Today’s Horse Racing Tip – 8:15 Chelmsford 5 April

Today’s horse racing tip runs in the totepool Bets At totesport.com Handicap at 8:15 Chelmsford when nine runners are scheduled to contest the Class 4 event over six furlongs on the all weather track.

The penultimate race at Chelmsford tonight is an open looking contest where a good case can be made for at least three of the nine runners. However, I’m drawn back to the merits of Related who gets the nomination for today’s free racing tip.

Paul Midgley’s eight-year-old has winning form at a higher level than today’s opposition and while maybe not the force of old, is on a winnable mark this evening. The gelding won three times last season and was given a break following his latest win, over six furlongs at Kempton in October.

Related made his seasonal debut just over two weeks ago and ran a very promising third in a competitive race at Kempton. Reunited with Luke Morris, he is expected to come on for the run and can beat off his rivals this evening.

Dark Side Dream is a consistent performer and is expected to challenge for favouritism in the betting market. The six-year-old finished half a length in front of today’s racing tip on similar terms at Kempton last time but did have the benefit of a previous run. Related will strip fitter today and can reverse the form on the strength of two lengths superiority giving away 6lb to Dark Side Dream when they met in October.

Summerghand progressed nicely as a three-year-old and is one to keep an eye on today. David O’Meara’s charge begins the campaign off a handy mark but fitness is the main concern given he runs for the first time in over five months.

Upavon made a great start for his new connections winning at 6/1 in an eight-runner handicap at Wolverhampton in February. The gelding is raised 2lbs for the win and has genuine claims on his best form. However, his record is somewhat inconsistent with his temperament often letting him down.

Merhoob is another entrant that warrants consideration. The six-year-old has winning form over course and distance and went into notebooks on his return from a long lay off at Kempton 15 days ago. Ryan Powell wasn’t hard on his mount as he finished in a group just behind Related but might be best watched as it remains to be seen how the gelding came out of his first race in over 39 months.

Major Valentine and Ninjango have winning form but don’t have the appeal of rivals nearer the front of the betting market while Mont Kiara is an unreliable type making his first appearance in 126 days.

Today’s going at Chelmsford City is Standard and the weather forecast is mostly sunny with a light wind.

The key to this event could lie in the recent Kempton race where Dark Side Dream finished ahead of Related and Merhoob. Related is likely to be the one to come on most from the race and gets the vote as today’s horse racing prediction.