Racing Chat - Saturday 23rd April

[The Brigadier]

Sandown 1.50

Sandown brings down the curtain to the 2021/22 NH season with the meeting kicking off with a competitive two mile novices’ handicap hurdle. Knappers Hill bounced back to form in a weak Newton Abbot novice hurdle last week after getting bogged down in the mud at the last Sandown meeting but looks skinny enough under top weight at around the 3/1 mark. Jonjo O’Neill’s Head Law is very progressive and is chasing a four timer today. He’s been shunted up 10lb mind for his latest easy victory in a much lesser contest at Southwell. He has to be on the short list mind. Dr Richard Newland is a particular favourite trainer of mine and he saddles Whizz Kid under Sam Twiston-Davies. He made his handicap debut in a highly competitive handicap hurdle at the National meeting at Aintree and ran with credit when 4th beaten under 3L to Hacker Des Places. He made plenty of the running that day and having won his two previous starts from the front expect Twiston-Davies to ride him positively again today. He’s my idea of the winner. 

WHIZZ KID 2 points each way @ 6/1 William Hill 1/5 1234

 

Haydock 2.05

A dozen handicappers go to battle here for this class 2 7F handicap. Alrehb has yet to race on the turf but is a useful all weather performer who’s won three of his six starts in that discipline. John Butler has his small string in excellent shape currently and has taken over the training of today’s top weight Sir Dancealot. He’ll probably need this, his first run for 634 days but is worth keeping an eye on (especially if backed). Andrew Balding saddles Oo De Lally who won has won when fresh and has been gelded since last seen. He has claims along with Boardman, who is the main play here. He’s fallen down to his last winning handicap mark of 90 and showed up really well on his re-appearance in a Redcar handicap that has already thrown up a winner. He could ideally do with a shower or two although genuine good ground shouldn’t be an Issue and this Tim Easterby trained six year old should be competitive. An outsider I can’t resist a small ew saver on is the veteran Oh This Is Us who is tumbling down the handicap and can actually race today off of his lowest ever handicap mark. Rated as high as 113 in his pomp he now races off of 93 and showed enough in a better contest than this last time to suggest there may still be another race in the nine year old. 

BOARDMAN 1 point each way @ 4/1 William Hill 1/5 1234

OH THIS IS US 1/4 point each way @ 20/1 bet365 1/5 1234

 

Sandown 2.25

Only four go to post for the 2m 6F 164yds Grade 2 bet365 Oaksey Chase. The best in on official ratings at these weights is the Paul Nicholls runner Saint Calvados who is a smart chaser who’s yet to really show it for Nicholls in his three starts for the Ditcheat trainer since joining from Harry Whittington at the start of the season. I feel this trip will be ideal for him and he is my idea of the most likely winner. 6lb behind on official ratings is the Henderson runner Mister Fisher who was runner up in this contest last year. He’s more than capable as he shows when winning a four runner Grade 2 contest at Kempton in January but has been well beaten twice since and is extremely inconsistent. Scottish raider Nuts Well will be ridden by champion jockey elect Brian Hughes and is not out of it whilst Erne River was very disappointing at Aintree and has the best part of a stone to find with Saint Calvados on official ratings. 

SAINT CALVADOS 2 points win @ 9/4 bet365

 

Leicester 2.45

A disappointing turnout of only three (Edraak was pulled out on Thursday afternoon)go to post for this 7F listed EBF Stallions King Richard lll Stakes. With the Charlie Appleby Godolphin operation in full swing it’s hard not to like their Path Of Thunder who is back from Dubai having run with credit on all three starts over there. Andrew Balding’s Happy Power is officially rated a pound better horse but he’s hard to win with although did run well in a listed contest on the all weather behind Tinker Toy last time out last month. The third member of the field is Clive Cox’s Aratus who was a progressive animal last season winning all three of his starts culminating in a valuable Goodwood handicap in August. He’s been gelded since last seen and looks the biggest threat to Path Of Thunder. 

PATH OF THUNDER 2 points win @ 5/4 bet365

 

Sandown 3.00

Five have declared for the 1m 7F 119yds Grade 1 bet365 Celebration Chase and it’s hard to split Greaneteen and Nube Negra at the top of the market. There’s only 2lb between them on official ratings in favour of the latter who’s trained by Dan Skelton. He’s had a 140 day break since finishing 12L behind Greaneteen in the Tingle Creek here in December and will come here a fresh horse. Having won the Tingle Creek Paul Nicholl’s Greaneteen chased home Shishkin at Kempton over Christmas before bombing out at Leopardstown over Christmas. There were excuses for him that day (he came back with a grazed stifle and Bryony Frost raced on what appeared to be the worst of the ground). He beat Altior in this race last year (Sceau Royal well beaten in third) and looks the one to beat today. It’d hard to give the two outsiders Sky Pirate (17lb to find) and Rouge Vif (14lb) chances but Alan King’s Sceau Royal has claims on ground that will suit and only 5lb to find with top rated Nube Negra. Greaneteen comprehensively beat Nube Negra in the Tingle Creek, won this last year in good fashion and must have a winning chance. 

GREANETEEN 3 points win @ 13/8 William Hill

 

Sandown 3.32

This years bet365 Gold Cup (the Whitbread for us oldies!) is run over 3m 4F 166yds and has attracted a decent sized field of fifteen. Last years race looks the key piece of collateral form with the first three plus the fifth all re-opposing on similar terms. Paul Nicholl’s Enrilo was first past the post that day but was thrown out and the race awarded to Alan King’s Potterman whom he crossed on the run in. Enrilo is a pound better off now and although he appears to have been trained for this race seems short enough in the market at around 7/2. On the other hand Potterman looks overpriced when you consider the conditions will suit and he comes here on the back of a Kelso win. He too has been trained for this and at three times the price of Enrilo is the main selection here. Staying handicap maestro Christian Williams saddles three including last years 3rd and 5th Kitty’s Light and Cap Du Nord and Scottish National winner Win My Wings. The latter was ultra impressive last time but it’s hard to do the double and he’s been raised a stone for that victory. There’s a stamina doubt about Dan Skelton’s Flegmatik who arrives chasing a hat trick whilst the best handicapped horse in the field is probably Philip Hobb’s Musical Slave who has no penalty to carry for his Haydock win so is 7lb well in here. The problem with him is the drying ground and he’s unproven at the longer trip. The best outsider may well be the John Joseph Hanlon raider Hewick. He sounded quite bullish on RacingTV in the week when discussing his chances stating that the faster the ground the better (forget his last run in the Midlands National where he didn’t go a tap on soft ground). From a point of value it’s Potterman for me with a small each way saver on Hewick. 

POTTERMAN 1 point each way 12/1 William Hill 1/5^th 12345

HEWICK 1/4 point each way @ 25/1 bet365 1/5 1234

 

[richard-westwood]

130 hay 

Dream together  8.4 4.9

After John     8.2  5.9 

Secret  Eagle   7.7  

10pt wins top 2