Saturday ITV Racing Tips: Best bets for Cheltenham and Doncaster
- Scott Allen
- 9 December 2022
The ITV cameras are at Cheltenham and Doncaster on Saturday, December 10 and the Planet Sport tipsters have hot selections for all of the seven races on offer... if the meetings beat the weather.
Course inspections are the order of the day with temperatures dropping as low as minus 7.5C overnight. If both courses are fit to race then we have some Grade 2 action to get stuck into on Saturday.
First up let's have a quick canter through the tips for Saturday, you can get a bit more detail on our highlighted horses further down the page.
Don't forget to check out the racecards, results and live odds in
Planet Sport's racing live centre.
Selections:
13:30 (Doncaster) Nusret
13:50 (Cheltenham) Coconut Splash
14:25 (Cheltenham) Knappers Hill
14:40 (Doncaster) Maninsane
15:00 (Cheltenham) Outlaw Peter
15:15 (Doncaster) Maillot Blanc
15:35 (Cheltenham) Theatre Glory
13:30 (Doncaster) Nusret
Nusret, who is also entered at Cheltenham but this is his first preference, showed plenty of promise on his hurdling debut at Punchestown and the useful Flat recruit merits the utmost respect here.
Scriptwriter is another who is likely to go very well if taking up this engagement, while The Churchill Lad edges out Trojan Horse to be the pick of the remainder.
13:50 (Cheltenham) Coconut Splash
Paul Nicholls holds strong claims in the AIS December Gold Cup with Il Ridoto, but one who may go well from the bottom end of the handicap is the Evan Williams-trained Coconut Splash.
Lightly-raced, he has only had 10 starts in his life and only managed to win once, however, there was plenty of promise on his return at Wetherby.
He finished a four-length third to Mark Walford's Into Overdrive, who subsequently chased home Gold Cup hope L'Homme Presse in the Rehearsal Chase.
Having looked a tired horse on jumping the last, he can be expected to come on a good deal for that outing and has been dropped 1lb in the weights for a race the stable won 12 months ago with Coole Cody.
14:25 (Cheltenham) Knappers Hill
Knappers Hill can continue his winning spree in the Unibet International Hurdle.
Many would have felt Nicholls was possibly missing a trick by keeping Knappers Hill over the smaller obstacles, given he turns seven in a few weeks.
However, his experience last season has clearly stood him in good stead as in two runs this term, he has won a valuable handicap at Chepstow and beaten the very reliable Sceau Royal in the Elite Hurdle.
That was undoubtedly a career-best effort and it means he is rated just 1lb lower than 2020 Champion Hurdle winner Epatante, who he faces here.
However, they are clearly at different ends of their careers, despite them only being separated by two years.
Epatante probably faced an impossible task against stablemate Constitution Hill in the Fighting Fifth and the worry is that was only two weeks ago.
14:40 (Doncaster) Maninsane
Maninsane gets the nod to come out on top for Charlie Longsdon and follow up his success over 2m4f at Huntingdon on his previous outing.
The seven-year-old will have to overcome a 3lb rise for that success, but that may be lenient.
Heroique De Maulde was just touched off at Newcastle last time, but he may be vulnerable off a tougher mark, while Getaway Luv heads the remainder.
15:00 (Cheltenham) Outlaw Peter
Despite just half a dozen runners lining up, there is no shortage of nice types on show and slight preference is for Outlaw Peter.
Nicholls' charge was a bloodless 19-length scorer over 2m5f at Exeter, following on from his second in the Persian War, and a repeat of either effort could see him take the beating, with the extra yardage unlikely to be an issue.
Weveallbeencaught stayed on into third when pitched into a Grade 2 on his hurdling bow over shorter at the November meeting here, while Thomas Mor is two from two over timber and shouldn't be dismissed lightly.
15:15 (Doncaster) Maillot Blanc
Maillot Blanc appears the pick of these after his third over 2m4f at Hexham on his previous outing, where he was beaten just one and a half lengths.
He will have to overcome a slightly inflated mark to get his head in front in this contest, but he merits the utmost respect.
Gavroche D'allier and Ewood Park will need to take a step forward after being well beaten last time but they look the most likely to threaten.
15:35 (Cheltenham) Theatre Glory
Theatre Glory unseated her rider in the Gerry Feilden on her comeback, but she signed off last season with a comfortable triumph in a Listed affair over C&D and should take the beating if there are no mishaps on this occasion, with Nico de Boinville back on board.
Martello Sky is likely to appreciate this drop in trip and class after her Listed second at Kempton over 3m.
Unbeaten mare Lady Adare is having her first run since February and her first in handicap company, and she completes the shortlist.
