Key Points
- My NAP betting tip for the 2m 5f Handicap Hurdle at Kelso
- My selection went close here last year and he has dropped down to 1lb below his last winning mark
- He stands at a lovely double figure price and looks excellent each way value
In this article I’ll be discussing my NAP bet for Saturday’s action. We went extremely close to landing a massive double last Saturday, with two second places that traded heavily at odds on in-running. As I had advised an each way double, thankfully it gave us a profit regardless, but hopefully we can go one better today!
With the 2025 Grand National now just two weeks away, I will be putting together some content for the big race. As well as betting tips, I’ll also look at other aspects like the historical trends for the race for you, so keep your eyes peeled for those over the next week or two.
Betting Advice
- 14:25 Kelso -
Singapore Trip
@ 12/1 (5 places) -
1pt each way
bet365 has the best price, and a great offer
If you’re backing Saturday’s NAP, I recommend using bet365 as they have the top industry price of 12/1. They also have five places on offer for the race, which are always handy when you’re betting each way. If you don’t have an account with them already, I would suggest opening one. If you bet £10, and you’ll get £30 in free bets, which is a pretty cool deal.
Singapore Trip will make the Scotland trip worthwhile!
I think Singapore Trip has a massive chance of landing this valuable series final up at Kelso and in this article, I’ll be explaining why. To be winning these valuable races, you need to be aimed at them from a fair way out and I think that is exactly what has happened with this horse… As a result, I think he is going under the radar in this field.
Micky Hammond also knows the time of day when it comes to plotting for a valuable race. One that springs to mind is Trac back in April last year up at Carlisle. He dropped him back in trip to win a qualifier and got into the final with just 10st 6lb on his back, then landed that as well. Over £20,000 of prize money taken home in two runs for a horse rated 100-110… very shrewd!
He was third in this race last year and I think he can do better this year!
Singapore Trip ran in this valuable series final last year and finished third. However, he didn’t have a smooth preparation for the race, as a couple of other races he was due to run in were abandoned. That meant that he came straight into the race after 63 days off the track and I wonder whether he was just that little bit short of his peak as a result.
He travelled superbly that day, and looked a real danger when he was one of three that jumped the last together. However, he clipped the top of it and the other two jumped it better and finished their races off stronger. With a better jump at the last, it may have been a different story, but the fact he clipped the top of the hurdle suggests he was getting tired at that point anyway. That run came off a mark of 109, and he now comes back for another crack at it this year, off an identical mark of 109, but this time with a recent run under his belt.
He has now dropped to 1lb below his last winning mark, so he is dangerous
After last year’s effort at Kelso, Singapore Trip headed to Perth for a more modest Class 4 Handicap worth just £5,281. He was sent off 8/1 much to my surprise, as I fancied him and tipped him that day. He chased the clear leader three out, led before two out, and went clear after that. It simply looked a matter of how far ahead he would be at the line until he made a bad mistake at the last. That handed a chance to the favourite, trained by Olly Murphy, but Singapore Trip found more under pressure and won well. Whilst the Kelso race was triple the prize money, this was a nice consolation on top of the place money he picked up there.
That Perth run came off a mark of 110 after being raised 1lb for his Kelso effort and if it wasn’t for the mistake at the last, he would have defied that mark very comfortably. Making that mistake at the last, and shortening the winning margin, probably did him a massive favour as the subsequent 2lb rise looked extremely lenient to me. Back down to a mark of 109 five runs later, which is 1lb below his last winning mark, is hugely eye-catching to me and I think he can certainly win off that.
Since Singapore Trip won at Perth, he was put away for a summer break of 169 days. He returned to Wetherby in November, but picked up an injury that day. He was subsequently off the track for another 92 days before making his comeback run at Wetherby where he looked badly in need of the run. On his next start, he didn’t jump with any fluency whatsoever and he did well to travel as well as he did. As they turned for home it quickly became evident that the tank was emptying and Brian Hughes just looked after him.
Last time out, he ran over the same course and distance but in a qualifier for this series final. His jumping was chalk and cheese with the prior run, as it was vastly improved. He made eye-catching headway into the race but let’s just say he seemed to receive tentative handling... Whilst the four in front of him were all ridden for the win in the home straight, he looked to be given a quiet time of it with this series final in mind…
Now trainers are often creatures of habit. You regularly see them go close in a race, or even win it, and then rock back up in future renewals. Whether that’s with the same horse again or another one from their stable. I’d say it’s no coincidence that Micky brings Singapore Trip back for this same valuable series final, and it feels like there is unfinished business there…
With his third place last year, and his win the time after that, he went from 109 to 116. However, with some intriguing campaigning, he returns to the race today off the same mark of 109. Looking at his 12/1 price, he is being judged on his recent form alone, and I’d be drawing a line through all of it and focusing on what he did here last year, and also at Perth. If you judge him on those runs, he looks massively underestimated and overpriced at 12/1. With horse racing form, it can often be a case of reading between the lines rather than taking it literally.
I think patience will be rewarded here…
The more I look at Singapore Trip, the more I’m convinced that this race has been a long term plan. As mentioned at the start of this article, you need to be aiming at these valuable races from a fair way out in order to land them. Whilst the in-form horses will run their races, you often see one lurking on a dangerous mark pop up when their face value would suggest little to no chance. I think Singapore Trip fits that mould perfectly here, and I’d say it is no coincidence that he qualified last time out, and then rocks up here today.
For me, he ticks all the boxes. He has course and distance form, he looks versatile groundwise, has Brian Hughes in the saddle, and he is handicapped to win. This race looks to have been the target for some time, and he carries a lovely weight of 10st 11lb. Although Singapore Trip is only a seven-year-old, he has tons of experience and proven ability. Micky’s horses were under a cloud at the start of the season with just one winner from 84 runners in October, November and December combined. However, his horses have started to get their heads in front during January, February and March, with seven winners recorded to date and plenty more running well and hitting the places. The yard seems to have turned a corner and hopefully Singapore Trip can be the next one to get his head in front!
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