Charlie McCann's Horse Racing Tips Wednesday, 22 July - Worcester & Leicester
Charlie heads to Worcester on Wednesday for his best bet
It's a busy day of racing action in the UK and Ireland, and Charlie McCann is here with his exclusive free horse racing tips - only at FreeBets.
1:55pm Worcester - Holy Legend
A Little Something was still a length ahead when unseating Ben Jones at the last at Stratford last time. She had won her last couple prior to that mishap, but is 5lbs higher this afternoon as the horse who was chasing her down at Stratford – Gore Point – has subsequently gone on to land a hat-trick and is now rated over a stone higher in the weights. A Little Something bounces off fast ground and is a lovely jumper of a fence, but the conditions at Worcester were slow at the last meeting – times suggested they were borderline good to soft – and they are watering to maintain.
HOLY LEGEND refused at the second at Taunton back in February, but is a reformed character in recent starts since being fitted with a hood. A fluent winner at Fontwell from a stone lower mark before losing out by three-quarters of a length over today's C&D to Jihair Madrik who is now rated 10lbs higher in the weights having followed up at Uttoxeter earlier in the month. The selection can be keen and can jump a bit low, but he travelled supremely well here last time on ground (25 seconds above standard) similar to what was produced at the last meeting here.
On what I would consider good ground A Little Something would be the selection. As this is the first race on the card, we won't have any prior evidence as to how much water they have put down, but jockeys and the winning times suggested conditions were slower than advertised at the last meeting.
Recommendation: Holy Legend - 3/1 with bet365
The mare Harrys Hope is another who wants genuine good ground and I'm not convinced Ben Pauling has his string in top form at present. She was not beaten far over C&D from a 2lbs higher mark back in September, but I cannot recommend her without seeing the ground although I will be monitoring the winning time of the opener.
4:30pm Worcester - Estacas (Each-Way)
ESTACAS is held by Little Ledgend on Market Rasen form from last month but I believe there are reasons to think that the former will reverse the form on a track where he had previously run well when second to Dan Skelton's Ice Jet who is now rated 11lbs higher in the weights. They only jumped six hurdles at Market Rasen due to the low sun and the selection pulled his way to the front over a trip that was a furlong further than the advertised distance of 2m 4f139y. The hope is that Luke Scott rides the selection with more patience this afternoon.
Do note the selection was taken out of a race on account of the ground by connections – as was Little Ledgend – earlier in the month on account of the ground – described as good as it is today although they may have been a little premature. A soft ground Bumper winner, the selection's sole hurdle success came on ground which was nearer good to firm than good, so it is hard to say why connections pulled the 9-y-old out here last time.
Little Ledgend is fitted with cheekpieces for the first time and Sean Bowen returns to the saddle. The 6-y-old remains a maiden after eleven career starts but Olly Murphy looks sure to get a win out of this inmate sooner rather than later, although he has now been a beaten favourite four times on the spin.
Estacas is trained by the Insole/Newland partnership, and they managed the lightly raced The Grayster until earlier in the month when it was reported he had joined the Skeltons having had a wind procedure back in May. The 4-y-old receives 5lbs weight-for-age from his elders and he finished a 12l second to a 124-rated animal at Doncaster on debut. He runs off a hundred for his handicap/stable debut today. It will be fascinating to see what the market makes of his chances.
Recommendation: Estacas (Each-Way) - 8/1 with Ladbrokes
7:50pm Leicester - Ricardo Phillips
At least half the field in the six-runner 10f handicap would prefer an additional couple of furlongs and there is no guaranteed frontrunner in the race although RICARDO PHILLIPS has led in the past. There are a couple in the race who are invariably slowly away from the stalls, and this is an excellent opportunity for Rob Hornby – who takes over on the selection for the first time - to make every post a winning one.
The 5-y-old's sole career success came here over an additional quarter of a mile when he made all from a 1lb lower mark twelve months ago. I hope to see Hornby make more use of Henry Candy's charge than was the case on his reappearance when he stayed on at one pace in a slowly run Epsom contest over a mile-and-a-half.
Typeface steps up in distance having been a beaten favourite over a mile at Ffos Las last time. A bigger threat may come from another 12f course winner Clipsham Noble who finished second in this corresponding race in 2025 from the same mark as this afternoon.
Recommendation: Ricardo Phillips - 9/2 with Ladbrokes
*Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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