Looking forward to this afternoon’s televised fare. Leaps of faith right left and centre!
At Sandown, Binocular can’t really be opposed but is hardly a betting proposition either. Punchestowns has Tchico Polos to beat and on hurdles form shouldn’t have too much difficulty in doing so, but I wouldn’t want to put money on it either.
The 3.10 is interesting. Six of the 14 are out of the handicap. Of the six, only Beshabar might improve enough but I reckon a place is its best prospects. Racing Demon and Ashkazar are very well in on old form but require a bit of a leap of faith in terms of punting them. The safe bet is Erzen but 3/1 doesn’t appeal. Rather than back that one, I’ll probably take that leap of faith to small stakes on Racing Demon and Ashkazar.
The 3.40 is there for the taking. It isn’t a great race. Killyglen may well be up to giving away the weight but a win here would surely kill any Aintree hopes, a remark that will also apply to Gone To Lunch. Razor Royale and the others could be well placed to capitalise on others’ agenda. The one that catches my eye, though, is Oedipe, first time up. Four poor runs last season have brought him down 10lbs but the second of those would give him a chance here. If the extended break has got him back to his previous form he’s classy enough to take this before going on to better things. He seems to have been around for a long time yet he’s only eight.
Another requiring a leap of faith is Regal Heights in the 2.20 at Wetherby. The big market move this morning suggests plenty are willing to jump but I’m going for my own leap of faith with Yes Sir in the hope that the ground is drying out enough for him. I rate Battlecry the main danger.
The 2.50 is one to watch without any financial involvement.
As for the big race at Doncaster, it’s a cracker. I took long odds yesterday evening about Santa’s Son. Some of its form last year reads very well, especially its hammering of Moon Over Miami in the Castleford, which prompted connections to take on Master Minded at Cheltenham. I’ll probably also have a small bet on Andreas, first time up for Oliver Sherwood. I’d marked off Doctor David yesterday as well but Pricewise has scuppered the price. I suspect Kalahari King might be good enough, though, to win. He jumped dreadfully at Sandown at the end of the season yet still got to within 10 lengths of Twist Magic. He might have won with a clear round, in which case he wouldn’t be sitting off 157 here. I don’t imagine him being too far off full fitness today. I’m very tempted to make him my main bet.
In the non-televised races, Fenix (1.55), Give It Time (2.55) and Briery Fox (4.00) appeal at Doncaster, as does Song Of Songs at Sandown (4.15). A small-stakes each-way multiple on those could be interesting.