Ante-post bets on both sides of the Irish Sea

With tomorrow’s cards at Ascot and Haydock both victims of the cold snap, and Lingfield’s Sunday meeting under threat, it makes sense to look ahead with some ante-post bets, for once on both sides of the Irish Sea.

It’s not often that I gamble on races in Ireland but I like the look of JETARA at double figure odds in the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival on 3 February. This race at Leopardstown is highly likely to be dominated by geldings from the Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott yards but it is an improving six-year-old mare trained by Jessica Harrington who could surprise her rivals.

Jetara showed plenty of promise early last season but was then disappointing at both the Cheltenham Festival and Fairyhouse in the spring. However, she stepped up in trip this season, winning her last three starts. She is now officially rated at 142 following her demolition of a decent field in the Grade 3 BeattheBank.ie Irish EBF Mares Hurdle at Leopardstown last month.

Her three wins have come on very soft ground but it was interesting that, after her last race, Harrington said she expected her mare to improve further when she ran on better ground. The trainer also said she intended to target this 3 February contest in which Jetara, who is a slick jumper, will get a 7lbs mares’ allowances from all her rivals. Back her each way at 10-1 with Paddy Power or Betfair, both paying three places. SkyBet is the only other bookmaker currently offering odds for this race but is two points shorter.

Looking ahead to the Cheltenham Festival, JETARA is eligible to run in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on 14 March but that is run over a distance of just over two miles and it seems she needs an extra half mile to be at her best.

So the suggestion is also to back her each way at 14-1 with the NRNB (Non Runner No Bet) concession offered by William Hill and 888sport for the Grade 1 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle on 12 March. Once again, she will face the very best horses from the Mullins and Elliott camps, and some decent English mares too, but Jetara could well be Harrington’s next stable star the way she is progressing.

 Jetara is 14-1 with other bookies too for the 12 March contest but don’t even think about backing her without the NRNB perk because, if she bombs on 3 February, she may well either not to go to Cheltenham or she could take her chances in an easier race.

As regular readers know, I like to back horses in the Randox Grand National a long way ahead of the race in order to get the best odds. This means it is important to single out a horse which is definitely being targeted at the race and which will be given a relatively easy time before the weights are announced next month in order to preserve its handicap mark. For this reason, I put up Mahler Mission at 20-1 in my column of 29 December.

However, I am going to go into the race double-handed even now with Gavin Cromwell’s VANILLIER. The nine-year-old gelding was runner-up in last year’s Aintree marathon to the well-handicapped Corach Rambler and it’s already clear that his whole season is going to be geared about going one better on 13 April.

Having again watched a replay of last year’s National this week, it looked to me as if Vannilier was ridden with restraint to get the trip but he did that in spades, being by far the quickest horse after the last fence. I hope this year he will be ridden more prominently, just as he was when he won the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.

Back Vanillier each way at 16-1 for the Grand National with William Hill, Betfred or Unibet, all offering five places.

2023-4 jumps season

Pending:

1 point each way Jetara at 10-1 for Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle, paying 1/5^th odds, 3 places.

1 point each way Brentford Hope at 14-1 in the Betfair Hurdle, paying ¼ odds, 4 places.

1 point each way Stumptown at 12-1 NRNB for the Ultima Handicap Chase, paying 1/5^th odds, 5 places.

1 point each way Jetara at 14-1 NRNB for Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, paying 1/5^th odds, 3 places.

1 point each way Giovinco at 20-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, paying 1/5^th odds, 3 places.

1 point each way Djelo at 20-1 NRNB for the Turners Novices’ Chase, paying 1/5^th odds, 3 places.

1 point each way Home By The Lee at 28-1 for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, paying 1/5^th odds, 3 places.

1 point each way Mahler Mission at 20-1 for the Randox Grand National, paying 1/5^th odds, 5 places.

1 point each way Vanillier at 16-1 for the Randox Grand National, paying 1/5^th odds, 5 places.

Settled bets from last weekend:

2 points win Notlongtillmay at 13/2 in the Silviniaco Conti Chase. Unplaced. – 2 points.

1 point each way Major Dundee at 10-1 in the Classic Chase, paying 1/5^th odds, 4 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.

1 point each way Percussion at 14-1 in the Classic Chase, paying 1/5^th odds, 5 places. 5^th. + 1.8 points.

2023-4 jump seasons to date: + 0.75 points.

2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.

2022-3 jumps season: + 54.3 points on all tips.

My gambling record for the past eight years: I have made a profit in 14 of the past 16 seasons to recommended bets. To a 1 point level stake over this period, the overall profit of has been 475 points. All bets are either 1 point each way or 2 points win (a ‘point’ is your chosen regular stake).