Alan Kelly’s Tips

Alan heads to Catterick on Wednesday for his best bet

Updated: March 3, 2026 at 5:21 pm GMT+0

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Alan Kelly's Tips - Wednesday, 4 March


Catterick stages the only jumps meeting in Britain on Wednesday, the ground at the North Yorkshire racecourse described as good to soft, good in places.


3:10pm Catterick - Shadowfax Of Rohan (Nap)

Top weight Marty McFly will attempt to record a hat-trick of wins for trainer Sandy Thomson following victories at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day and most recently when winning a 2m 3f Go North Forgive ‘N’ Forget Qualifier on this course 20 days later. Now running off a mark 12lb higher than when recording the first of those two successes, Brian Hughes’ mount may struggle to concede 19lb to the Patrick Neville-trained SHADOWFAX OF ROHAN (Nap).

The lightly-raced grey son of Sholokhov made a successful debut over fences when making all of the running to win a Go North One Man Series Qualifier over today’s course and distance last week on his first start for Neville, for which the mount of 3lb claimer Charlie Maggs will have to shoulder a 7lb penalty.

Previously with trainer Micky Hammond, the six-year-old had a wind op before changing stables and was clearly a well-handicapped horse on his first outing over the bigger obstacles. Third of 15 on his handicap debut over hurdles at Perth last spring when rated 88, the gelding runs off a mark of 86 today under his penalty, and with today’s drop in trip unlikely to suit Marty McFly, it may be left to Stuart Edmunds’ chasing debutante Kelijoe to follow the selection home.

A winner over hurdles at Doncaster in December before finishing a respectable fourth on this course last month, Charlie Hammond’s mount holds an entry at Market Rasen on Tuesday, the meeting due to hold an inspection on Monday afternoon.

Recommendation: Shadowfax Of Rohan (Nap) - 9/4 with bet365


4:10pm Catterick - Brandy McQueen

Winner of this hunters’ chase two years ago and with a record of 7 wins from 27 starts over fences, the Greenall/Guerriero-trained Gaboriot is likely to prove a warm order in an effort to win this 3m 1f contest for a second time, the mount of 3lb claiming amateur Mr Huw Edwards a creditable second behind Colonel Harry in the Grand Sefton over Aintree’s big fences four months ago.

With bigger targets ahead in the coming months, and on his first start since being pulled-up in Aintree’s Becher Chase three months ago, the 10-year-old could be worth opposing on this occasion. In receipt of 8lb from Gaboriot, the two obvious dangers are BRANDY MCQUEEN and Zhiguli, with preference for the former.

Zhiguli, now in the care of Mrs C A Coward, was rated as high as 133 when trained by Gary Moore, since when the son of Flemensfirth is 2 from 8 in point-to-points. While Brandy McQueen is rated some 17lb below the latter and 21lb below Gaboriot, the nine-year-old goes into today’s race on the back of an easy win at Friars Haugh last month.

Beaten less than five lengths when 7th of 23 in the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival three years ago, Miss Lucy Brown’s charge is still only a nine-year-old and the type to do well now switched to hunter chasing for the first time.

Recommendation: Brandy McQueen - 13/2 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 X for more racing insight.


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Alan Kelly
Alan Kelly

A successful punter, with a keen eye for value, Alan has had many betting highlights down the years, including a Scoop 6 win and has shown a consistent profit in the battle with bookmakers since joining Free Bets.

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