Our team of experts provide their best bets for the feast of action in the UK on Boxing Day.
SWEET MAGIC – 12:00 Aintree (Kieran Clark)
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lanesborough looked firmly on his way to top-end handicaps when routing a field on his return and gave a meaningful form boost to SWEET MAGIC in doing so.
She chased him home in a race that produced a good timefigure on her final start last season and made an encouraging reappearance last month, shaping as if the run was needed in another race that has worked out. The fitting of first-time cheekpieces can assist her in going one better than when collared by subsequent dual listed winner Lavida Adiva in this contest 12 months ago.
BROOKSIDE LA – 13:00 Wetherby (Simon Walker)
Santos Blue won this on handicap debut for Dan Skelton in 2022 having finished down the field in three maidens/novices and BROOKSIDE LA has exactly the same profile, considerately handled on all hurdling outings so far having shown plenty of promise on the first of his two starts in bumpers and with a pedigree that strongly suggests he’ll be very much home upped to two and a half miles for the first time.
WENDIGO – 13:20 Kempton (Dan Barber)
Kitzbuhel’s chasing debut win marked him out as another perhaps high-class chasing recruit for his all-conquering stable but he’ll need to settle better than he did in the Liverpool Hurdle when tried at the trip in the spring and, conversely, the step up to three-miles looks absolutely ideal for WENDIGO, who has achieved a smart level of form himself despite starting out around two-and-a-half miles.
He looked all stamina during a progressive first campaign over hurdles and can put himself to the top of the domestic rankings in the staying novice ranks by outstaying his five rivals and opening his Grade 1 account.
BUTCH – 13:35 Wetherby (Nic Doggett)
Most eyes will be on favorite Konfusion, a rapidly improving chaser from an in-form yard, but I think the value in the race lies with BUTCH who looks likely to be more on the ball than when well beaten on his seasonal reappearance (behind the reopposing Knappers Hill) at Haydock last month.
That was his first start since a summer wind op, and he was held up which was a change of tactics, but I expect him to be much more prominently ridden here which should mean he gets the perfect tow into the race from likely front-runner Konfusion.
While that runner has a (well-earned) 11lb rise to cope with, Butch is only 3lb higher than when successful over hurdles at Cheltenham in 2024. Obviously, its a concern that he has bled before, but these are his ideal conditions/trip, and he looks primed to go well at a price.
PEDLEY WOOD – 14:03 Wincanton (Josh Gookian)
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