Friday Racing Tips

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We go racing on the level at Newbury on Friday and there’s plenty of potential value to be found on betting sites when it comes to the final four races of the day.

Newbury tips: Friday 17th April

Super Shabab can take turf by storm

There’s a really good novice event on the Newbury card and, while it might be foolish to get heavily involved here, with several interesting runners, we can probably go to small stakes on SHABAB AL AHLI.

The Godolphin colt cost 500,000gns as a yearling, which is no surprise given he’s by Frankel and out of a Group 3 winner over middle distances in Koora.

Sent off at odds-on on his debut at Southwell in February (1m3f, AW), he dotted up by more than eight lengths, having been handy throughout under Conor Planas. William Buick now gets the leg up on this exciting prospect and with Charlie Appleby’s team having begun the season well, we’ll side with this three-year-old to make a winning turf debut.

Newbury tip 1: Shabab Al Ahli – 1pt win @ 5/4 (bet365)

Sweet smell of success for Lavender Hill Mob

The dead eight have been declared for this stayers’ contest and that offers a real opportunity for some value.

Classical Allusion is the pre-race favourite and that’s understandable, given he’s unexposed and improving. He was, of course, second to Constitution Hill at Kempton last time (1m4f, AW).

There are, however, others who can have cases made at more attractive prices, one of whom is LAVENDER HILL MOB. The James Owen-trained five-year-old has won over 1m4f on good ground in a decent Newmarket handicap last May and proved himself over this far back at that track in Listed company later in the season.

He’s just 2lb higher than that win at HQ going into Friday’s race and has been given a squeak from this mark by the handicapper. Okay, he wasn’t in red hot form at Kempton last time out but he’s 16/1 on some horse racing betting sites at the time of writing and that looks too big, with 5lb claimed by his pilot. We’ll have a small each-way play.

Newbury tip 2: Lavender Hill Mob – 0.5pts each-way @ 16/1 (BOYLE Sports)

Astrazar suits handicap test

This looks a wide open 7f handicap and one who finished last season in the positive was ASTRAZAR, who looks a bit of value at a double-figure price on certain betting apps.

Ed Walker trains this son of Starman, who was gelded post-season and can look forward to another successful campaign. Admittedly, it took him six starts to break his duck but he was making steady gains throughout that period and it all came right for him at Ffos Las (7.5f, heavy) last September.

He was a prominent racer that day and, ironically, having been slowly away in the British EBF £100,000 final at York (7f, good) a couple of weeks later, he managed to get up late on for a win that would have been more comfortable had he not had traffic problems on route through the field.

Conditions and trip suit and his trainer’s string is in reasonably good form, and he can again go well first time out.

Newbury tips 3: Astrazar – 1pt each-way @ 10/1 (William Hill)

Change Sings can hit the right notes

Another big field for the ‘lucky last’ and I’m hoping it lives up to that billing for my selection, CHANGE SINGS.

This Eve Johnson-Houghton-trained gelding has become a bit of a victim of his own consistency in recent seasons, running numerous good races on both turf and the All Weather without managing to get his nose in front too often.

His recent reappearance at Kempton (6f, AW) was another case in point, although he was entitled to need that after a 229-day break.

With that outing under his belt, he will have no excuses on the fitness front. He goes well here, having been third over the straight 7f (good) and he was a close second in this race last year (good), from a 2lb higher mark.

That suggests he’s pretty well treated for this and he may be capable of winning again, though we can back him each-way for a bit of insurance.

Newbury tips 4: Change Sings– 1pt each-way @ 6/1 (BetMGM)

Gamble responsibly

If you’re having a bet on Friday’s racing, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting can be addictive, and it’s important to stay in control of your gambling, whether you’re using online bookmakers, casino sites, slot sites, bingo sites or any other gambling platform.

Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help you stay in control.

Try not to get carried away by free bets or casino bonuses, which are widely available on gambling apps.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

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