Alan Kelly’s Tips
Alan heads to Uttoxeter on Wednesday for his best bet of the day
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Latest Profit & Loss Figures
Not the best of weeks in the lead up to the Christmas period with a loss of -£10.89.
Impose Toi advertised his Stayers Hurdle claims with a victory in Saturday’s Long Walk Hurdle and still looks decent value at the 8/1 currently available with bet365.
Held-up right at the back in a slowly run race, Saturday’s nap Mondo Man was always going to struggle in an effort to make up the ground, but there is a decent handicap to be won with Gary & Josh Moore’s charge this season.
- P/L for the week ending Sunday, 21 December: -£10.89
- P/L for the year 2025 to date: +£45.02
- P/L for the year 2024: +£200.42
- P/L since 1st September 2022: +£531.01
Alan Kelly's Tips - Wednesday, 31 December
We head to the jumps meetings at Uttoxeter and Warwick for our final tips of 2025, with ground on the soft side of good expected at both New Years Eve fixtures.
12:20pm Warwick - Catch Catchfire
Olly Murphy’s Kilbarry Hill will need to jump better than he did when finishing a well beaten 3rd of 7 on his second start over fences at Wetherby earlier in the month if he is to go close in this conditional jockeys’ handicap chase. Lewis Stones’ mount started favourite for that Wetherby race following a promising debut over fences at Carlisle the previous month and would be a danger to all if getting his jumping act together.
Jeremy Scott’s Captain Boudet on the other hand is hard to fault on his sixth start over fences, the six-year-old successful in two of his first three outings over fences and with a genuine excuse for his Wincanton defeat (unsuitably heavy ground). In need of the run when 7th of 8 at Lingfield on his reappearance, Chad Bament’s mount lost nothing in defeat when beating all bar hot favourite Golan Loop at Hereford four weeks later.
From a stable in excellent form, Captain Boudet is greatly respected, although slight preference is for Ian Williams’ bottom weight CATCH CATCHFIRE, the mount of talented conditional Freddie Gordon. Like Jeremy Scott’s charge, Catch Catchfire won two of his first three starts over fences, including an extended 3m 2f Go North Red Rum Series Qualifier at Sedgefield.
Narrowly beaten over hurdles on this course last month, the Dartmouth gelding failed to last out the four miles plus trip when fifth in Kelso’s Scottish Borders National earlier in the month, since when the selection has been dropped 4lb to an attractive mark of 107.
Recommendation: Catch Catchfire - 5/1 with Virgin Bet
12:43pm Uttoxeter - Woodland Park (Nap)
Beaten at short prices on both of his starts in handicaps this season, the Olly Murphy-trained WOODLAND PARK (Nap) can finally reward those who supported him at odds of 11/8 and 11/10 respectively in races at Carlisle and Leicester last month, the Walk In The Park gelding only managing to finish a respectable third on both occasions.
The mount of champion jockey Sean Bowen is much better than those two runs on soft ground would suggest, the six-year-old an impressive 13 length winner of a Leicester maiden in November of last year from a 115-rated horse of Paul Nicholls.
With those two runs under his belt, and on today’s forecast good to soft ground, there should be no excuses for Woodland Park this time and I expect the lightly-raced gelding to prove much too good for his 7 rivals, best of which is probably Fergal O’Brien’s John Barbour, half a length in front of the selection at Leicester but now 1lb worse off at the weights.
Recommendation: Woodland Park (Nap) - 15/8 with bet365
1:52pm Warwick - Bobbi’s Beauty
Rob Summers’ Pescatorius is on a hat-trick following wins at Sedgefield and Market Rasen when trained by Olly Murphy, the mount of 5lb claimer Beau Morgan leaving that successful stable earlier this month. Now racing off a career-high mark of 97, I think the six-year-old will have his work cut out in receipt of just 1lb from the Martin Keighley-trained BOBBI'S BEAUTY.
Three from 9 over fences, the daughter of Mahler has been beaten less than two lengths on her starts this season, both over a distance of two miles. The last time Bobbi’s Beauty raced over today’s distance of 2m 4f, the mare failed to stay due to the very heavy conditions. The mount of 7lb claimer Freddie Keighley will be more at home on today’s good to soft ground and can get back to winning ways at the main expense of Robbie Llewellyn’s unexposed Cornish Comedy, who made a promising debut over fences when runner-up at Hereford recently.
Recommendation: Bobbi’s Beauty - 10/3 with bet365
2:13pm Uttoxeter - Catboy (Each-Way)
With recent form figures reading 6-PU-12-F-8-7-UR, it takes a leap of faith to think that the Christian Williams-trained CATBOY (Each-Way) is capable of recording a second victory over hurdles on his 18th start, the first coming in a Fontwell handicap last September off today’s mark of 77.
While the five-year-old has been struggling to recapture last season form when narrowly beaten in handicaps at Exeter and Musselburgh off marks in the mid to high 88’s, the former in the hands of today’s 7lb claiming amateur Mr J J Murphy-Knight, the son of Agent Secret ran his best race for some time when 7th of 14 on his penultimate start over today’s course and distance.
A well-supported 7/4 favourite on his chasing debut at Ludlow last month, Catboy was still travelling well when unseating his rider at the 8th fence following a bad mistake. In a Class 5 handicap which will take little winning, Catboy gets the each-way vote off a career-low mark and in receipt of weight from all but two of his 12 rivals. Martin Keighley’s Postponed Legacy can prove best of the rest.
Recommendation: Catboy (Each-Way) - 15/2 with Coral (4 places)
* 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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