Our horse racing expert has been through all the live races on ITV this Friday and picked out his best horse racing tips for the meetings at Newmarket, York and Chepstow.
A busy Friday of TV horse racing action awaits punters with a bumper ten-race line-up which sees racing going to post across three of the day’s meetings.
Ed Chamberlain and the team will have the pick of the action from York and Newmarket, where the Dubai Future Champions Festival takes place, and there will be five races from Flat HQ, including the Group One Fillies’ Mile, as well as three races from the Knavesmire.
Meanwhile, the official start to the 2025/26 National Hunt season also features on the day’s ITV Racing coverage, with Chepstow chipping in with two races headed by the Grade Two Persian War Hurdle.
Friday promises to be an unmissable day of TV racing and we preview all the day’s televised action with race-by-race ITV Racing tips.
Friday’s ITV Racing Tips (10th October)
| Race | Tip |
|---|---|
| 1:15 Newmarket | SPICY MARG (6/1) |
| 1:30 York | BOPEDRO (15/2, EW) |
| 1:50 Newmarket | COMING ATTRACTION (11/1, EW) |
| 2:05 York | GHOST MODE (10/3) |
| 2:25 Newmarket | POET MASTER (5/1) |
| 2:40 York | HORNSEA BLUE (7/2) |
| 2:57 Newmarket | PRECISE (7/4) |
| 3:12 Chepstow | ANNSAM (14/1, EW) |
| 3:30 Newmarket | RESPOND (10/3) |
| 3:43 Chepstow | JACK HYDE (13/2) |
ITV RACING TIPS FOR NEWMARKET, YORK & CHEPSTOW – RACE-BY-RACE PREVIEW
1:15 Newmarket – Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes (Group 3) Cl1 (2yo) 5f
SPICY MARG (6/1) might be worth chancing to bounce back from a poor effort at York last time out and Michael Bell’s charge is perhaps better judged on her earlier defeat of reopposing Revival Power at Goodwood.
That rival has obviously improved a bundle given she’s won both subsequent starts, including the Flying Childers at Doncaster; but the Starspangledbanner filly appeared to beat Tim Easterby’s runner with a little to spare at Goodwood back in July and she wasn’t seen to best effect next time in the Nunthorpe when failing to beat a rival.
The York contest has thrown up a couple of Group One winners since, including Asfoora, who won the Prix de l’Abbaye last weekend and easing back in class for this latest outing, Michael Bell’s charge can prove that the York flop was an aberration.
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1:30 York – William Hill Autumn Mile Handicap Cl2 (4yo+ 0-105) 1m
BOPEDRO (15/2, EW) hasn’t tasted victory since scoring at Newmarket back in August 2023, but the Pedro The Great gelding has been threatening to break his winless streak this term and this could be the day David O’Meara’s charge gets his head back in front.
He’s been kept busy this term in valuable handicaps where he’s largely acquitted himself well, finding only one too good at Newmarket in August and most recently finishing fourth to Treble Tee at Doncaster.
That winner did little harm to the form with a creditable sixth in the Cambridgeshire last weekend, whie the third home ran well at Goodwood next time and the handicapper has cut the veteran a little more slack with a further 1lb drop in the ratings.
This quicker ground suits him, and he’s well handicapped on his form from earlier in the season, finishing third in the Royal Hunt Cup off 2lbs higher than his current mark. He also finished third over C&D in July. He should give his running once more, and it’s no surprise to see him get competitive again.
1:50 Newmarket – Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes (Group 3) (Fillies) Cl1 (2yo) 7f
Soft ground was a probable factor in COMING ATTRACTION’s (11/1, EW) failure to land her hat-trick, but back on a quicker surface, the Dark Angel filly can bounce back with a better performance.
Roger Varian’s charge stepped up on a promising debut at Goodwood back in May to register back-to-back victories at Chelmsford and Chester, respectively, making all on the latter occasion and scoring readily. That form was done little harm when the runner-up ran well subsequently in a valuable conditions race at the Curragh last month.
The way she hit the line at Chester suggests she’ll have no issue stepping up to this longer trip and with a return to quicker ground in her favour she could do better here than she was able to show last time.
2:05 York – British EBF £100,000 Final (Colts And Geldings) Cl2 (2yo) 7f
GHOST MODE (10/3) has improved with each start, getting off the mark at Chester latest, and now the Ghaiyyath colt has got his head in front, it might be worth sticking with Andrew Balding’s charge to repeat the feat.
Placed on all three previous starts, his breakthrough success came when routing what looked a decent field at Chester last month, running out a five-length winner from Advance Twentyfive, where he made most of the running. That runner-up didn’t disgrace himself at the Curragh later, finishing ninth of 30 runners in the Goffs Million, while the fourth horse home won next time out.
Open to further improvement still after just four runs, he looks capable of putting up a bold show for his top yard and no surprise if he were to go close here.
2:25 Newmarket – Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes (Group 2) Cl1 (3yo+) 7f
POET MASTER (5/1) won a C&D handicap last campaign before adding to her tally in the Group Two Minstrel Stakes. Karl Burke’s charge ended that season with a solid fifth in the Prix de la Foret and may have been amiss when disappointing on her seasonal bow at the Curragh in March.
The Lope De Vega gelding showed up much better on his latest reappearance at Longchamp, going down only narrowly behind Roshvar in the Prix de Pin, and it might be worth chancing the five-year-old to go one better this time with quicker ground no issue.
That latest French effort saw him try to make all, and he kept on well, although he had no answer to the late thrust of the winner and eventually gave way a half-furlong out. He still finished clear of the rest, and possibly he was just made too much use of.
He’ll strip fitter for that first run in more than five months, and he can make his presence felt in a trappy race where none of the quintet can be safely ruled out.
2:40 York – William Hill Each Way Extra Handicap (GBBPlus Race) Cl2 (3yo 0-100) 1m2½f
HORNSEA BLUE (7/2) has been running well in defeat this term, and David O’Meara’s charge can get off the mark for the campaign in this competitive handicap.
The New Bay gelding went close at Ayr on his latest start, beaten just over two lengths by El Burhan in the valuable Kilkerran Handicap despite plenty going wrong for him in that race, which has since thrown up a couple of winners.
His previous fifth over C&D in a similar race was a good effort where he had a subsequent winner behind, and he ought to remain competitive from this sort of mark so it wouldn’t come as a huge shock to see him in the mix at the business end.
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2:57 Newmarket – bet365 Fillies’ Mile (Group 1) Cl1 (2yo) 1m
PRECISE (7/4) took another step forward when making it three wins from four starts at the Curragh last month, beating Beautify by three parts of a length to land the Moyglare Stud Stakes, and Aidan O’Brien’s charge can continue her winning spree.
The Starspangledbanner filly had previously beaten reopposing Moon Target at Goodwood when taking the Group Three Prestige Fillies’ Stakes and she appeared she still had more to give latest with this extra furlong likely to suit given she briefly appeared to be outpaced before hitting top gear.
The form of her Goodwood success is also working out well; the runner-up bounced back from a poor effort to place in a Group Two, while the third has won a Group Two at Doncaster since. Open to further improvement, she can strike again here.
3:12 Chepstow – Dragonbet Veterans’ Handicap Chase (Leg 6 Of The Stayers’ Veterans’ Chase Series) Cl2 (10yo+ 0-150) 2m7½f
ANNSAM (14/1, EW) hasn’t won for a while, his last victory coming back in April 2023; but it might be worth chancing Evan Williams’ charge to end his barren spell.
The Black Sam Bellamy gelding showed only moderate form last term, failing to trouble the judge in any of his starts and he was disappointing when last seen in the Perth Gold Cup in June, finishing a well-beaten fourth.
He didn’t help his cause by sweating up prior to the start and he possibly went off too hard at the Scone track, weakening quickly behind Statuario with reopposing Tullybeg’s jumping frailties again on display with the Irish runner crashing out at the second-last.
His losing streak has seen his mark tumble, however, and he can race here from 9lbs below his last winning rating, so he is well treated on his best form. He may prefer softer ground than he’ll get here, but he’s capable on his day of a big performance and he looks worth chancing to go close at a likely big price.
3:30 Newmarket – bet365 Old Rowley Cup Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race) Cl2 (3yo) 1m4f
Lightly-raced RESPOND (10/3) can get back to winning ways, having run better than the bare result at Doncaster last month.
Andrew Balding’s charge had previously got off the mark in a decent maiden at Haydock in August, beating Mukhtalif, who has since won along with the third. The Ghaiyyath gelding however, wasn’t ideally placed when last seen out, slow out of the gates and racing further back than ideal.
He was 1lb out of the weights there, racing keenly but finding himself outpaced briefly two furongs out. However, he rallied and stayed on well, suggesting this extra distance could bring about some improvement and only 2lbs higher here than at Doncaster, he could go close.
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3:43 Chepstow – Dragonbet Persian War Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (GBB Race) Cl1 (4yo+) 2m3½f
Fergal O’Brien has won this race twice in recent years, and JACK HYDE (13/2) can give the trainer further success in this Grade Two contest.
At seven years old he is old for a novice, but the Soldier Of Fortune gelding was a dual-winner last campaign, scoring twice at Southwell in the early part of the year before posting a very creditable fourth in a valuable conditional riders’ race at Aintree during the Grand National Festival.
He already has the benefit of a recent run, making a winning reappearance at Newton Abbot last month with a four lengths’ victory over Jaminska, winning easily, and the runner-up has since boosted that form. This is obviously tougher, but he’s going the right way, and he can make his presence felt in this higher grade with the longer trip expected to bring out some further improvement, given he set out in the point-to-point sphere in Ireland.
Any easing of the ground would be in his favour, but he has run well on quicker ground before and for all he’ll need to find improvement stepping up in class, he could go well for his shrewd yard, who have likely targeted this race.