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Saturday ITV Racing Tips: Best bets for Kempton and Uttoxeter

The day after the Cheltenham Festival is always going to be anticlimactic, but the Planet Sport tipsters are relentless and have seven hot tips for the ITV races on Saturday, March 18.

The Cheltenham Festival 2023 has been put to bed, but don't despair we still have some live racing action for you to boost your coffers at Kempton and Uttoxeter. Besides the Grand National isn't that far away.

Let's have a quick canter through our best bets for Saturday's meetings, you can get some more detail on why we've picked our highlighed horses further down the page.

Don't forget to check out the racecards, results and live odds in the Planet Sport racing live centre.

Saturday's selections:

13:30 (Kempton) Cap Du Mathan

13:50 (Uttoxeter) Hitching Jacking

14:05 (Kempton) Outlaw Peter

14:25 (Uttoxeter) Sam Brown

14:40 (Kempton) Mister Fisher

15:00 (Uttoxeter) Secret Reprieve

15:35 (Uttoxeter) Our Jet

13:30 (Kempton) Cap Du Mathan

Cap Du Mathan can oblige for Paul Nicholls in the Virgin Bet Novices' Limited Handicap Chase at Kempton.

The eight-year-old has done little wrong this term and ran a fair race in defeat when bidding for a hat-trick at Wincanton 17 days ago.
Though he carries top weight, there still looks to be plenty of room for improvement and a slight drop back in trip to two and a quarter miles looks a shrewd move.

13:50 (Uttoxeter) Hitching Jacking

Hitching Jacking can complete a hat-trick for Dan Skelton in the Your Dream Holiday With Optimum Experience Handicap Hurdle.

The lightly-raced six-year-old was touched off on his hurdling debut yet opened his account over course and distance in December and followed up at Wetherby in January.
He knuckled down well, showing a willing attitude and while he has been raised 6lb, he looks progressive.

14:05 (Kempton) Outlaw Peter

Outlaw Peter was quite well supported for the Lanzarote Hurdle at the same venue in January, only to be pulled up when his chance had gone.

He was much better when scoring readily at Wincanton last time in a weaker race and while the Virgin Bet Handicap Hurdle is a hugely competitive affair, Harry Cobden's mount may well follow up.

14:40 (Kempton) Mister Fisher

Mister Fisher has lost his way a bit since winning the Grade Two Silviniaco Conti Chase here 14 months ago.

Nicky Henderson's nine-year-old has undergone wind surgery since being pulled up in the Desert Orchid Chase over Christmas and returns to the Sunbury track with a few questions to answer.
It would not be a great shock to see him bounce back in the much easier Virgin Bet Fives Handicap if his recent wind operation has done the trick.

15:00 (Uttoxeter) Secret Reprieve

Evan Williams has always felt Secret Reprieve had another big handicap chase in his locker and he can justify his trainer's optimism by taking the Boulton Group Midlands Grand National Handicap Chase.
In 2020, he won back-to-back races for the first time when beating The Three Amigos in the Coral Welsh Grand National Trial before then getting the better of Nicky Martin's runner in the full version at Chepstow's big Christmas meeting.
Connections decided to give him the whole year off before the 2021 Welsh National, but that plan did not work out, as he finished some 44 lengths behind Iwilldoit.
The William Rucker-owned nine-year-old has not won since but the lightly-raced gelding has shown much more spark in his two most recent outings, finishing a good runner-up to Farinet at Chepstow in early December and latterly when a staying-on third to Rapper at Cheltenham on New Year's Day.
The four and a quarter miles is a step into the unknown, but he has always been regarded as a Grand National horse and the likely soft ground should not unduly concern him.

15:35 (Uttoxeter) Our Jet

In-form Skelton also has a leading chance with Our Jet in the Extra Furlong With Trinity Create Novices' Handicap Chase.

After scoring at Leicester over Christmas, fingers were burned at Wetherby next time when beaten by Gemirande, who franked that form when running a cracker in the Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury.
He has given the impression that he would relish further and being upped to three miles for the first time should produce plenty of improvement.

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