Racing Tips – Top Tipster Steve Mullen’s gives you his best horse racing selections for Saturday, February 25
Kempton, Chepstow, Lingfield, Newcastle and Wolverhampton all come under the spotlight as Steven Mullen tries to find a host of winners on a busy Saturday
VIVA STEVE drops back to his best trip in the Betbright Chase at Kempton (3.35) — and can improve on his sixth place in last year’s race.
He’s moved yards from Mick Channon to rising star Fergal O’Brien since then and it seems to have been the making of him.
His first run for his new trainer was a winning one, with an impressive effort over today’s trip at Ayr in November.
He was then upped in distance for the Classic Chase at Warwick where he ran out of petrol over an extended 3m5f — with the very testing ground also a hazard.
It still wasn’t a bad run and he was bang in contention jumping the third from home before the marathon trip took its toll.
He’s run really well on both visits to Kempton, which a place that not all horses take to.
As well as finishing on the premises in this last year, he chased home The Last Samuri over course and distance in similar conditions.
He’s crept up the weights since then but has improved with it. Given the trip, track and ground are ideal he should give us a run for our money. It’s no harm to have high-class pilot Barry Geraghty on board today either.
Double Shuffle has been steadily backed for this all week and looks one of the main dangers.
He was very impressive when scoring over course and distance at the Christmas meeting.
The handicapper has been fair with a 6lb rise in the weights and he will relish this decent ground.
Theatre Guide is another worthy of close attention. He didn’t get home over almost 3m4f in the Welsh National at Chepstow last time where the soft ground was also against him.
He had earlier battled on well to win a Grade 3 at Cheltenham which looks like solid form.
We know he handles it around here because he won this race 12 months ago – albeit off a 14lb lower mark.
It’s strange to see classy Flat horses at this time of year in the Winter Derby at Lingfield (3.15).
Short in the betting as he is, it would be a major shock if MUTAKAYYEF wasn’t good enough to win it. He was last seen almost winning a big Grade 1 race in Canada so should be a cut above these rivals.
Mullen's Treble
- Kempton 3.35: Viva Steve
- Lingfield 3.15: Mutakayyef
- Newcastle 2.45: Milborough
Given that he’s around the 5-4 mark, he’s strictly one for putting in our treble but he looks rock solid.
Storm Doris has taken its toll on Newcastle and the runners in the Eider Chase (2.45) might need their wellies on to make it through the sloppy ground.
It’s already run over four miles before you take the boggy conditions into account so staying is definitely the name of the game.
There aren’t many runners that we know like this marathon trip but MILBOROUGH excelled when winning this race two years ago.
He comes here 1lb lower in the weights than on that famous day and he’s fit and in good form thanks to a couple of spins over hurdles.
The 11-year-old is just the type of horse that would have been ideal for the Grand National years ago — but he’s got no chance of making the cut for Aintree in these classier times.
The move to timber came after he parted company with his rider in the Becher Chase in December. Switching to the smaller obstacles looks to have paid off as he won nicely at Carlisle before a more modest effort at Wetherby last time.
But there’s no doubt that chasing is his game and the testing ground should be right up his street.
Shotgun Paddy is a standing dish in these long-distance races and he usually performs with credit, although winning is another matter.
He was second in this last year from 7lb higher in the weights which gives him an obvious chance this time around.
There was a lot to like about his third in the Warwick Classic last time and this longer trip should be more to his liking.
OTHER SELECTIONS
KEMPTON TIPS
1.15 River Frost
1.50 Charli Parcs
2.25 Frodon
3.00 Capitaine
3.35 Viva Steve
4.10 Sir Note
4.45 Champ
CHEPSTOW TIPS
1.55 Two Hoots
2.30 Rock The Kasbah
3.05 The Gipper
3.40 Gayebury
4.15 Bold Henry
4.50 Modeligo
5.20 Crucial Role
LINGFIELD TIPS
1.30 Oud Metha Bridge
2.05 Pretend
2.40 Chester Street
3.15 Mutakayyef
3.50 Alfonso Manana
4.25 Sennockian Star
5.00 Etaad
NEWCASTLE TIPS
1.35 Testify
2.10 Teo Vivo
2.45 Milborough
3.20 Zamdy Man
3.55 The Nipper
4.30 Ballybolley
5.05 Oscar Mor
WOLVERHAMPTON TIPS
5.45 Invincible Ridge
6.15 Ali Bin Nayef
6.45 Fulham
7.15 Major Jumbo
7.45 Spinwheel
8.15 What Usain
8.45 Wink Oliver
