Last Updated on 10/04/2026 by Andy Clark
Kevin Blake is one of the most respected horse racing analysts in the UK and Ireland, bringing a uniquely insider perspective to his tips. Based in Ireland, he writes the weekly Kevin Blake Take column for At The Races, contributes to the Betfair Betting Podcast and works as Race Planner for trainer Joseph O’Brien – a combination of media expertise and operational involvement in racing that few pundits can match.
His latest selections and tips are below. Blake publishes his Kevin Blake Take column weekly on attheraces.com, covering the major race stories and tips throughout the season.
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Who Is Kevin Blake?
Kevin Blake is an Irish-based horse racing and bloodstock analyst who has established himself as one of the most authoritative voices on Irish and British National Hunt racing. He works across several major platforms simultaneously – as a pundit and columnist for At The Races, as a contributor to the Betfair Betting Podcast, and as Race Planner for trainer Joseph O’Brien.
That last role is significant. Blake is not simply a journalist who watches racing and forms opinions. He works directly within the sport at a professional level, advising on race planning for one of the most powerful yards in Irish racing. This gives his analysis a different dimension – he understands how trainers think, how horses are placed within the programme and why a horse appears in a specific race at a specific time. When Blake backs a horse, it is rarely based purely on form reading. It reflects a tactical understanding of how races are run and planned.
He writes The Kevin Blake Take column for attheraces.com – a weekly deep-dive into the major racing stories and upcoming races, published throughout the season. His Cheltenham Festival coverage in particular is among the most detailed and trusted of any analyst working in the sport, driven by his proximity to the Irish training yards that now dominate the meeting.
Blake also appears on ITV Racing coverage and on Sky Sports Racing, and is active on social media under @kevinblakeracing.
Where Does Kevin Blake Publish His Tips?
At The Races – The Kevin Blake Take – Blake’s primary platform. His weekly column covers the major upcoming races with detailed analysis and selections. Published at attheraces.com throughout the season.
At The Races video content – Blake produces regular video analysis for At The Races, particularly around the major festivals. His Cheltenham Festival Q&As and race-by-race video breakdowns are among the most in-depth available.
Betfair Betting Podcast – Blake is a regular contributor to Betfair’s racing podcast, providing tips and analysis ahead of major meetings.
ITV Racing – Blake appears as a pundit on ITV Racing coverage, bringing his Irish racing expertise to the broadcast team on major race days.
At The Races Cheltenham and Grand National preview nights – Blake is a regular panellist at major At The Races preview events, providing his Festival selections and analysis to a live audience. His preview night selections are tracked here.
Kevin Blake’s Tipping Style
Blake’s analytical approach is rooted in deep knowledge of Irish racing – its form, its trainers, its horses and the thinking of the yards that have come to dominate the major British festivals.
Irish form expertise. This is Blake’s primary edge. With trainers Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott sending increasingly powerful squads to Cheltenham, the Grand National and other British meetings, Blake’s close understanding of Irish form, Irish handicap marks and the strategies of the major Irish yards gives his analysis a distinctive value. He identifies Irish raiders that British-based analysts underestimate, and he is alert to the ratings differences between British and Irish handicappers that can leave horses running off lenient marks in UK races.
Race planning perspective. His work as Race Planner for Joseph O’Brien gives him an understanding of how horses are placed that goes beyond what the form book shows. He understands why a horse appears in a particular race at a particular time – and what that means for its chance.
Systematic analysis. Blake is methodical in his approach. He writes at length about why a horse has a chance rather than offering brief, instinct-based selections. His Kevin Blake Take columns are detailed, structured assessments of the races he covers. Punters following his tips get genuine reasoning, not just horse names.
Amateur jockeys in handicaps. Blake is one of the few pundits who pays specific attention to amateur jockey quality in hunter chases and amateur handicaps at the festivals. He regularly flags the significant gap between the best and weakest amateur riders and backs horses in races where having a high-quality amateur on board represents a genuine advantage.
Contrarian on handicaps. Blake is generally cautious about backing Irish-trained horses in British handicaps, given the tendency for the British handicapper to rate Irish form conservatively. He makes exceptions when he is satisfied that a horse’s mark is genuinely lenient and that it has been specifically targeted at the race.
Kevin Blake at the Major Festivals
Cheltenham Festival – the highlight of Blake’s year. His depth of knowledge on the Irish-trained horses that dominate the modern Festival makes him one of the most valuable analysts to follow during the meeting. He publishes ante-post selections in the weeks before the Festival, appears on the At The Races Cheltenham Preview Night, and provides daily analysis throughout the four days. His Q&A sessions on attheraces.com in the Festival build-up are particularly worth reading for his views on specific races and horses.
Grand National – Blake covers the three-day Aintree Festival with daily tips and analysis. His knowledge of Irish staying chasers – the type that consistently features at Aintree – gives him an edge on the National field specifically. For the best offers to use on Grand National tips see our Grand National free bets page.
Punchestown Festival – the end-of-season Irish championship meeting is natural territory for Blake. His coverage of Punchestown is detailed and consistent throughout his At The Races columns in the weeks leading up to the meeting.
Leopardstown Christmas and Dublin Racing Festival – Blake covers both major Leopardstown meetings closely, including the Dublin Racing Festival in early February which doubles as a key Cheltenham trial meeting.
For ante-post selections always use a bookmaker offering Non-Runner No Bet. See our Non-Runner No Bet guide for full details and our Cheltenham NRNB guide for Festival-specific coverage.
For Best Odds Guaranteed on race day selections see our BOG guide.
Using Kevin Blake’s Tips
Read the reasoning. Blake’s Kevin Blake Take columns are analytical pieces, not just selection lists. Reading his reasoning on a horse – why he thinks it is well placed, what Irish form he is drawing on, why the handicap mark looks lenient – gives you context for following the selection intelligently.
Irish raiders in non-handicap races. Blake is most confident backing Irish horses in the championship races at Cheltenham and Aintree rather than the handicaps. Follow his non-handicap Irish selections with more confidence than his handicap picks, where he himself acknowledges caution about British handicapper treatment of Irish form.
Each-way at the festivals. Blake regularly advises each-way bets at the major festivals, particularly in novice races and handicaps with large fields. See our each-way betting guide for how each-way terms work across different race types.
Ante-post timing. Blake publishes ante-post selections in the weeks before major festivals. Getting on early, particularly on Irish-trained horses that attract attention closer to the race, is important. Use a BOG bookmaker from the outset and NRNB protection for ante-post bets.
Kevin Blake Tips FAQs
Who is Kevin Blake? Kevin Blake is an Irish-based horse racing and bloodstock analyst. He writes The Kevin Blake Take column for At The Races, contributes to the Betfair Betting Podcast, appears on ITV Racing and works as Race Planner for trainer Joseph O’Brien.
Where does Kevin Blake publish his horse racing tips? His primary platform is attheraces.com, where he writes the weekly Kevin Blake Take column. He also contributes to the Betfair Betting Podcast and appears on ITV Racing and Sky Sports Racing.
What is Kevin Blake’s particular strength as a tipster? His depth of knowledge on Irish horse racing, Irish form and the strategies of the major Irish training yards – particularly Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott – gives him an edge on races where Irish-trained horses are prominent, especially at Cheltenham.
Is Kevin Blake a pundit or does he work in racing directly? Both. He is a media pundit through At The Races, ITV Racing and Betfair, but he also works as Race Planner for trainer Joseph O’Brien – giving him direct operational involvement in how horses are placed and prepared.
Does Kevin Blake tip at Cheltenham? Yes. Cheltenham is the highlight of his tipping year. He provides ante-post selections, preview night analysis and daily tips across all four days of the Festival.
How do I follow Kevin Blake’s tips? His Kevin Blake Take column is published weekly at attheraces.com. His Betfair Betting Podcast appearances and At The Races video content are also freely available. His confirmed selections for the major festivals are tracked on this page.
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