Key Points
- Today’s betting tip was a very progressive horse last season
- This horse had excuses on reappearance and I believe he can bounce back here
- There has been an interesting change of jockey for today’s race
Yesterday, my 13/2 selection, John Barbour, won for us, securing a 9.8pt return from our 1pt each way bet. It was fantastic to see October out with a bang, and hopefully we can welcome November in similar style!
If you’re reading these articles for the first time today, I’m RacingGav and I’m the resident horse racing tipster here at Betting.co.uk. I post four or five articles per week, which are predominantly betting tips whether for the same day or antepost. As well as those tips, I put up a
Lucky 15 bet
each Saturday featuring four races from the ITV racing action.
If Antepost betting intrigues you, be sure to check out the articles that I already have posted on here. These include the King George VI Chase, Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle and the 2026 Grand National. https://www.betting.co.uk/news/horse-racing/betting-tips-2026-cheltenham-festival-albert-bartlett/
Betting advice
- 13:15 Wetherby - Pep Talking @ 13/2 (3 places, ¼ odds) - 0.75pt each way
Back Pep Talking with William Hill
At the time of writing, Pep Talking predominately sits at 13/2 in the market. However, William Hill stand out from the crowd with their place terms, as they are offering 1/4 odds rather than the standard 1/5 . In addition to the fantastic each way terms, William Hill has a superb sign up offer too. If you
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Pep Talking can walk the walk today!
I believe that Pep Talking can put his reappearance run well behind him here but he very much needs to. This really does feel like no excuses territory, so hopefully he can run a huge race. In this article, I’ll be breaking down my reasoning behind the bet, so make sure you read on to understand my whole thought process.
Pep Talking was a very progressive horse last season
Last season Pep Talking had a phenomenal campaign with form figures produced of 611P3112. As a result of those four wins, plus a few places, Pep Talking saw his handicap rating rise from 84 all the way up to 102. On his final start of the season, he was beaten nine lengths by Time To Bite.
Now it would be easy to assume the handicapper had simply caught up with him and he was fairly beaten. However, that form line now looks very strong with Time To Bite winning three further races since. When Time To Bite beat Pep Talking, he was rated just 99 and he is now 23lb higher on 122. So that piece of form can be marked up.
He had excuses on his reappearance and he can bounce back here
His only other start was on reappearance at Huntingdon last month, where he was second to Zestful Hope, beaten 13 lengths. For me, this doesn’t tell the story of the race at all, and it was a far stronger performance than the official margin suggests.
Pep Talking led throughout the race, but the pair began to duel from a long way out. As they turned in, Zestful Hope was ridden and Pep Talking was on the bridle. However, as they were being followed closely by a loose horse. As the pair went to jump the second last, Pep Talking was sandwiched mid-air by Zestful Hope jumping on his right, and the loose horse on his left.
As a result of this interference, Pep Talking pecked on landing and lost a lot of momentum. With the lack of a recent run, battling with Zestful Hope from some way out, and the interference suffered, Pep Talking appeared to blow up after travelling best. I think he will benefit from that last run and can hopefully continue his progression from last season.
There has been an interesting change of jockey for today’s race
I also find it particularly interesting that Gavin Sheehan has been booked to ride PepTalking today. Kevin Brogan was aboard for his first two starts last season, winning on his second attempt. After that, Gavin Sheehan took the reins and rode Pep Talking for his next six starts.
Despite this, when it came to Pep Talking’s reappearance at Huntingdon, trainer Billy Aprahamian, decided to book Jack Andrews. But now the horse is race fit, Gavin Sheehan returns to the saddle. I could be wrong, but to me, it looks like they had Jack in to give him a spin for fitness, and now he’s ready to go, Gavin Sheehan comes back to get the best out of him.
It could be a big day for Gavin Sheehan, as later on today’s card, he partners Hewick for Shark Hanlon in the Charlie Hall Chase. Notably, this partnership won the 2023 King George VI Chase. Hopefully, Gavin will go into the Charlie Hall full of confidence after recording a win aboard Pep Talking!
Will Pep Talking return to winning ways?
When you look at the full picture, you can see plenty of angles that lead you back to Pep Talking. He was a very progressive horse last year, he had excuses on reappearance last month, and Gavin Sheehan is back in the saddle. I also feel you can pick holes in a lot of the runners lining up against him today, especially as PepTalking and Lightning Flash are the only two that benefit from a run this season.
On the negative side, Pep Talking has never competed in Class 3 Handicap company, and he needs to prove he is up to this higher level. He does also needs to prove that luck went against him last time, and it wasn’t just the new norm for him.
All things considered, I think Pep Talking is a good bet today, but the question is how much to stake? I was switching back and forth between 0.5pt and 1pt anyway, so I’ve decided to go straight down the middle with 0.75pt each way bet.
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