Horse racing tips: Dave Nevison's best bets for Friday
Top tipster Dave Nevison struck with 11-2 winner Houston Texas on Thursday and has three bets for Wetherby on Friday, including a big-priced contender trained by Dan Skelton. Watch every race live on Racing TV or Racing TV Extra.
A Dan Skelton-trained contender available at 28-1 is a rarity in this sort of contest and, after having a closer look, I am happy to take the generous odds on what I admit is a guess but, hopefully, an educated, and calculated, one.
Uhtred won five of his ten starts for Joseph O’Brien before he joined the Skelton yard and his new trainer clearly thought he had a hot shot on his hands as he contests a couple of Grade Two events on his first couple of runs.
However, he didn’t perform too well in those races, and he hasn’t done much better in his outings in handicaps since, so needs to take a big step forward here.
The other thing Skelton may have got wrong is trying to make him into a stayer, and he has only won over an extended 19f so far.
The selection drops to the minimum trip here, though, and has won three times over this trip, so it could be a sensible move.
He has dropped 13lb in the handicap following four poor runs this season and is running in much weaker company than he has ever faced in this country.
Dan Skelton rarely gets things wrong forever and I think we may begin to see more from Uhtred at some stage, so I am happy to take a chance at big odds with Harry Skelton on board.
Might have won three starts ago if he hadn’t clipped heels four out and unseated his rider, but Feivel has made amends for connections with two really good runs since.
He won nicely over this course and distance (which is always a real positive for me, given my views of the punishing Wetherby straight) and finished second behind a progressive rival at Sandown last time out.
He drops back down to a 0-120 handicap here, the same level of his past two victories, and even though he is now rated higher (122) he looks a decent bet on what will probably be his last run in this grade for a while.
Rostello bolted up at 11-2 last time out after I had a decent bet on him at Leicester the time before (typically!).
He has a 7lb penalty now, which takes his weight to 12st 5lb, and I think he might have a tough task giving weight to No Regrets here.
The selection has tumbled in the handicap while running himself into shape this season, and he finished a good second last time out after being fairly well backed.
I think that run can be upgraded as he tried to give weight to another seriously well-handicapped rival, who had Patrick Wadge, the best 7lb claimer around, on board as well.
No Regrets is now down to a level below that of the last time he managed to win, and Nicky Richards has opted for cheekpieces for the first time, which looks a smart move.
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