Horse racing tips and best bets for ITV racing at Sandown and Aintree on December 6
Is your Christmas tree up yet? This is something Jeff Mexico will never say as he doesn’t believe in the festive season after he was beaten to a pulp by a drunken Santa Claus and a pack of rabid elves on a winter’s eve in the 1990s.
This weekend, the Sports News Blitz horse racing oracle casts his net over five big races from Sandown, including the Grade 1s Henry Novices Chase and the Tingle Creek Chase, plus three from Aintree.
Mr Vango well backed for William Hill Half A Mill Becher
After 13 runners were declared for Aintree’s William Hill Becher Chase, the first William Hill Half A Mill bonus race, Mr Vango has been popular in the betting and is the 4/1 favourite.
Gavin Cromwell: Bioluminescence all set for William Hill Half A Mill Becher Chase
William Hill ambassador Gavin Cromwell has provided the latest on Bioluminescence ahead of her run in the William Hill Half A Mill Becher Chase at Aintree on Saturday.
Khaadem bidding to become oldest LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint winner
Khaadem will attempt to become the first nine-year-old to win the HK$28 million (approx. £2.7m) G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (6f/1200m) at Sha Tin’s LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on Sunday, December 14.
Sir AP McCoy: I couldn’t give up on Constitution Hill over hurdles
Sir AP McCoy has told William Hill that he doesn’t think connections should be giving up on Constitution Hill’s career over hurdles, despite another fall in the Fighting Fifth at the weekend.
Horse racing news: Constitution Hill receives Timeform ‘x’ following fall in Fighting Fifth at Newcastle
Ratings experts Timeform have attached an ‘x’ symbol to Constitution Hill’s rating of 166 following his latest fall in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.
The ‘x’ denotes a ‘poor jumper’ and has been given to Nicky Henderson’s eight-year-old after his third fall in four starts.
Mr Vango tops William Hill Becher betting
Following the five-day confirmation stage for Aintree’s William Hill Becher Chase, the first William Hill Half A Mill bonus race, 19 horses have been confirmed for the prestigious contest over the Randox Grand National fences, with Mr Vango heading the market as the 6/1 favourite with William Hill.
Horse racing tips and best bets for ITV racing at Newbury and Newcastle on November 29
This weekend, the Sports News Blitz horse racing oracle casts his net over four races from Newbury, including the Grade 3 Coral Gold Cup, and two from Newcastle, featuring the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
The latter is, of course, named after what Geordies do following five bottles of broon … or something like that probably.
Horse racing news: Barry Geraghty – I haven’t lost faith in what Constitution Hill is capable of
William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty is keeping the faith with Constitution Hill ahead of his clash with The New Lion and Anzadam in tomorrow’s Fighting Fifth, but he gives an idea of the dilemma Nico de Boinville faces aboard the Champion Hurdle winner.
From Van Dijk to Zidane, which racehorses are named after famous football legends?
Read any decent betting guide, and you are unlikely to find the suggestion ‘bet on a horse with a really great name’.
You might land one in every 20 bets placed going down this route, but you are unlikely to be sunning yourselves in Marbella with your winnings. Clacton-on-Sea is much more likely.
Horse racing and football have both had their fair share of donkeys, but it’s hard to make many direct comparisons. Essentially, they are sporting worlds apart.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Scott Allen ploughs his way through some of the most famous horses named after football players.
Fact To File rated narrowly ahead of Gaelic Warrior despite John Durkan defeat
Sunday’s John Durkan Chase saw a career-best effort from Gaelic Warrior (173 from 169) to get the better of last year’s winner Fact To File, aided by the run of the race but building on his strong finish to last season when beating Grey Dawning in the Bowl at Aintree and following up at Sandown.
Horse racing news: Buick eyes International Jockeys’ Championship glory after year of Group 1 successes
William Buick will return to Hong Kong at the end of a year of consistent top-level success as he attempts to tick off another major ambition.
It will be the fifth time Buick has participated in the showdown at Happy Valley, but it has not been an event of great fortune for him so far, with a fifth-place finish in 2020 being his best return to date, while he was sixth behind Mickael Barzalona 12 months ago.
Romantic Warrior dazzles with return success in G2 Jockey Club Cup
Romantic Warrior made a triumphant return to racing at Sha Tin on Sunday (23 November) as he sauntered to an emphatic victory in the HK$5.35 million (approx. £525,000) G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (1m2f/2000m) for jockey James McDonald and trainer Danny Shum.
Horse racing tips and best bets for ITV racing at Haydock, Ascot and Punchestown on November 22
Having spent an entire week trapped in his loft looking for his big coat, Jeff Mexico clambers down to ground level to impart his horse racing betting wisdom on nine cracking contests served up by Saturday’s ITV racing schedule.
The Sports News Blitz horse racing oracle casts his net over five races from Haydock, including the Grade 1 Betfair Chase, three from Ascot and the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown.
It’s going to be a busy day, if the weather stops being an arse.
Gavin Cromwell: I suspect Mark Walsh will ride Fact To File over Inothewayurthinkin in John Durkan
William Hill ambassador Gavin Cromwell has revealed that he expects Mark Walsh to ride Fact To File in the John Durkan, instead of Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin.
What are the best strategies for successful horse racing betting?
Everyone believes there’s a magic formula to winning on the horses - a fail-safe way to walk away from the racecourse with bags full of cash.
Plenty of seasoned punters will have theories they swear by or show you crumpled bits of paper with all kinds of mathematical wizardry.
These all might help tip the scales in your favour, but the bottom line is that nothing is certain when it comes to the sport of kings.
But don’t despair, Sports News Blitz’s horse racing expert Scott Allen is on hand to give your betting journey a nudge in the right direction.
Whether you're betting at Cheltenham, Royal Ascot, the Kentucky Derby, or just on a windy Tuesday in Redcar, these betting strategies could help you dust away some of the cobwebs in your wallet.
Kopek Des Bordes rated higher than Lulamba after pair make winning chase debuts
Lulamba’s impressive win on chasing debut at Exeter earned a Timeform rating of 145P – the ‘large P’ indicating significant improvement to come – but later on Monday afternoon it was a rating surpassed by likely Arkle opponent Kopek Des Bordes, who was rated 150p after his chasing debut at Navan.
Saturday ITV horse racing tips and best bets for Cheltenham and Wetherby – November 15, 2025
After spending the last three years working on what he called a ‘Guatemalan sugar farm’, Jeff Mexico has returned to Blighty to impart his years of horse racing betting experience on those looking to make a quick buck.
In this article, the Sports News Blitz horse racing oracle casts his net over Saturday’s meetings that are being shown on ITV – four from day two of the November Meeting at Cheltenham, which includes the Paddy Power Gold Cup, and two contests from Wetherby’s Peak Cap & Pearls Raceday.
Horse racing news: How Rachael Blackmore can inspire more women to attend the Cheltenham Festival
Rachael Blackmore was crowned leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021 and will return to the home of jump racing in a new ambassadorial role for 2026.
This week, the Gold Cup winner, who retired from the saddle in May 2025, was appointed Head of Ladies Day at the Cheltenham Festival in a bid to attract more female racegoers.
Here, Sports News Blitz horse racing expert Scott Allen lists a few things that Rachael Blackmore can try when she starts her new job.
Sean Bowen deserves to be in best jump jockeys of modern era conversation
Sean Bowen deserves to be considered among the best jumps jockeys of the modern era, according to the horse racing experts at Timeform, after making the fastest start to the season since Sir Anthony McCoy retired at the end of the 2014/15 season.