Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
Two cards and seven races are being televised this week from Cheltenham and Doncaster. There are four races from Cheltenham, which include the Racing Post Gold Cup- a Grade 3 Chase, along with a couple of Grade 2 hurdles plus a Mare’s handicap hurdle tagged on at the end of the meeting.
At Doncaster, there are two Grade 2 races and a handicap chase. So we can expect some high-class action but this will mean a low turnout as the races will be geared towards top-class horses, not those lower down in the handicap, meaning value will be very difficult to find. But there could be one or two dark horses amongst the runners and here are my thoughts for this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.50 Cheltenham. Farinet
3.00 Cheltenham. Guard Your Dreams
3.35 Cheltenham Wynn House
2.40 Doncaster. Magistrato
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning at Cheltenham with the 1.50 the Racing Post Gold Cup Handicap Chase where Venetia Williams has the top weight with Cepage who is making his seasonal debut. He was a course and distance winner two years ago and was a fine fourth at the Festival in March over 3 miles. I think he may want further than today’s distance.
Paul Nicholls’s Lalor last victory was in a 2-mile chase at this course three years ago. He ran third here last month in a race won by Sue Smith’s Midnight Shadow and they meet here again.
Midnight Shadow is taken to confirm those placings even with a 5lbs penalty. Behind the pair of them, last month were Dostal Phil, Zanza, Deyrann de Carjac and Coole Cody and I cannot see any of these able to come out of the pack.
Nicky Henderson’s Fusil Raffles has to be respected. He is a dual course winner and won last time out at Wetherby. His second in the Marsh Novices at the Festival was a fine run.
But I am going to look at the bottom of the handicap for my idea of the winner and that’s another Venetia Williams horse- Farinet, who is having his first run of the season but there’s a lot to like on last years form. He finished off his season with a fine win in driving rain at Sandown and can add to that here.
At 3.00 we have the Unibet International Hurdle run over 2m 1f with Tom Symonds’s Song For Someone returning to defend the crown he won last year but he has been disappointing since and has failed to get his head in front in three attempts.
Alan King’s Sceau Royal has reverted to hurdling after going chasing last year. This prolific winner has won twice already this season and was a fine third in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle last month. He will be there or whereabouts.
Ballyadam is an Irish raider from Henry de Bromhead’s yard who was second in the Supreme Novices at the Festival. Since then he has fallen at Punchestown and run second at Navan, not the sort of form to be successful here.
I like the look of Nigel Twiston-Davies’s Guard Your Dreams who won here in October then ran third at Ascot on the ground that didn’t suit. This young horse can show improvement here.
The final race at Pressburg Park is the Close Brothers Mare’s Handicap Hurdle run over 2m 4f. The current favourite is Jonjo O’Neill’s Trapista. This filly is unbeaten on both her starts, the latest of which was a comfortable victory at Huntingdon in October. She steps up to a higher level here.
Lucy Wadham’s Martello Sky won here at Cheltenham last April then won on her seasonal debut at Market Rasen in October but was then 10 lengths behind the winner in fourth at Aintree last time.
Indefatigable carries top rate for trainer Paul Webber and is another who won first time out at Wetherby in October but she was disappointed on her next run at Newbury.
Alan King has three runners here and a case can be made for any of them.
Her Indoors is a course winner from last April but she was disappointing on her reappearance at Wetherby in October.
Wynn House and Hotter Than Hell opposed each other at Wincanton in November with the former coming out on top and I expect her to confirm that placing and take this.
The final leg is the 2.40 at Doncaster, the bet365 Summit Juvenile Hurdle run at just over 2 miles.
Dan Skelton’s Too Friendly has won at Stratford and Newcastle already this season but steps up in grade here.
Knight Salute has won three times already this season, including a Grade 2 at Cheltenham last time for trainer Milton Harris and he looks the one to beat.
Gary Moore’s Porticello is another unbeaten juvenile in the lineup, including a win at Wetherby in October.
Nicky Henderson’s Impulsive One won two small races before running second to Knight Salute at Kempton in October. I cannot see him reversing those placings.
Magistrato won at Chepstow for Paul Nicholls in October. He then went to Cheltenham last month and was leading over the last and was only headed over the last 100yds. He will have learned from that and with some cut in the ground, he may gain revenge over Knight Salute.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.50 Cheltenham. Farinet
3.00 Cheltenham. Guard Your Dreams
3.35 Cheltenham Wynn House
2.40 Doncaster. Magistrato
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
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