Channel 4 Racing: Botti’s in-form girl gets the nap at Kempton

Don’t fret racing fans, because there’s a raft of equine action taking place over the Easter weekend, including the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse, but we’ve cast our glims over Saturday’s UK televised racing.

What did we find? Well, the best bet going, another with a fine hope of landing, plus a high-class outsider who’s not without a chance, of course.

Here are our three best Channel 4 Racing bets for Saturday at Kempton and Haydock:

Nap – 14.50 Kempton: Lady Dutch @ 11/4

The big trend going against Marco Botti’s four-year-old is that none of the past five winners of this managed a victory in their previous run, which Lady Dutch did at Kempton in February, but each of them either went into the race either in decent form or at a relatively short price.

Only two of Botti’s past 13 runners have finished outside the first four, and three of the Newmarket-based handler’s last eight have won, with another coming second, so he could hardly be in better form going into what looks a weak race.

Next Best – 14.35 Haydock: Powerstown Dreams @ 15/2

Brian Ellison trained the winner of this race in both 2012 and 2013. He clearly didn’t have the runners last year, as his three entrants each went off no shorter than 11/1, and finished sixth, seventh and ninth, but this six-year-old looks a different prospect.

Powerstown Dreams has got in at a good weight, splitting the difference between former Ellison victors Fleet Dawn and Hada Men at 10-10, and has decent form in the book, with one win and three further places from six runs under rules.

Lively Longshot – 15.10 Haydock: Knock A Hand @ 14/1

This 3m handicap chase looks every inch a pinsticker, with top-weight Virak and last-time-out winner King Of The Wolds set to fight it out for favouritism, although both could go off at around 5/1.

With this in mind, a chance is taken on the mount of Richard Johnson.

Knock A Hand may be high enough in the weights, and rather unreliable having unseated his ride on two of the last three occasions, but he’s won a whopping seven times under rules since the end of 2012, with Johnson on board for three of the last four.

Furthermore, the veteran steeplechase expert had the reins when Knock A Hand got to within two-and-a-half lengths of Many Clouds, and beat Holywell, at Carlisle 18 months ago. He could easily get another good tune out of the 10-year-old here.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

Fancy a flutter? Sign up today to claim up to £25 in free bets.