Perth each-way tips: Bitsnbuckles offers Sean Bowen hope, Goguenard could surprise under low weight
Perth racecourse
There might be an odds-on favourite for Perth’s final race on Friday, but that only enhances the potential value of his 11 rivals in a handicap hurdle that could prove closer than expected.
16:25 Perth: AK Bets Watch All Uk Races Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (2½ miles)
That red-hot favourite is Fergal O’Brien’s Plaisir Des Flos, and after completing a tidy hat-trick at Ayr last Friday he looks sure to go well again after escaping the immediate wrath of the handicapper.
Planet Sport Bet Daily Special: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if Plaisir Des Flos wins by more than 10 lengths, get a £5 Free Bet
The rest of the field is expected to be hunting for each-way scraps, but with most bookies paying out on four places for this 12-runner race (assuming no further withdrawals), then there are plenty with the credentials to make the frame at decent odds.
Sean Bowen is running out of races in his bid to close the gap on Harry Cobden in the race for the champion jockey crown, but he has a few chances at Perth, not least in this race with Olly Murphy’s Bitsnbuckles.
The six-year-old has clearly relished being upped in trip this term, winning with plenty in hand on season debut at Huntingdon in January, and could be ready to show that quality again after finding Fontwell’s heavy ground too testing when last seen in February.
Suggested bet: Bitsnbuckles each-way in the 16:25 at Perth
- Tip advised by TC’s Punts on Tipstrr
With nine of the dozen scheduled starters available at double-digit odds, there’s clearly room in the minor places for an outsider, even if none of the three market principals falter.
Tommy Combats certainly merits consideration after making the frame in each of his three outings so far this year, but catching the collective eye of Tipstrr’s each-way specialists is bottom-weight Goguenard, who has progressed nicely since switching to handicaps this term.
Outsider each-way punt: Goguenard each-way in the 16:25 at Perth
Hard-earned wins at Wetherby, Catterick and Stratford came either side of a creditable runner-up finish at Fontwell, and although a distant 11th of 13 last time out at Chepstow a fortnight ago, that blip could perhaps be excused by being unsuited by the improved ground.
Perth’s still soft conditions should be ideal for a quick bounceback, and while claiming jockey Cian Chester has yet to break his duck, he has made the frame in half of his limited attempts at handicap hurdles, and his hefty 10-pound allowance brings Goguenard’s mark down to almost a stone below the next lowest in the weights, and gives him close to a two-stone advantage over the market leaders.
- Tip advised by OPAL Horses on Tipstrr
READ MORE: Friday ITV racing tips: Best bets for Sandown and Perth on April 26
