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Friday Racing Special: 3 Free Picks as Arc Weekend Arrives
THREE FRIDAY RACING PICKS FOR FREE. Arc weekend is finally upon us, and we say bring it on!
While we’ve got huge action lined up over the weekend—and heavy ground over at Saint-Cloud taking plenty of our focus today—we have three outstanding betting opportunities across the cards at Ascot and Hexham to get stuck into first.
Let’s get straight into today’s free selections!
THREE FRIDAY RACING PICKS FOR FREE
ASCOT 13:50 – DANNICK (11/1)
The Simon Walker-ridden TEX is in cracking form and arrives having made it 2 from 2 at this track in a similar race last time out. However, the way he finishes his races suggests he really needs a mile nowadays, and a 6-pound rise in the weights is going to make life much tougher.
While he’s only up one pound for winning a Legends race at Doncaster, TOLSTOY had been struggling beforehand. Despite being well treated on his old form, I can’t get overly excited by the Brian Ellison-trained 7-year-old.
A few of these must have a squeak of sorts, including the veteran 13-year-old DOCUMENTING. However, I readily prefer the chance of DANNICK, who surely would have won his last race had it been run over this distance. A repeat performance makes him very interesting at double-figure odds!
ASCOT 15:00 – PRINCLING (2/1)
DRYMEE won his last race with a ton in hand, suggesting he could still be competitive despite a 10-pound higher mark today. Meanwhile, the extra distance puts me off Leopardstown 5th COLLECTING COIN.
In his last start, COCKADE was a disappointing beaten favourite at Newmarket, laboring into 3rd of 5. Based on that effort, the son of PINATUBO will need to find noticeable improvement to take this out.
I’m siding with the same owner’s PRINCLING, a 3-year-old who also disappointed last time out. However, he had previously been running with real credit and has been gelded since his last run. Dropping back in distance will suit the William Haggas inmate, who should be ideally suited by the demands of this track.
HEXHAM 14:48 – MOVEIT LIKE MINNIE (7/2)
At Huntingdon last year, MR MCLOUGHLAN won off a handicap mark of 118. For the most part, Adrian Keatley’s 6-year-old is a consistent performer, and runners from this stable are usually well prepared for their seasonal reappearances. Booking Brian Hughes is a clear positive, but odds of 5/2 look far too short to swallow.
While I’m always happy to back runners from the Ann Hamilton yard, her representative here, DOUBLEDIGITS, will need to show clear improvement. WINDS OF WINTER looks nothing special, while BANDERAS tends to need a run to blow away the cobwebs.
With the Nigel Twiston-Davies yard in great nick, it’s the 9-year-old MOVEIT LIKE MINNIE for me. The gelding has won 8 of his 37 starts, and notably, several of those victories have come when returning fresh on his seasonal debut. A mark of 119 looks very fair, and today’s conditions suit him down to the ground!
