The County Hurdle, once famous for being the ‘get out of
jail’ race, once again has a myriad of potential options, with each runner in
the field pretty much a plausible winner.
Nicky Henderson’s one winner this week has been in the Coral
Cup and there’s a lot to like about his hand here, with more than one horse
easily capable of making a massive show, and his Master of the Game can outrun
odds of 33/1. He has been a pretty wretched disappointment as a hurdler apart
from a deeply impressive win at Bangor but on his second handicap start in a
first time hood he took apart his field at Doncaster in a fashion as impressive
as any handicap performance seen this season and if in the same form today, is
more than capable of defying a 12lbs rise today which could be called lenient
in light of how good he was last time.
Willie Mullins’ Article Fire is favourite and on his
previous form this season, looks well handicapped although his Diakali’s form
with Jezki, Rule the World, and Zaidpour looks far better than the first
string’s novice form and his Auteil win against Ptit Zig also stands up very
well. Going from the front makes him vulnerable to a closer off top weight but
he should be given strong considerations and has previous form here as well.
Of all the handicap plots, Alavain, sixth behind Final
Approach in a previous renewal, and now running off 132 with Maurice Linehan
taking a further 5lbs off, looks to be one of the best handicapped horses of
the field and if our pick of the market leaders.
In the Foxhunters, the market leaders have all been well
supported to a degree with On the Fringe and Tammy’s Hill both well liked at
the head of the market while Oscar Delta, the should be defending champion,
also takes high rank. All those three along with Harbour Court are worthy of
serious respect but so is Pearlysteps, whose form under rules is as good if not
better than any in this field, and he has taken to hunter chasing like a duck
to water based on his convincing defeat of Made In Time to make it two without
defeat in this sphere, a result that was underlined by that runner’s impressive
win next time out. With none of the market leads foolproof there’s a feeling
that he is capable of putting up a bold show at least and he should be capable
of going well.
Paul Nicholls’ festival was saved by Salburious last year
when he romped home with the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle and
his Caid Du Berlais could repeat the trick for Harry Derham and his uncle. Many
have viewed the week as disappointing for the former champion trainer but he
was nosed out of the Pertemps’ final by millimetres yesterday and his Katgary
should have taken the Fred Winter earlier in the week so form concerns for us
have been overplayed. Secon in the Fred Winter last year, a step up in trip has
always looked like a good idea for him and after a reappearance run of great
promise in WKD Hurdle his first run at the trip, albeit over fences, bought
about an extremely impressive win when he romped home in an egg and spoon race at
Exeter. Dropped in trip and upped in grade at Doncaster, he was a bitter disappointed
but suffered from ulcers which means that run can be written off the relative
of the matter is that he is just 5lbs higher then when second in a renewal that
has seen the winner and third rise more than 20lbs in the ratings since. This
trip on good ground is probably his optimum – he has looked outpaced over two
miles at times – and all seems set for another big effort.
Willie Mullins’ Don Poli will be winning more decent prizes
and could go very well but it’s a slight worry that he’s looked so good over
three miles on heavy ground and is now dropping in trip (the only time he’s
been beaten has been when he’s run at 2m4f) and a better option in value terms
at a price may be Tomas Crapper. Twice a winner here earlier in the season, he
won one of the most competitive handicap hurdles run here all year when showing
a superb attitude at the finish and while he’s disappointed twice since, he
didn’t stay 3 miles here in December and didn’t enjoy the heavy ground
afterwards. Vieux Lion Rouge, for the stable that would want this race more
than any other, has to be respected, having looked like a very smart horse in
all three of his novice hurdles, but his only poor run has come on the good
ground he faced last season and that can’t be put out of the mind. Full Shift
is one of many that can go well.
In the last race of the meeting it’s going to be hard to
catch the beautiful front-runner Next Sensation but if there’s a horse capable
of making back the ground it might just be Ned Buntline, who has been well
thought of for a good while and was considered good enough to take in graded
company as a hurdler before switching to fences. A winner of one of his three
starts over fences, that success at Navan has been franked by the next four
home since and trying to give 6lbs to Mallowney since proved too much for him. There’s
a worry that the change in ground might be against him but his two runs on
decent ground have yielded very decent form. Another novice, Claret Cloak, is a
seriously tempting choice having previously run fourth in the Henry II Novices’
Chase at Sandown, and on the ground that he relishes, he should be capable of
going close, but I can’t resist a chance on Eastlake at 20/1 to give O’Neill
yet another handicap winner. An impressive winner at Aintree in October he was
beaten by Anay Turge here next time out but was then a good winner here in
December and while he disappointed latest, that can be put down to the ground and
with Maurice Linehan taking off 5lbs, he can be given a better chance than 20/1
with Bet365 who pay 5 places.
Advice
1 pt each/way Master of the Game, County Hurdle (33/1
general)
1 pt each/way Diakali, County Hurdle (33/1 general)
1 pt each/way Pearlysteps, Foxhunters’ Chase (12/1 Bet365)
1 pt each/way Caid Du Berlais, Martin Pipe Conditonals’
Hurdle (10/1 Bet365)
1 pt each/way Thomas Crapper, Martin Pipe Condtionals’ Hudle
(22/1 Stan James, 25/1 general)
1 pt each/way Ned Buntline, Grand Annual Handicap Chase (8/1
Sportingbet)
1 pt each/way Eastlake, Grand Annual Handicap Chase (20/1
Bet365)
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