Horse Racing betting tips: 11/1 Whizz Kid appeals at Haydock

Graeme Rodway Updated: 07 Apr 23 12:41 Published: 07 Apr 23 12:32

The ITV4 cameras are at Haydock and Musselburgh on Easter Saturday and Racing Post tipster Graeme Rodway returns with his best bets for the terrestrial TV action.

1.30 Haydock

Whizz Kid @ 11/1
1pt win

2.25 Musselburgh

Autumn Festival @ 4/1
1pt win

2.40 Haydock

Mucho Mas @ 9/2
1pt win

3.35 Musselburgh

Onesmoothoperator @ 9/1
1pt win

Whizz Kid still ahead of the assessor

The cavani.co.uk Challenger Two Mile Hurdle Series Final Handicap Hurdle (1.30) is one of the highlights at Haydock and Whizz Kid is still well treated after a 2lb rise for his recent win.

Whizz Kid is still 2lb lower than his career-high BHA rating and he also has Luke Scott claiming 7lb off his back. That allowance proved crucial when the pair were successful at Doncaster last time and they might be able to go back-to-back at a track Whizz Kid will like.

The seven-year-old has run several of his best races around galloping courses like Haydock and Doncaster is a similar left-handed venue. He also ran well in a hot handicap at last year's Grand National meeting at Aintree and appears to be back to that form judged on recent runs.

Richard Newland's string is in superb form and Whizz Kid can follow up his Doncaster win.

Autumn Festival can make it six on the spin

The Silver Arrow Handicap (2.25) at Musselburgh looks like a competitive race, but Autumn Festival is a horse who comes into it on a rapidly improving upward curve and he can win again.

The David O'Meara-trained four-year-old made it five wins on the bounce when successful over course and distance in October and he has gone up just 3lb for that all-the-way victory.

He won on his seasonal reappearance on turf last season following a 67-day break, so that proves he can go well fresh, and there is every chance he will be ready after 180 days off.

A wide draw in stall 11 of 12 isn't ideal for a front-runner like Autumn Festival, but he came from stall eight of nine when winning here last time and is capable of overcoming that worry.

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Mucho Mas open to much more improvement

The cavani.co.uk Challenger Staying Chase Series Final Handicap Chase (2.40) is the other feature at Haydock and Mucho Mas looks open to enough improvement to make it a hat-trick.

The seven-year-old has shown steadily progressive form in four outings over fences and has looked better than ever recently, following his victory in a novice handicap chase at Lingfield with a game win at Sandown last time, when he made short work of a 5lb rise in the weights.

Mucho Mas is up another 4lb, but he is still unexposed and open to plenty of further progress over fences, and this doesn't look a significantly stronger race than he won last time. A reproduction of that form might be good enough and he is well fancied to defy top weight.

Queen's Cup could be plain sailing for Onesmoothoperator

The Queen's Cup (3.35) is the feature race at Musselburgh and the proven, race-fit, Onesmoothoperator looks capable of making his mark for in-form trainer Brian Ellison.

Onesmoothoperator was third in the staying final of the 2m All-Weather Championships at Newcastle on this weekend last year but he is a better horse on turf on Racing Post Ratings.

His highest RPR of 103 came in Listed company over this trip at York last year and his second-highest figure (102) was achieved at Ascot last August, when he finished third in the Shergar Cup Challenge over 1m4f and that trip would have been a little short of his optimum.

He seems better suited by a stiffer test of stamina and has probably been aimed for this race over 1m6f. Trainer Brian Ellison gave his runner a prep on the all-weather at Wolverhampton last month and he made only moderate late headway from the rear, looking in need of the run.

Onesmoothoperator should show the benefit of that here and he might be capable of making his sharpness tell in a race where many of his rivals are making their seasonal reappearances.