Defi Du Seuil is the correct favourite for the Triumph Hurdle having won all of his five starts to date. Those successes have generally come against fairly shallow small-field opposition where he has had the race at his mercy. As a result, it’s difficult to know how he will respond when…
Author: Paul Davidson
0.75pt each-way Sizing Codelco @14/1; 0.75pt each-way Village Vic @16/1, 16:10 Cheltenham, Thursday
A horrible race for novice chasers in recent years, and although Diamond King will come in for plenty of support given his yard’s form, his price is a rather uninspiring 5/1 in a hugely competitive handicap and, unless he figures in doubles/trebles, it could pay to look elsewhere. He had…
1pt win Divin Bere @13/2, 0.75pts each-way Dreamcatching @12/1, 16:50 Wednesday, Cheltenham
DIVIN BERE could be very well-handicapped on the basis of his neck-victory over the current Triump Hurdle favourite, Masterblueyes. It’s hard to ignore that form, which was his first for the Nicky Henderson yard. He was an experienced hurdler in France and is perhaps more battle-hardened than his UK excursions would…
1pt win Singlefarmpayment @15/2; 0.75pts each-way Ibis Du Rheu @12/1, 14:50 Cheltenham, Tuesday
Un Temps Pour Tout returns for a second crack at the Ultima Handicap Chase, the first handicap of the festival. He comes into this off the back of some very indifferent chase form this season, and, unless David Pipe can rekindle a somewhat unlikely revival, he looks quite vulnerable off…
1.5pts win Baie Des Iles @3/1, 15:30 Saturday, Fairyhouse
There is no good reason to stop BAIE DES ILES from following-up his impressive success in an Irish Grand National Trial at Punchestown three weeks ago. The handicapper gives him a 5lb rise for that, but with this being a conditions race, he picks up a handy 7lb for his…
1pt win Clyne @7/1, 0.75pts each-way Zubayr @12/1, 15:35 Newbury
Europe’s most valuable handicap hurdle looks typically competitive on Saturday. The younger generation have had the upper hand in recent years with five-year-olds winning six of the last ten. The novices head the market with last years Champion Bumper winner Ballyandy, a 9/2 outright favourite at the time of writing,…
0.5pt each-way Sandy Beach @12/1, 15:35 Sandown, Saturday
A wide-open handicap features as the penultimate race on the Sandown card, with a nice mixture of improving novices and experienced stayers. Loose Chips finished third in a veterans handicap here last time out, a course specialist, who remains in good form and is likely to set a high tempo…
1pt win Bishops Road @10/1, 15:15 Haydock, Saturday
Alary is the unexposed quantity in the Peter Marsh Handicap Chase having raced in Grade 1’s over in France. He carries an entry for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, and if he can defy the burden of top-weight off a mark of 162 then he will be well worth his…
1pt win Kruzhlinin @5/1, 15:15 Saturday, Kempton Park
Sandy Beach is favourite for this primarily due to his trainer Colin Tizzard. The jolly returned to action to comprehensively beat weak opposition on his seasonal reappearance, and receives an 8lb penalty for that win. He could be progressive, and you can understand his position at the top-of-the-market, however, the…
1pt each-way Carole's Destrier @8/1, 0.75pts each-way Firebird Flyer @16/1, 14:40 Tuesday, Chepstow, Welsh Grand National
The Welsh Grand National was run in arguably the most disastrous conditions that you could ever run a jumps race in last season, and just about went ahead in January, having been postponed from its usual spot on the 27th December. Mountainous prevailed in that slog, and is guaranteed a…