".... he's one horse who will be running on ground that suits...."

Thursday, 22nd October 2026

“…. he’s one horse who will be running on ground that suits….”

In ATC today….

…. I bring you my best picks in Friday’s handicaps on ITV….

I’m on TRAPRAIN LAW in the 3.35 at Cheltenham – up at 7s….

…. and I’m on ADVERTISED at 10s & 9s in the 2.10 at Doncaster….

That’s the summary….

…. you’ll find all my reasoning below – as per usual….

Oh…. and if you’re looking for the standout place terms on offer – you’ll find them in the Bet Box below….

Read on….

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Underfoot conditions at Cheltenham tomorrow are almost certainly going to be more testing than the current going description of Good (Good/Soft in places) implies….

…. they’ve already had 40mm of rain since Sunday night and there’s another 20mm forecast overnight and into Friday morning….

…. and – whilst I’m no meteorological modeller – it wouldn’t be any surprise to me if the word Heavy featured in the going description at the track ahead of the first race on tomorrow’s card….

Dan Skelton’s Calico won the last two renewals of the squareintheair.com Handicap Chase (3.35) and heads the market for this hat-trick attempt – but I’m happy to take him on in these conditions….

JPR One is another one that doesn’t seem to me to be calling out for soft ground. He prefers flat tracks too – which Cheltenham certainly isn’t – and on a mark of 158 first time out I can happily take him on too….

TRAPRAIN LAW was supposed to get his season underway at Kelso at the start of the month – but the ground was too quick for him….

They’d have done some work with him ahead of that fixture….

…. he’s had another three weeks between times to tick over on the gallops at home….

…. and whilst full fitness needs to be taken on trust to a large extent, he’s one horse in tomorrow’s race who will be racing on ground that suits – it’s a case of the softer the better with him….

On his very best form he looks competitively handicapped on a mark of 133….

…. and it’s interesting that joint-trainer Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore opt to use 7lb claimer Mr Lucas Murphy on what is their only runner on tomorrow’s card….

I think he’s an interesting runner at the general 7s….

Up at Doncaster on the flat the William Hill Epic Boosts Handicap (2.10) gives punters a big-field sprint to take aim at….

…. and – at the prices – my preference would be for Grant Tuer’s ADVERTISED at the 10s & 9s with Oisin Murphy booked for a first-time go on the 3yo….

He met trouble in running and ran better than his bare finishing position suggests in September’s Silver Cup at Ayr….

…. and last time at York – where you could make the case he was on the wrong side – he was 2/22 behind track specialist Coul Angel….

…. beating everything else that raced on the near-side part of the track by 3+ lengths….

A bit of cut appears to suit, he’s holding his form into the back end of the season, and he will be in the mix….

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Now, just to recap….

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That’s all for now. I’ll be back with more tomorrow….

Contact me direct at – nick.pullen@spapublishinggroup.co.uk

And remember – win, lose or draw – enjoy the racing….

Stay tuned….

Against the Crowd