Perth – Wednesday 20th April

Cheltenham, Aintree, Fairyhouse, Sandown Park, Punchestown – names that are all synonymous with big spring jumps festivals or meetings.

But many will probably not factor in Perth to that illustrious list. The three-day opening meeting which ushers in the Highland track’s season is a hugely popular one, and often the last outpost of the season for many a good horse, as connections bid to find a slightly calmer pool for their pride and joy to sign off the season in.

The feature is the Highland National on Friday, but all three days have quality and competitive races liberally sprinkled among them.

Two listed races are the centre point of today’s card, and the first of them is the British EBF William Hill Gold Castle ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle at 3.35, and features six progressive young hurdlers.

But most exciting of them has to be the Nicky Richards inmate Famous Bridge, who is unlucky not to be 2 from 2 in handicap company, as he unseated Brian Hughes when about to win his handicap debut at Kelso. Famous Bridge banished that memory with a resounding win at the same venue last month, and it is form that has worked out very well.

3m will unlock further improvement, and at 3/1 with William Hill, Sky Bet and BetVictor as I write, Famous Bridge is a great bet to continue his rise through the ranks.

35 minutes later and it is the William Hill Fair Maid of Perth Mares’ Chase at 4.10, which features Cheltenham Festival Mares’ Chase form in the shape of the second and fourth home Pink Legend and Zambella. But they are worth taking on as both have had long seasons and had a tough race at Cheltenham – while Zambella isn’t a cast iron stayer at the trip, and Pink Legend’s stable is in rotten form currently.

So, the bet in the race is the Gordon Elliott-trained mare Daphne Moon, who is significantly overpriced at odds of 17/2 each-way generally. She has a good bit to find on ratings, but this is her first try at 3m over fences, and she will relish every yard.

The final selection at Perth comes in the closing race on the card, the William Hill Play Responsibly Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at 5.16. At 10/3 with sponsors William Hill and also Sky Bet and BetVictor, Farmers Gamble is a little shorter than I had hoped for, but still a backable price I feel.

Farmers Gamble somehow managed to win a novice hurdle over 2m at Wincanton, but everything about him and the way he went through his handicap debut over 2m4f at Southwell, suggests he will relish this staying trip in excess of 3m today.

It’s not just about Perth today though, as I quite fancy Bella Beau to outrun her odds of 7/1 each-way with Sky Bet, for 5 places, in the Suzuki ATV Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at 3.15 at Ludlow.

It is a very winnable race on paper, and on both of her last two starts, Bella Beau had been markedly better than the bare form. At Plumpton over 2m on penultimate start, she was outpaced late on and was inconvenienced by being kept away from the rail in the closing stages. While at Huntingdon last time, she ran a huge race in fifth, as she was the only horse to run any kind of race from those who raced prominently and on the inside of rain-softened ground.

Four picks for you on this busy Wednesday of action, keep your eyes peeled for our handy bet slip addition tool if you want to include them in an each-way Lucky 15 today – https://www.whichbookie.co.uk/free-betting-tips/horse-racing/lucky-15-tips/