Wolverhampton best bet: Baileys Warrior looking to turn tables on Merry Minister
Global Response ridden by PJ McDonald (left) on their way to winning the Betway Novice Stakes, at Wolverhampton Racecourse.
As the curtain falls on the Cheltenham Festival, the racing calendar moves relentlessly onwards, with the all-weather meeting at Wolverhampton offering some decent action for Friday night race-goers.
20:00 Wolverhampton: Boost Your Acca With BetUK Handicap (1 mile 6 furlongs)
Merry Minister and Virtual Hug are currently jostling at the top of the betting, with the latter showing some consistent form so far this year, crowned by a slender win over this course and distance last month.
He’ll be none the worse for having in-form all-weather specialist Rossa Ryan on his back this time, and he appears to have the edge over Merry Minister, who had been racing somewhat in the doldrums before eventually scraping home by a nose to land an overdue success last time out at Lingfield five weeks ago.
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Suffering that narrowest of defeats that day was Baileys Warrior, who gets his chance for revenge here on the same terms, with both horses receiving a two-pound hike from the handicapper.
The was the third of three close-up runner-up spots for Deborah Faulkner’s six-year-old, having previous come up short by a neck and three quarters of a length at Kempton and Wolverhampton in January.
He has been quick to make amends, however, finally ending a 24-race winless streak by landing the odds in a minor event at Lingfield three weeks ago.
That was the first time that Baileys Warrior had teamed up with Robert Havlin, who keeps the ride on his return to a track where he has guided almost half of his last 230 rides into the frame, including 37 winners (16%).
Suggested best bet: Baileys Warrior each-way in the 20:00 at Wolverhampton
- Tip advised by King of Persia on Tipstrr
