Thursday 05 May 2016 7:00 pm

Horse racing betting: Don’t Wait For Me to back the Swinton Hurdle winner at Haydock

Sports Editor

Haydock stages a really interesting mixed card on Saturday and National Hunt enthusiasts have their last fix before July’s Galway Festival.

Final declarations are made for the Swinton Hurdle (2.15pm) on Friday morning, but the entries suggest this year’s renewal is going to be high quality.

Dan Skelton had a fantastic 2015/16 season, culminating in Ch’Tibello’s Scottish Champion Hurdle win.

Regular readers hopefully profited from that success, but off a 6lb higher mark, and at a much shorter price, I’m going to take him on this time.

Philip Hobbs’ string have really turned the corner over the past few weeks and I expect WAIT FOR ME to land the biggest prize of his career tomorrow.

He’s won two of his four hurdles starts and his only defeats have come against future Grade One winner Buveur D’Air and when fourth in the County Hurdle.

Although he hasn’t necessarily looked a natural hurdler this season, I think that can be put down to soft ground.

He jumped much better at Cheltenham last time when faced with a decent surface for the first time this term. His third in last year’s Champion Bumper is also very strong form.

This is obviously a very competitive race, but Hobbs won it last year and I’m surprised Wait For Me is available at 7/1 with conditions certain to suit.

Paul Nicholls’ three possible runners are all interesting, while Gwafa and Beltor are also dangers.

Elsewhere on the card, Kevin Ryan looks to have a great chance of securing victory with KELINNI in the seven furlong Listed race (2.45pm).

He won a Conditions race really well over this distance at Thirsk last time out and could get his own way up front once more.

Shane Gray is on board the gelding again having ridden him to victory last month and Kelinni looks a good bet with the ground very much in his favour.

Nicky Henderson bagged a big winner on Wednesday when No Heretic landed the Betway Chester Cup.

And SIGN OF A VICTORY could bid for similar success for the trainer at Royal Ascot, but he’ll need a win under his belt at the same course in the Class Three handicap (2.30pm) to get there.

He won a Wolverhampton maiden impressively in December and ran better than his finishing position suggests in the Champion Hurdle last time. He looks on a good mark and the quick ground is perfect for him.

The Victoria Cup (4.15pm) is the big betting race at Ascot. Punters have had their fingers burnt recently with favourites failing to finish in the first three for the last five years and I’m happy to pick out a couple at bigger odds.

There should be plenty of pace in the race and FORT BASTION, available at 20/1 with a few firms, has shown he’s effective over a fast-run seven furlongs.

He was fourth in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket two years ago and has run a number of really solid races over course and distance.

Josh Doyle takes 5lb off, so he’s effectively running off a mark of 92 here.

CRAZY CHIC won a decent handicap at Kempton on the all-weather last month on his final start for Marco Botti and could go close at 25/1.

Although he hasn’t got much form on turf, Ascot’s track tends to suit all-weather performers because it’s sand-based. His draw in stall 28 is also a positive.