3m1f (Old) Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5yo+)
I have a soft spot for the Ultima as the first handicap chase of the week and its shaping up to be a brilliant betting race.
Lucinda Russell produced Corach Rambler to win back-to-back Ultima’s and WHISTLE STOP TOUR could be the next big staying chaser to come from the yard. I really like the profile of this guy, having won a nice PTP over three miles and two of his six hurdles starts. Clearly, he was always going to make a better chaser than hurdler and he really showed what he was made of when stepping up to three miles at Kelso seeing off a decent mid 130’s rated horse in Dare To Shout.
On his next start at Ayr, he took a 6lbs rise in the weights easily in his stride and although the form of that race may not be the best, he was barely off the bridle. His last start at Cheltenham was an excellent prep run, dropping in trip to finish better than the bare form suggests in fifth to the likes of Jagwar with the yard openly admitting they deliberately ran him over the wrong trip to not bottom him out whilst getting experience at the track. Regardless that race could end up being form to follow and I feel like Whistle Stop Tour could be well-handicapped off a mark of 136 having been dropped a 1lb. A fast-paced big-field handicap could bring out that improvement and I want to keep him well onside here.
I am doubling up on Lucinda Russell runners here I’m also going to back MYRETOWN who has managed to sneak in off an incredibly low mark and becuase I think he could be at least 10lbs well-in on his current mark of 127. Myretown is an exhuberant novice, who won’t have faced this type of contest before, but he races prominently and was looking like the winner on his penultimate start against strong opposition before taking a crushing fall three from the finish.
That would normally put me off, but he bounced back in no uncertain terms to demolish a small-runner affair at Kelso. Again that form could be challenged, but he did beat the second rated horse on a mark of 136 by 10 lengths without coming off the bridle and that horse has since run well to post a similar RPR to his makr next time out so you’d imagine that Myretown should at least get up to a mark approaching 137-140.
Clearly Derek Fox has selected Whistle Stop Tour and Patrickl Wadge is not an eye-catching booking, but Myretown seems very talented and is worth taking a shot at with his mark so obviously looking on the lenient side having only been raised 6lbs for his last three starts, where all three of them could have been wins by big distances.
1pt win Whistle Stop Tour @12/1, 1pt Myretown @12/1, 14:40 Tuesday, Cheltenham
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