Tanya Stevenson: Don’t Forget Apple Away’s Midweek Masterclass Easily

We have asked Tanya Stevenson, a hugely respected figure in the world of horse racing to give us the inside track when it comes to which ante-post bets you should be keeping an eye on.

Tanya’s unparalleled insights and expertise made her a key figure on Channel 4’s racing coverage for many years and she is known worldwide for her vast betting knowledge on the sport. 

At Gambling.com our team review all horse racing betting sites to bring you the industry leaders and we also find you the best offers available for new and existing customers that match your wallet. 

Before you take advantage of one of those great promotions, read on to find out who Tanya has added to her tracker this week. 

Apple Away continues to impress, perhaps not yet receiving the recognition she deserves from punters and betting sites alike. 

The action at the weekend meant her performance at Leicester on December 13 was soon forgotten, it shouldn’t be! 

It’s hard to assess where the ceiling of her improvement will be as it was never breached over hurdles. Unintentionally, it’s a fickle industry as soon as a race is run it’s a rush to the next. 

Plus, sometimes there is focus just on the victors without appreciation of the achievements of those finishing behind, I’ll get on to that later as there were a few gems at Cheltenham across the two days.

Back to Apple Away, she won her debut over hurdles in September 2022 at Bangor. 

If only we knew then what we know now, she was an unheralded 11-1! Next up was Cheltenham in October finishing sixth, Kelso, then Haydock followed building up strength and experience all the while and the versatility to handle any course. 

Ayr in February saw her return to the winners’ enclosure under 12 stone mixing it with the boys and making all for a very easy win. 

She gained a listed victory at Doncaster, her sixth race of the season and it would have been understandable had connections brought her season to a close. Her progression had seen her jump 20lbs in the ratings in a few runs.

However, as is now known she went to the Grade 1 Sefton Novices Hurdle at Aintree. A race in previous years won by the likes of (1992) Barton Bank, (2003) Iris’s Gift, (2005) Black Jack Ketchum, (2015) Thistlecrack, (2019) Champ, and I could list many more but you get the gist. 

Rewind back to Bangor in September she had been beaten 24 lengths by Mofasa, in April at Aintree she beat that rival by 40 lengths! More significantly though at the line trailing behind her was Maximillian, Iroko and Stay Away Fay. 

It could be argued she won with something in hand, so often though it’s the starting price that deflects from acknowledging the facts. Had she been a favourite the mentality is generally different. Double figures, and there are reasons being dug up to find why the shorter priced horses ran under par. They didn’t! 

It was a top Grade 1, proven by the what Iroko and Stay Away Fay have done subsequently over fences. 

Obviously, I haven’t signed you up to the Apple Away fan club yet, or maybe I don’t need to. She could have continued to raise her rating over hurdles, that was in no doubt. 

However, she made her debut over fences at Haydock, I thought it was promising and pleasing, jumps at the ninth and 10th down the back straight showed there was much to learn. 

Derek Fox rode a beautiful race on her, not fussing and letting her make her own decisions, crucial for confidence in future events. Worth considering, she was up against a horse already proficient in jumping in Gaillard Du Mesnil and Grey Dawning who already had a chase start under his belt.  

We didn’t have to wait long for her next appearance as she sneaked in a race at Leicester a course where Lucinda Russell has only had five previous runners - and it was only Derek Fox’s second ride at the venue. 

It appears she thrived jumpers beautifully, who she defeated to some extent is an irrelevance as this was an exercise in gaining further experience as she really improved last season at the turn of the year. 

As they do on a quiet Wednesday, quotes flowed for the Festival in March for both the Mares’ Chase or the Brown Advisory. The Stayers Hurdle could still be feasible, and no doubt tempting should the race be inviting. 

However, I’m more interested in her over fences and she is from a stable who don’t shirk from the bigger test. I grant you Aintree is more her course, but the fact she has run at eight different venues already shows her versatility. 

She pops over her fences, she’s learnt to be economical and she’s so intelligent. Another plus is she’s being doing all of this while the stable is not yet in top form. She is certainly something to look forward to in 2024!

Probably due to time constraints and too much to be across, all attention and adulation is paid to the winners. Please when watching racing make a mental note or jot down some of those who run superbly well. 

Broadway Boy is exciting, brilliant too, plus he lined a few people’s pockets on Saturday. Spare a thought for Protektorat who ran a blinder in third only three lengths behind conceding 19lb, roll on Lingfield or maybe even Cheltenham first.

Harry Fry keeps hitting the crossbar, he should be in this post alone as soon his runners will be on a roll, at the time of writing he is 0 from 16 (five of those finished second and three thirds). 

One of the seconds is Beat The Bat and while many were euphoric about Dysart Eros and rightly so, please don’t forget Beat The Bat, he will win a lovely race and maybe at the Festival, if not before. 

Doddiethegreat drifted markedly in the odds on betting apps so much so at one point you would have been forgiven for thinking he was going to be a non-runner. 

Only his second run back after a 746-day layoff and he excelled himself, he conceded 6lb to Go Dante. His aim is the Scottish Champion Hurdle, provided he stays sound he will be very hard to beat.