Key Points
- My Friday betting tip thrives on Good going and should get his ideal conditions
- This horse is handicapped to win off his current mark of 123
- He ran a very solid race last time out and the form has been franked!
The National Hunt season
officially
runs from 3 May 2025 to 25 April 2026. However the Chepstow meeting (from 10 to 12 October) is viewed as the ‘real’ start of the Jumps season by most fans of the sport, including me! With the huge draw of the action at Chepstow, I have decided to look ahead to the first day of the meeting on Friday, and I have a strong selection ready for you.
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Betting advice
15:12 Chepstow –
Lord Accord
@ 6/1 (3 places) –
1pt each way
bet365 offers the best value for Lord Accord
At the time of writing, Lord Accord is priced between 5/1 and 6/1. bet365 is one of three bookmakers offering 6/1, and I think that is a great price. All are offering the same three places, so there is no edge to be had there. However, bet365 has the best sign-up offer for new customers. If you
bet £10, they’ll give you £30 of free bets. A fantastic boost as we head into a fantastic weekend of Jumps action.
Lord Accord can get the real Jump season off to a flying start
Lord Accord runs in the DragonBet Veterans’ Handicap Chase over 2m 7f and he looks fantastic value at 6/1. I think he can get our season off to a flyer and in the next few sections I’ll show you why.
Lord Accord thrives on Good going and should get his ideal conditions
Some horses are versatile when it comes to ground conditions, while others only thrive with conditions to suit. Lord Accord certainly falls into that latter category. Although he has won twice on Good to Soft going, he has never won on Soft or Heavy ground. Six of his eight wins have come on Good going, and he certainly has a strong preference for faster conditions.
At the time of writing, the Chase course at Chepstow is currently rated Good. It always takes a good leap of faith to trust a weather forecast, but no rain is expected between now and the race. There will be some watering to ensure the ground is safe, but there’s nothing to suggest any radical change. This will play into the hands of Lord Accord, but perhaps disappoint a couple of his rivals who would have preferred some rain to fall.
Lord Accord is handicapped to win off his current mark of 123
With a strong preference for better ground, it comes as no surprise that Lord Accord tends to fire during the earlier stages of his campaigns. In fact, six of his eight victories were recorded in September or October. His other two wins came in May and December. While the latter was deep into winter, it was unusually dry for the time of year, and the going was rated Good that day.
After a couple of runs last summer, Lord Accord was given a 57-day break. He came back to win his next two starts in September and October, off marks of 117 and 123 respectively. He then ran a mighty race chasing the hat-trick in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase at Wincanton off a mark of 128, only finding the runaway winner, Al Dancer, too strong.
Lord Accord is now handicapped to win again, as he has fallen back down to his last winning mark of 123. If he can replicate anything like his emphatic 16-length victory off this mark (this time last season) he will take some beating here. Whilst I appreciate this is a strong race on paper, he has a lovely racing weight of just 10st 4lb here, receiving between 5lb and 24lb from his rivals.
Lord Accord is having his first run in Veteran company, and as a fit 10-year-old, I think he's extremely dangerous. Plenty of these veterans are past their best, out of form, and/or are having their first start of the season. I believe that makes a good few of these runners vulnerable.
In complete contrast, Lord Accord comes here in fantastic form, and already fit from racing during the summer. While this will be the first start of the season for some, which may be needed to blow away the cobwebs, this will be Lord Accord’s fourth start, following on from his runs in June, July and August. That fitness edge could be massive at this time of the season, and hopefully he can make it count.
Also, I really liked his performance last time out, where he came second to Olivers Travels at Cartmel. It was officially Good going, but the surface certainly seemed to be cutting up that day, and the winning time was 10.35s below average. Personally, I suspect it was on the softer side of Good at least, but despite that, Lord Accord ran a cracker. That form looks stronger now, with Olivers Travels running off a 6lb higher mark, and bolting in by an even wider margin of 8.5 lengths in his next race. A fact that makes the unaltered mark for Lord Accord looks very generous indeed!
Can Lord Accord make his debut in Veteran’s company a winning one?
Lord Accord has a huge chance of winning on his first start in Veteran company. He’s fit, he’s handicapped to strike, and he has the going in his favour. The icing on the cake is his strong jockey booking. Richie McLernon takes the ride, and the partnership have already enjoyed three wins and four places.
While some in this field may have future races to focus on, this is the time of year that Lord Accord strikes, so hopefully he can do so again. I can completely see the case for Le Milos and Courtland, but I can also build cases against them, especially at prices of 3/1 and 10/3, so I’m taking them on. Others like Torn And Frayed, Annsam, and Latenightpass may all need this first run.
Meanwhile, Tullybeg is difficult to trust and his 136 mark from the British handicapper looks harsh enough. Will Carver is returning from his fourth wind surgery, which is a huge concern, but he is lightly raced and unexposed at the trip, so he is a bit of a wild card. My second choice, especially at the prices, would be Hang In There. But while he is very classy, shouldering 12st here won’t be easy, especially when you consider he’s giving 24lb to Lord Accord.
Overall, I think Lord Accord looks a fantastic bet at 6/1, and I’d have him right at the top of the market myself. For that reason, I’m playing a full 1pt each way here, and hopefully he can get the Welsh Racing Festival off to a flyer for us!
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