English/Ire
King’s best bets – 28th February 2026
Sam King tipped Fast Track Harry to land the spoils at Lingfield yesterday and is back with a handful of selections for Saturday.
Plenty of my attention will be over at Meydan this afternoon but there are some cracking cards over the jumps in Britain and Ireland to also consider, with bets to be had at Kelso and Doncaster.
Up at Kelso, the bet365 Morebattle Hurdle (2.55) is always an interesting betting heat and I'm going to put forward a couple of horses.
The booking of Sean Bowen is a positive for any horse, but I'd suggest it's even more of a plus for Hamlet's Night, who seems just the type of horse to respond generously to the Bowen drive.
James Owen's charge teed himself up for a crack at this valuable prize with a smooth victory on the flat and while it's not exactly the usual way into the contest, it might just prove a smart one as he now enters handicap company for the first time off a mark of 134.
He went down by a neck to the classy Rubaud in the Grade 2 Elite Hurdle on his last start over timber and I suspect connections have had this race in mind ever since. He's clearly progressing nicely over hurdles and surely has every chance for a yard who are 8-40 (20%) over the last fortnight.
At a bigger price, fellow handicap debutant Captain Hugo has to be on the radar. He was by no means done with when falling at the third-last in the race where the Supreme Novices' Hurdle-bound Mossy Road Fen finished runner-up at Musselburgh, while the form of his success at Newbury earlier in the season couldn't have worked out much better, with subsequent Grade 2 winner Klub De Reve and the promising Sinnatra both in behind.
He's a general 12/1 shot for this and that looks tasty enough to play each-way with plenty of firms paying extra places.
1pt Win – Hamlet's Night (15/2)
1pt Each-way – Captain Hugo (12/1)
The Grade 2 bet365 Premier Novices' Hurdle (2.15) looks like a decent contest earlier on the card and Starmount can show his class for the in-form Ben Pauling team.
The yard won this in 2024 with Personal Ambition and their latest contender, Starmount, brings a similar profile to the table.
He couldn't land a blow when pitched into the Tolworth on just his second start over hurdles at Aintree on Boxing Day, but showed exactly what he was made of when
scoring back down in grade at Wetherby last month and the form of that contest has taken a nice boost, with the runner-up now rated 126 after winning impressively at Kelso.
This sharp track over two miles should bring out the best in a horse who possesses bundles of natural speed, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he just had too much raw ability and class for his rivals here.
1pt Win – Starmount (3/1)
Note - Doncaster selection is a non-runner
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