-old looks the type to make up into a decent chaser, as does Nicky Richards’ Ruby Island, 3 from 10 over hurdles but with a rating over a stone inferior to that of Press The Button and Jonjo & A J O’Neill’s TELLHERTHENAME (Nap). The latter was the impressive winner of an Irish point-to-point before joining trainer Ben Pauling, the Malinas gelding going down by a nose to Nicky Henderson’s subsequent Arkle winner Jango Baie on his debut over hurdles at Ascot two years ago.
Highly regarded by his trainer after winning a couple of races at Huntingdon, Tellherthename left the stable for that of the O’Neill’s after finishing 10th in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the festival. Highly-tried on his three runs over hurdles for current connections (two in Grade 1’s), Kielan Woods’ mount looks an exciting prospect now switched to fences and can get his career back on track with a victory here before heading back down south. A novices’ chase at Newbury’s big meeting at the end of November could be a possibility if Tellherthename comes through today’s test with flying colours.
Recommendation: Tellherthename (Nap) - 8/13 with bet365
3:35pm Curragh - Retracement
Both of the three-year-olds are interesting contenders for this €35,000 handicap, the J P McManus-owned/Gavin Cromwell-trained handicap debutante In My Teens and Isambard Brunel from the powerful Ballydoyle stable of Aidan O’Brien.
The former is hard to assess on just her three starts to date, the daughter of Camelot narrowly beaten when favourite for a minor contest at Roscommon last month. A one-time classic prospect, Isambard Brunel has not been seen since finishing tailed-off behind stablemate Mount Kilimanjaro in Chester’s Dee Stakes back in May and returns to action following a break of over five months.
While any market confidence for one or both of the runners from the classic generation should be noted, I like the chances of the ex William Haggas inmate RETRACEMENT, now having his sixth start for trainer Johnny Murtagh, the first coming when finishing a most encouraging 5th of 19 in a Premier Handicap over today’s course and distance back in May.
The four-year-old son of Australia has been far from disgraced in four subsequent defeats, in particular when 4th of 21 in another Premier Handicap here last month. Now running off a mark of 82, Ben Coen’s mount has his best chance yet of getting off the mark for a stable which continues in decent form with winners at Naas (two) and Roscommon over the last couple of days.
Recommendation: Retracement
4:15pm Carlisle - Hello Judge
A field of 7 for this Go North Monet’s Garden Series Qualifier, several of which are sure to improve for the run, in particular top weight Busty Boy who will surely find today’s two and a half mile trip on the sharp side for his first outing in almost six months. With a couple of decent runs at Worcester this season, the Greenall/Guerriero contender Alshadhian could prove the one to beat in receipt of weight from all of his rivals and with fitness guaranteed.
However, Ann Hamilton’s HELLO JUDGE has an excellent record at the Cumbrian racecourse, with four of his five victories over fences coming at the track and has every chance of making it five on the nine-year-old’s seasonal reappearance.
Danny McMenamin’s mount has run well following a break in the past and if in the same kind of form as when winning a couple of qualifiers over today’s course and distance earlier in the year, is fancied to open his account for the season.
Recommendation: Hello Judge - 5/2 with bet365
* Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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About Alan Kelly
A passionate follower of horse racing for over 50 years, Alan has enjoyed a 40-year career in the betting industry, 28 of which he spent running his betting shop as an owner/manager.
A successful punter with a keen eye for value, Alan has had many betting highlights, including a Scoop 6 win and has shown a consistent profit in the battle with bookmakers since joining Freebets.com in 2008.
You can follow Alan Kelly on Twitter for more racing insight.
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