Sunday at Uttoxeter: Three Races, Three Angles Worth Backing

Sunday at Uttoxeter: Three Races, Three Angles Worth Backing

Uttoxeter on good ground is a fair, galloping track that suits horses with a genuine staying profile and honest jumping. With Glorious Goodwood kicking off in two days, the serious flat money heads to West Sussex, but the jumps card here is worth a look. Three races stand out, and the value is real.

2:12 — QuinnBet Daily Free Bet Juvenile Hurdle (2m, Good)

Selection: Us Officer — 11/1 Boyle Sports

This juvenile heat looks wide open on paper, with two unraced horses among the nine runners and a refuser in the mix. Strip it back and the form angle is straightforward. Us Officer holds the best RPR figure in the race at 89, was runner-up just a week ago over this exact trip, and arrives here with genuine racecourse experience that several rivals simply lack.

The concern for the market leaders is obvious. Vietnorm (9/4) won last time but is a 20-day absentee, and Salkadan (9/4) is completely unraced. Dan Skelton’s yard is firing at a strong rate over the last fortnight, so Salkadan demands respect, and Harry Skelton’s course record here is excellent at 29%. That’s the only thing keeping Salkadan in the reckoning.

But at 11/1, Us Officer is the value play. He goes into this with racecraft, experience over the trip, and a figure that tops this field. Tom Dascombe’s recent fortnight figures are modest, granted, but the horse’s own form does the talking. The market has underestimated him.

3:42 — Sheila And Wayne Golden Wedding Anniversary Handicap Chase (3m, Good)

Selection: Sunray Shadow — 15/8 Boyle Sports

Four wins from his last five starts tells its own story. Sunray Shadow comes here in the form of his life, has already won over this trip on today’s going, and arrives on just an 11-day break suggesting connections are happy to strike while the iron is hot.

Harry Skelton takes the ride, and that combination at Uttoxeter is formidable. Skelton junior wins 29% of his rides at this course, and the Dan Skelton yard has gone 10 from 35 over the last fortnight, a 29% strike rate that confirms the operation is in full flow. The trainer’s overall Uttoxeter record of 23% from 628 runners also speaks to a yard that knows this track intimately.

The handicapper has him on 131, which is workable given his recent run of form. Grand Clermont at 4/1 is the obvious danger, a winner last time and fresh off a 14-day break, but Sunray Shadow’s consistency is the decisive factor. This looks like a proper betting race with a clear each-way candidate at the very least, but at 15/8 you take the win.

4:12 — Gary And Mavis Bird Family Raceday Handicap Hurdle (2m7½f, Good)

Selection: Divilabother Each-Way — 10/3 Boyle Sports

Three wins on the spin. That’s the headline. Divilabother has been in relentless form, bagging a hat-trick of victories, and the fact he turns up here on just a two-day turnaround suggests his connections are supremely confident in his condition. He has course and distance experience on today’s going, and his rating of 117 is not prohibitive given how well he’s been jumping.

Yes, the handicapper will have his day eventually, but three wins in a row is a streak that deserves backing until it ends. At 10/3, the price is fair rather than generous, which is why the each-way flag is on rather than a straight win play. Nine runners, three places at 1/5 odds, and a horse carrying form that is the freshest in the race.

Karnaval Point (7/2) is the obvious market rival, three wins from his last four starts and well regarded by David Pipe. Rian Corcoran claims 5lbs and has a solid Uttoxeter record at 27%. This is a genuine head-to-head for the market money, and Divilabother’s raw momentum gives him the edge.

Today’s NAP

Sunray Shadow — Sheila And Wayne Golden Wedding Anniversary Handicap Chase (3:42, Uttoxeter)
Odds: 15/8 — Boyle Sports (others: 15/8 LiveScore Bet)

Four wins from five starts, course and distance form on today’s going, Harry Skelton in the saddle at a track he wins 29% of his rides at, and a yard running at a 29% strike rate over the last fortnight. Sunray Shadow has done everything asked of him this season and the 15/8 is a genuine price for a horse this in-form. The market has set it up correctly, but there is no reason to oppose him.