Exeter Horse Racing Tips for Friday

The Haldon Gold Cup, live on ITV4, is the biggest event of the season at Exeter and it has been won by top-class chasers like Travado, Viking Flagship, Best Mate, Edredon Blue, Azertyuiop and Cue Card in the past. Who will be the next to put their name on the famous race?

The latest horse racing betting tips for Friday’s card at Exeter from Racing Post tipster Graeme Rodway.

Friday’s Exeter Horse Racing Betting Tips and Odds

14:25 – Etalon @ 11/4
15:00 – It’s Easy @ 9/2
15:35 – Bangers And Cash @ SP

14:25 – Etalon @ 11/4

The Haldon Gold Cup Handicap Chase (14:25) looks like a good opportunity for Etalon to give Dan Skelton’s title charge another boost and make it five wins from his last seven starts.

Etalon improved significantly for the switch to fences last season and won his first three on the bounce in handicap company, shooting up 22lb in the weights. That earned him a step up to Grade 1 company at Aintree in April and he shaped better than his final position of seventh implies that day.

The seven-year-old was beaten 24 lengths by winner Found A Fifty, but made good headway on the turn for home and was still on the bridle when looking set to deliver a strong challenge on the outside in the straight. However, maybe he made his ground too quickly and he soon weakened out of it late.

He is capable of better than he showed there and a mark of 141 could seriously underestimate his potential now that he returns to handicap company.

15:00 – It’s Easy @ 9/2

Brenda’s Asking will probably be a warm order for the 2m21/2f mares handicap hurdle (15:00), but she has gone up 7lb in the weights for a recent victory at Ludlow and that might halt her progress.

The one to back against her is It’s Easy, who has been running consistently well without winning but shaped like she could soon put the record straight when second at Stratford on her reappearance.

It’s Easy was having her first outing since April in that handicap hurdle last month and beat all bar winner Lexie’s Moon to finish second over a trip short of her best on her debut for Evan Williams.

She steps up two furlongs in distance here, at a much stiffer track which will place more emphasis on stamina, and looks certain to improve on what she showed last time. It won’t take much more for her to go one better for a stable that landed a similar mares handicap hurdle at Hereford on Monday. 

15:35 – Bangers And Cash @ 11/1

The best betting race on the Exeter card is the 3m handicap chase (15:35) and Bangers And Cash appears to have a good chance now that he is returned to a track that seems to suit him well.

The Ben Pauling-trained eight-year-old has run only twice at Exeter and was second in a novice handicap hurdle on his first start here. He showed even better form on his return to the track in November 2022 when running away with a course-and-distance handicap chase by 14 lengths.

Bangers And Cash has won twice away from here since and is now without a victory since March 2023, but he has been keeping hot company and was last seen in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.

This is a significantly easier task, off a mark 2lb lower than he competed from there, and Bangers And Cash looks capable of outclassing this opposition from the top of the weights under Kielan Woods.

Read more horse racing betting tips and predictions on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.