
Today’s betting tip is for the Flat meeting at Chester, where my selection runs in the Class 2 (0-100) 5f Handicap. This horse is 11-years-old now, but he loves this course and distance, he retains his ability, and I think he can outrun his 10/1 odds
If you are new to my content, I post four articles per week here. They are usually betting tips, but I do also produce other types of content such as big race trends and antepost betting tips. If you look back through my previous articles, you’ll find my antepost picks for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and the 2026 Grand National. While you still have plenty of time to back these horses, I recommend that you get on at the early prices for the best value. Meanwhile, make sure to tune back in tomorrow and Saturday, as I'll have more betting tips for you on both days.
If you are looking to back Copper Knight, my bookmaker recommendation for today is Betfred. Firstly, they have the joint best price available at 10/1, secondly they are offering four places and thirdly, they have an excellent sign up offer for new customers. If you bet £10, they’ll give you £50 of free bets. It’s an unbeatable deal.
My betting tip for today is Copper Knight. Although he is an 11-year-old now, I think he is far from finished where his racing career is concerned, and there are still winning days ahead for him this season. There are several reasons why I think Copper Knight is overpriced at 10/1 today, and I’ll break them down in this article, so keep reading!.
Throughout his career Copper Knight has recorded 15 wins, and four of those victories were over this 5f trip at Chester. It’s not like we are talking old form either, his most recent win was on 15 June 2024, where he ran off a 2lb higher mark of 77. It was a pretty emphatic victory too, which is reflected in the RPR of 87 that was awarded.
His overall record here is four wins, two seconds and one third place from 11 starts. That is a very impressive strike rate of over 36% at this course, and in 64% of his races here, he has finished in the first three.
His trainer has mentioned that he would prefer some juice in the ground, but six of Copper Knight’s career wins have come on Good ground. In addition, he has won on everything from Good to Firm through to Soft, so he is clearly very versatile when it comes to the ground conditions.
Last April, he had a spin at Beverley before coming here for this exact race. He finished seventh at Beverley, beaten five lengths and produced a RPR of just 70. However, he looked a different horse when he came here, clearly improving for the run and also loving his return to this track. He was second, beaten just a neck off a mark of 75, and produced an RPR of 83, nearly a whole stone better than his reappearance run.
The horse who beat him that day was Democracy Dilemma who went on to win the Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes (Listed Race) later that season and is now rated 105 after beating Copper Knight off a handicap mark of 97. Therefore, it is safe to say he bumped into one there!
This season, he’s had a spin at Beverley again, and now comes here for the same race. What I find interesting though, is that despite being 11 now, he actually performed better at Beverley this time around. He improved his finishing position from seventh to third, and he was beaten by 2.75 lengths rather than five lengths. He also produced a RPR of 75, better than his previous 70. He should actually be coming here off a 2lb lower mark of 73 this time, but he’s 2lb out of the Handicap and therefore races off 75, the same mark as last year.
With a horse of Copper Knight’s age, you have to worry about whether they retain their ability. It is completely normal for horses to pass their peak and as they get into their later years, they regress, and you typically see their mark continue to fall until they are retired. However, Copper Knight really impressed me when third at Beverley this year, proving that he has retained both his ability and his enthusiasm for the game.
Given how last year the race was just a stepping stone for this one at Chester, it makes it even more impressive as you know he should improve for it, and show that he’s even better than he was there.
I think Copper Knight can achieve course and distance victory number five here today. Last year, he did absolutely nothing wrong, he just bumped into a very smart horse with plenty in hand when beaten by Democracy Dilemma. Now there may well be another Democracy Dilemma lurking in this field, and if there is, you have to take it on the chin. However, at a price of 10/1, we can afford for Copper Knight to come second, third or even fourth and we would still get something back.
He loves this course and distance, he is 2lb below his last winning mark, and he’s drawn well in Stall 3. Copper Knight also proved that he has retained his ability and enthusiasm on his reappearance run. For me, he ticks an awful lot of boxes, and I think he is clearly underestimated at a price of 10/1. Given his age though, the fact he potentially would prefer some juice in the ground, and that he is racing from 2lb out of the Handicap, I’m limiting this bet to half stakes.
I’d love to see Copper Knight win from a sentimental perspective too. A fifth course and distance victory, a 16th career victory and all at the age of 11- it would be some story!
The list below contains a handful of our bookmaker partners and details the free bet offers that they currently have available. If you don’t already have an account with any of them, I would highly recommend that you take a closer look.
Unless it’s an occasion like one of the big Festivals, then I generally post four articles each week here at betting.co.uk. However, the majority of my betting tips are exclusive to members of my Discord server.
On Sunday, Story Horse won for us at 11/2 and after two no bet days on Monday and Tuesday, as I don’t force bets out for the sake of it, we returned today with another winner which was Kylenoe Dancer at 13/2.
If you would like to find out more information about these winning tips, that can be found on my X account - @RacingGav. Alternatively, I have a 7-day free Discord trial currently available. Why not give it a try and judge for yourself.
Users must be 18+. If you are having trouble with gambling then help and advice can be found at begambleaware.org. Please Play Responsibly.
Trading financial products carries a high risk to your capital, especially trading leverage products such as CFDs. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.