Key Points
- This horse racing betting tip won this race last year in great style
- He is set to line up to defend his crown off a 5lb lower mark
- After two runs on unfavourable ground, he looks to have been lined up for this
We had a fantastic end to last week with my 1pt each way selection, Jakar Du Moulin, winning at 7/1 and returning 10.4pts. Those with Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) got 15/2, returning 11pts. As there is no racing today, I have an antepost betting tip for Boxing Day instead. This horse is priced at 12/1, which is huge value, and hopefully he will be our next December winner!
If you’re just discovering my content for the first time here, I’m RacingGav and I’m the resident horse racing tipster here at Betting.co.uk. I have been in this role since March 2025 and my core focus is providing you with
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If antepost betting interests you, make sure to check out my other festive tips, which include the
King George VI Chase
on Boxing Day and the
Welsh Grand National
on 27 December 2025.
Betting advice
- Friday 26 December - 13:35 Wetherby - The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase -
Some Scope
@ 12/1 (3 places) -
1pt each way
bet365 has Some Scope priced at 12/1
At the time of writing, the price for Some Scope varies between 8/1 and 10/1 at most bookies, but the
best horse racing odds
are on offer at bet365, where he is priced at 12/1. In addition, they also have a superb new customer sign up offer. If you bet £10, you’ll get £30 in free bets. If you don’t have an account there yet, now is a good time to sign up.
Some Scope can defend his Rowland Meyrick crown!
I suspect the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase has been a long term target for Some Scope, and he looks handicapped to retain his crown in the race. In this article, I’ll be breaking down my reasons for picking him, so make sure you read on to understand my logic.
Some Scope won this race last year in great style
Last year, Some Scope’s connections targeted the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase, he was well backed into 5/2F and he delivered the win. He took over the race from four out and readily pulled clear of his rivals shortly after. The race was over at the second last, and although he idled on the run-in, the result was never in doubt. I think he was value for more than the winning margin of just under a length.
Connections managed to sneak him into the race off bottom weight of 10st 12lb last year, and with Charlie Maggs claiming 7lb at the time, he ended up carrying just 9st 9lb. He took full advantage of that light weight, and it was certainly a factor in his success.
Some Scope is set to line up to defend his crown off a 5lb lower mark
At the time of writing, eleven horses have been entered for this race. However, only six of them have jockey bookings confirmed, suggesting real intent to run in the race. Some Scope is down to a mark of 119 and set to carry just 9st 5lb, but in reality, the minimum weight is 10st 2lb, so he would have to race from 11lb out of the handicap. However, that is subject to Jungle Boogie running off 156 and he is also entered at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.
If Jungle Boogie opts for the Cheltenham race worth twice the prize money, Some Scope’s weight would rise from 9st 5lb to 10st, leaving him just 2lb out of the handicap. In this circumstance, he would effectively be racing off a mark of 121, which becomes 116 with Charlie Maggs’ 5lb claim. Last year he raced off 124 with Charlie Maggs claiming 7lb, so effectively 117. Even from 2lb out of the handicap, and with Charlie claiming 2lb less, he’d still be 1lb better off compared with last year.
With his two runs this season being on unfavourable ground, Some Scope looks to have been lined up for this
What I find particularly interesting with Some Scope is that he doesn’t enjoy soft ground. His five career wins to date have come on Good, or Good to Soft going and he has only placed once from six starts on Soft ground.
In addition, he didn’t run at Bangor in April due to
“unsuitable ground”
when the going was Soft, so it’s rather intriguing that his two runs this season have been on Soft ground. I’d suggest running him when conditions were unsuitable was a way of getting him beaten to bring down his handicap mark, which has worked.
Is it just a coincidence that Some Scope was campaigned to bring down his mark, and now rocks up in the same valuable race that he won last year? I don’t think so. In my opinion, they have lined him up for this race again and he has every chance of retaining his crown. Although the going is officially Soft now, only 1.1m of rain is forecast between now and the race, so the drying ground should swing the conditions in his favour.
Can Some Scope record back to back wins in this race?
Some Scope won this race last year, and he’s handicapped to do so again. It looks like he has been primed for this race, and conditions seem to be swinging in his favour. Also, if Jungle Boogie heads to Cheltenham instead, the adjusted weights would see Some Scope take part on better terms than when he won the race last year.
However, there is one negative. If Jungle Boogie takes his chance, Some Scope will have to race from 11lb out of the handicap, which is a big ask, even when factoring in Charlie Maggs’ 5lb claim. We are also gambling on the weather forecast being accurate, and the ground drying out. The better the ground, the better his chance.
At a price of 12/1, I’m willing to gamble on the race cutting up. Jungle Boogie running at Cheltenham would see the weights adjusted, plus the ground should dry up between now and the race. If Some Scope was sneaking in at the bottom of the handicap, and I knew the ground would be suitable, I’d be having a serious bet. But even with the variables at play, I’m willing to risk 1pt each way. Some Scope could easily go off at a fraction of his current price and with so much potential value on offer, he is worthy of a solid bet.
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