Andrew heads to the jumps meetings at Leicester and Wincanton for his two recommended bets/trades on Thursday, December 5th.

LEICESTER 2.55

SAMAZUL scored comfortably at Fontwell on his penultimate start, but that race took little winning and the other four finishers were all beaten next time out, the runner-up and third at short prices. Ben Pauling’s six-year-old reportedly stopped quickly when a 31-length sixth of eight back at Fontwell on his next start and today’s market seems to have overlooked that performance, making him the 15-8 second favourite. His patient running style is far from ideal for Leicester and he faces solid rivals in the shape of JOHNNY MAC, three from three on right-handed tracks for his current yard, and chase debutant DAVIDS WELL. Sell in the Spreadex 50-25-10 market.

Recommendation: Oppose SAMAZUL in Leicester 2.55

WINCANTON 3.10

I was tempted by the claims of SAFE DESTINATION in this 3m2.5f handicap chase because of his good record on right-handed tracks but the best value could lie with the Christian Williams-trained JONY MAX. This front-running nine-year-old arrives here in good form having made all at Warwick last month before his neck second to SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL (re-opposes today) at Taunton, and the first-time cheekpieces could eke out some improvement. Since the beginning of 2019 his trainer is ten from 45 when using this headgear for a profit of £21.00 to a £1 level stake at SP. We’re at the time of year when the yard’s handicap chasers usually come to life and his runners in first-time cheekpieces from December 1^st until the end of the season are nine from 22 in the past five seasons for a profit of £38.50, including eight from 16 (+£29.50) for the chasers. He’s worn first-time headgear twice previously, landing this very race in 2021 in a first-time tongue-tie and finishing a close-up second, again over course and distance, in first-time blinkers back in October of this year. Buy in the Spreadex 50-30-20-10 market or take a fixed odds price.

Recommendation: Back JONY MAX in Wincanton 3.10

Please note that the picks recommended in this blog post are based on past performance and should not be considered a guarantee for future winning outcomes, and it is important to remember that spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital and can result in losses larger than your initial stake/deposit. The views within this preview are those of Andrew Mount, professional tipster and journalist, and not those of Spreadex.