Exeter Racecourse: preview and tips for Best Mate Chase meeting at on Tuesday

The weather is cooling down and the nights are drawing in so that can only mean one thing - the Winter Jumps season is upon the sport of horse racing. 

Exeter Racecourse hosts its latest meeting of the new campaign on Tuesday afternoon with a seven-race Jumps card, which includes the feature Best Mate Chase, kicking off at 2.10pm and rounding off at 5.33pm. 

Read below to discover the latest tips and a full meeting preview for Exeter’s card on Tuesday courtesy of Sporting Life. 

The opening contest on Exeter’s card (2.10) sees a field of 11 head to the start for division one of the class four maiden hurdle. 14-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls has a strong hand in the opener with Jackpot Des Bordes, a debut bumper winner last November and a good second at Wincanton five months later and goes hurdling here for the first time for a top yard. Ace Of Spades from the Dan Skelton team can fill the second spit, beaten a short odds on hurdles debut at Uttoxeter in October but can leave that form behind here.

Division two of the same discipline marks race two on the Exeter card (2.43) as a field of ten tackle the two miles and two furlong distance. Nicholls could secure a quick double to open the card here with Sorceleur, making all in a Taunton bumper last season and following up with a very useful fifth in a Grade 2 bumper at Aintree’s Grand National meeting last time out so should take a fair bit of beating if he can translate that form to hurdles. Skelton could well grab another second on the card with Pony Soprano, a good third on bumper debut at Sandown eight months ago and is stepping up in trip here which should suit. 

Race three of the afternoon (3.18) sees the bigger fences come into play for the first time with the two mile and one furlong handicap chase in class five. Emma Lavelle sends Move The Beat handicapping for the first time and it’s no coincidence she is doing that with a dual point-to-point winner so looks the one to beat on Tuesday. Of his rivals, Moorland Rambler for North Devon  trainer Jane Williams rates the main threat of a lenient mark following a less than stellar campaign over fences last season.

A decent field of 13 will head to the start for the two mile and seven furlong handicap hurdle in class three to mark race four on Exeter’s card (3.53) and Mad Mike could be the way to go for the Phillip Hobbs team, a winner of an Exeter maiden on his last start. King Of The Lake has been runner up on six of eight starts over hurdles - three of those coming at Exeter - and should be in the mix on season return for trainer Jeremy Scott. 

The feature race of the day is up next at 4.28 with the class three Best Mate Handicap Chase, with a field of ten taking on the extended three miles around Exeter. Rose Of Arcadia was below par when last seen but a subsequent wind operation could be of big benefit here for a runner who goes well first time around, so is taken to get the win ahead of Moroder, second in a Cheltenham handicap last time around and Abuffalosoldier, a winner at Newbury in January and a decent fourth at Ayr in April. 

A two-mile and two furlong handicap hurdle is the penultimate race on Exeter’s Tuesday card (5.03), with preference heading the way of Rehill Relic for trainer Sam Allwood, a point-to-point winner that has shown fair ability over hurdles, including last season when chasing home a Nicky Henderson-trained likely type in Break My Soul on his last spin, who has since won again, so that form is working out very nicely. 

Finally, the card comes to a close with a bumper - a Flat race run over jumps rules - over the one mile and five furlong trip in class five (5.33). Trainer Ralph Beckett won this race in 2021 and 2022 so it could well be worth siding with his runner in the card closer here with Gnomon without any clues in the betting. Secret Sniper is a brother to dual bumper winner Secret Squirrel so could be worth having a look at as well in the finale. 

Exeter selections - Tuesday

2.10 - Jackpot Des Bordes

2.43 - Sorceleur

3.18 - Move The Beat

3.53 - Mad Mike

4.28 - Rose Of Arcadia

5.03 - Rehill Relic

5.33 - Gnomon