Friday horse racing tips from Tom Lunn at Chester and Ascot
talkSPORT have you covered for horse racing with free racing tips and free bets from the day's fixtures at Chester and Ascot.
Tom Lunn has gone through the cards, form, going and much more to help guide your horse racing betting choices.
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Daily horse racing tips
- CHESTER
2.05: Mr Hampstead 5/2 (1pt)
2.35: Botanical 9/2 (1pt)
3.05: Royal Rhyme 8/1 Each-way (1pt)
3.40: Aztec Empire 7/1 Each-way (1pt) & Solent Gateway 16/1 Each-way (1pt) - ASCOT
1.50: Accumulate 7/2 (1pt)
Mr Hampstead
Came second on debut to Meydaan who is just 7/1 for the Lingfield Derby Trial Stakes on Saturday.
The three-year-old colt owned by Amo Racing was then a decent enough fourth at Newbury on reappearance for the season just three weeks ago.
Ephesus is the Aidan O'Brien-trained favourite though and is very unexposed after just one race at Dundalk last month where he finished third behind London City.
That horse has a rating on the turf at 93 after previously going behind last year in fifth and sixth in two maiden contests.
But Mr Hampstead has a fair bit of potential too, behind the O'Brien and William Buick favourite with Ryan Moore not featuring on Friday.
Botanical
Botanical can come back as a four-year-old even stronger and has shown already he's got a huge amount of ability.
He's boosted by the fact his stable is in great form and he's got Silvestre De Sousa up which can only help matters.
Botanical won ahead of Mr Professor on his last appearance last season, by a huge six lengths and it easily could have been more.
Upped 10lb for that victory and it's clear he's a consistent winner on his form.
Only ever finishing close up and in the top three on his five runs on both the all-weather and turf and on various goings.
Royal Rhyme
Lope De Vega colt who's got great potential having had seven runs over the course of 2023, going up in the weights and proved his potential at Ayr when upped by 13lb to win yet again ahead of Pride Of America in listed company.
Then came a respectable fifth behind King Of Steel at Ascot and could have even finished better had he not been so keen at the start.
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Shapes as though he could thrive at Chester and gets a nice low draw to help just a touch too.
Aztec Empire & Solent Gateway
Aztec Empire may well be the favourite at 7/1 but is still firmly backable each-way in this kind of a contest.
He comes here for the first time since being gelded and the first run as a five-year-old.
He's often been consistent at this level at this distance and there's real room for improvement now for his first run since September 2023.
He was third, third and second prior to finishing way out the back of the field at Haydock, placing behind the likes of Forza Orta, Sweet William and Calling The Wind.
The five-year-old gelding has been bumped down just 1lb but could be ideally weighted for a big return with the gelding operation likely helping his temperament to run more efficiently and less keenly.
Solent Gateway also stands out off a similar mark having been bumped down in the weights by 3lb despite coming a close third and fourth in the same races as Aztec Empire.
It's likely the Class 2 handicaps on the all-weather this season wasn't quite his level but he's always done better on the turf and his return to that should see a lot of improvement at what is a massive price considering his form in behind the 7/1 favourite.
Accumulate
James Doyle boards this Roger Varian-trained colt by Calyx, who has only been seen three times so far.
But his form in that maiden win at Newmarket in September has worked out really well, with Al Shabab Storm coming a close second at Chester on Wednesday.
Accumulate was carried out to the right in that maiden and still managed to plug on to win, so should have improved even more over the winter to appear here with much more to offer for the in-form duo.
Tom Lunn's Racing Tips Profit + Loss
- P+L from May '24: +48.16pts
- P+L from July '23: +260.72pts
All odds correct at time of writing
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