ITV Racing Lucky 15: Best Bets for the Televised Action

This Saturday sees the latest instalment in the build-up to the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, as the home of the National Hunt game hosts Festival Trials Day. Five contests from Prestbury Park make the ITV menu, including key trials for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, and Stayers Hurdle. With Doncaster chipping in with five events, armchair racing fans have a bumper 10 contests to sink their teeth into.

Here, using analysis presented by NewBettingSites.uk, we pick out our best four best bets to combine in a Saturday afternoon Lucky 15.

1:50 Cheltenham – Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase

We have a host of Cheltenham specialists in this 2m4½f event, with seven of the eleven runners boasting a previous course win. Ginny’s Destiny has career form figures of 112 over this trip on the New Course, with that runners-up effort coming in the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase. Iroko posted his career high over this track and trip when bagging the 2023 edition of the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle. Both make the shortlist despite a welter burden of 12st, but we prefer one at a double figure price.

Hailing from the yard of Nigel Twiston-Davies, Torn And Frayed has endured a tough time through injury since claiming the 2022 edition of this off a mark of 131. Following an absence of 18 months, he showed little last season but has rediscovered his form in the current campaign. An excellent winner of a Class 2 event at Warwick two starts back, he enjoyed no luck over this course and distance in December when badly hampered by a faller. He may not be quite the force of old but is now 10lb below his career-high rating, and with his past three wins coming on good to soft or quicker, he should be well suited by the forecast conditions.

• Best Bet - Torn And Frayed each way @ 20/1 with LiveScoreBet

2:05 Doncaster – Pertemps Network River Don Novices’ Hurdle

The rising stars of the staying hurdle division take to the track in the first Graded event from Doncaster.

Joe Tizzard saddles the likely favourite in the shape of Western Knight, who finished a solid second in the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett trial over this trip last time out at Cheltenham. That’s solid form, but he looked to be coming to the end of his tether in the straight that day and may be outstayed on the run to the line.

The hattrick-seeking Ma Shantou and Moon Rocket, who has won each of his last three, could be the ones to reel the market leader in, but at a bigger price, the one to be on is Jig’s Forge.

Joining Ben Pauling on the 12th of November, this son of Westerner appears to have surprised his trainer with how easily he landed a 2m4f event at Ffos Las just eight days later. Quotes in the aftermath suggested he would be kept to 2m4f and allowed to tackle a lower-grade contest under a penalty. The fact that he instead moves up in trip and right up in class suggests he has shown plenty at home in the interim, and that could be a tip worth taking.

• Best Bet - Jig’s Forge each way @ 6/1 with LiveScoreBet

3:15 Doncaster – Virgin Bet Great Yorkshire Handicap Chase

The Changing Man has made his way to the head of the market for this hugely competitive 3m handicap. Having finished a close second in the Rehearsal Chase and Howden Silver Cup in his two most recent outings, there’s a lot to like about his claims. On the downside, he’s gone up 7lb for two defeats, which doesn’t make life easy.

Boasting career form figures of 123 at Doncaster, Forward Plan is another obvious contender. Beaten just a nose in the 2024 edition of this, he left a disappointing return in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase behind when a solid third over this track and trip last time. He’s only been raised 1lb for that but is fully 9lb higher than when going down so narrowly 12 months ago.

The one for us at the prices is the Ben Pauling runner, Bowtogreatness. This nine-year-old looked to have been given a chance by the handicapper when only raised 4lb for an impressive win at Kempton in November, only to flop when pulled up in the Rehearsal Chase. However, he took a step back in the right direction when third at Cheltenham last time and is now 4lb below his career-high mark. Back in February, he went down by 2½l to Forward Plan at Kempton but is 10lb better off with that rival here and looks worth an each-way punt.

• Best Bet - Bowtogreatness @ 14/1 with LiveScoreBet

Saturday 3:35 Cheltenham – Betfair Cleeve Hurdle

Our final selection comes in the headline event for the staying hurdlers. Eight go to post in a race that often provides useful pointers ahead of the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Grade 1 winners Crambo and Strong Leader head the market and are hard to fault on their best form. However, Crambo ran well below expectations on his only previous run at this track, and Strong Leader arrives on the back of a last-of-eight effort at Ascot.

With question marks against the market leaders, we can’t resist a stab at one at a big price here. The horse to get our vote is the Ruth Jefferson-trained Kerryhill. This Point-to-Point winner looked like a stayer to follow in 2023/24 when winning two of his first three starts under rules. He had five subsequent winners behind him when claiming the Grade 2 River Don Novice’s Hurdle on this day in 2024, only to miss almost a year through injury. A pulled-up effort in the bottomless ground at Haydock is easily forgiven given that absence, and he retains plenty of potential on his first start since a wind operation.

• Best Bet - Kerryhill each way @ 18/1 with LiveScoreBet

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