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Red is definitely the colour at Haydock

Our tipster casts his expert eye over the pick of the weekend’s meets

THERE is some tremendous jump racing this weekend at both Ascot and Haydock Park and the best value bet on either card is probably Definitely Red in the Fixed Brush Handicap Hurdle at the Lancashire track due off at 2.25.

This looks like one of the best renewals of this valuable contest in a good while and with Tea For Two well handicapped and some positive vibes from the Nicholls camp about Alcala the mud-loving selection will have to be at the top of his game.

I think we have yet to see the very best of this relatively young horse and we know he has a liking for the sharp Haydock Park track.

I have no doubt that Brian Ellison will have him ready to go after a break for such a valuable contest as this and he ran a better race than his pulled up effort suggested in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, still being in with a chance in that esteemed company until fading just before three out.

Winner of the Grade Two Prestige Hurdle here last season, the selection has very few miles on the clock and a paddock inspection allied to the betting will tell us if he is ready to roll and how much we should stake.

I am very wary of the Paul Nicholls-trained Alcala as he ran a cracker behind Shantou Village last week at Cheltenham in what essentially turned into a sprint.

This test on softer ground is more his port of call and he should outrun his odds of 20/1 and is preferred to the well weighted Tea For Two and the lightly raced Yala Enki both of which will be very much at home in the conditions.

As far as the rest of the card is concerned it is hard to see beyond Silviniaco Conti not retaining his Betfair Chase crown at 3.00 especially after he had the perfect pipe-opener over hurdles at Kempton Park and he can once again take care of his old foe Cue Card.

But a better value wager could be Toby Lerone in the final race on the card at 3.35, a handicap chase over an extended three miles.

A winner over hurdles at Towcester last time out should have teed him nicely for this challenge and running off a light weight will be a huge bonus in this ground off a mark which saw him run second in last year’s Tommy Whittle Chase.

At Ascot it will be a shock if Vautour is beaten in the grade two event at 2.05 but for obvious reasons he won’t get many coppers into the bank account so instead have a second look at Bullet Street in the 3.15.

He ran a fair race from off the pace here last month and is much better off at the weights with the top one Cold March and should reverse that form.

The fact that he is a hold up horse and there is plenty of pace on here is a plus and he can go well at around the 8/1 marker.

Elsewhere, have a second look at Rich Again in the 8.15 at Wolverhampton, Be On Time (12.30) and Aaly (2.50) both at Huntingdon, while the best wager at Lingfield could come in the form of Chetan (1.25) at an each-way price.

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