Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
ITV concentrates on Cheltenham this weekend where they show the last five races on the card, including the Paddy Power Gold Cup. So some great racing to look forward to. This is all backed up by two flat races on the all-weather at Lingfield.
Now I know that these are Listed contests and are worth lots of money to the winner but we are in the jumps season for goodness sake. There are two excellent meetings Oop North at Wetherby and Uttoxeter but these have been totally ignored.
I get the impression that ITV doesn’t want to send their presenters north of Watford unless they really have to and the meetings are too significant to be discounted. So we are stuck with a pair of all-weather races when there are some very good chases, we could have had and to make it worse ITV won’t even give us the results from these “minor” jump meetings.
As we are given what we are dealt in the form of four jumps races, a NH flat race and two a/w races from these I have looked for value amongst the jumpers and here are my thoughts for this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Cheltenham Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.40 Quel Destin
2.15 Slate House
2.50 Dell’ Arca
3.25 Son Of Camas
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning with the 1.40 at Cheltenham, the From The Horse’s Mouth Podcast Novices Chase, and Nicky Henderson sends his hotpot chaser Fusil Raffles here for this. He is a winner already of two small field chases at Uttoxeter and here at Cheltenham where he won last month. He ran rather green that day and hit the rail on the run-in.
If an opponent can put it to him after the last, he may be put off his stride. One horse who could do that is Paul Nicholls’s Quel Destin, who comes here for his first run over the bigger obstacles after a stellar hurdling career. He has also won recently on the flat so will be fit and ready for this.
Among the other contenders is Colin Tizzard’s Eldorado Allen who won a novice Chase at the first time of asking at Newton Abbot last month but he was disappointing as a hurdler last season.
Zarkareva comes over from Henry De Bromhead’s stable in Ireland and she looks interesting. After falling at Tipperary in July, she has won two chases latterly at Punchestown, where she beat several hopefuls. So she comes here with every chance but Quel Destin just gets the nod.
At 2.15, we have the big race of the day- the Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase and what a fine field we have lined up for this prestigious trophy.
Starting with last year’s winner, Kerry Lee’s Happy Diva, who was slightly fortuitous in gaining victory due to an opponent unshipping his rider, but more of that later.
Happy Diva has had a run this season finishing fifth at Wetherby and she has 5lbs more to carry than last year. So, I can’t see her repeating her win.
Nicky Henderson’s Mister Fisher comes here on the back of a good novice season when he won twice but he does not have the experience of some of these.
Simply the Betts also had a fine novice season and topped it off by winning a handicap at the Festival in March. Trainer Harry Whittington says he goes better left-handed but he has risen in the weights.
Paul Nicholls’s Saint Sonnet is the bookies choice on the back of a run here at Cheltenham at the Festival when he was beaten 13 lengths but his jumping is a worry.
One of my favourite horses of last year turns out here, Colin Tizzard’s Slate House, who had this race at his mercy last year but knuckled on landing two out when looking all over the winner. That was his only mistake in his first four races last season and after those three victories, he ran in the RSA but was never travelling and finished tailed off. He goes well fresh and a win for him would be a great fillip for the yard.
At a bigger price, Jonjo O’Neill’s bottom weight Sky Pirate has been running consistently well and has been a runner-up on his last three occasions. He can make the frame here at a nice price.
The Paddy PowerGames Handicap Hurdle is at 2.50 and Tom Lacey’s Tea Clipper looks like he will go off favourite. He had a great season last year winning three times. He won first time out this year at Chepstow last month but he is being asked to run an extra half mile here and he is untried at this distance.
Top weight is Debra Hamer’s Tobefair, who won twice here at Cheltenham in 2019 but he ran poorly on his last outing in October.
Dandy Dan from Kim Bailey’s yard ran second last time at Sedgefield and drops back in trip here but may find a couple of these too good.
I like the look of David Pipe’s Dell’ Arca and although he is a veteran, he still shows how much he loves to race by winning twice in the last month. His win at Newbury last week shows he still retains his class and he can run up a quick treble by taking this.
Finally, at 3.25 is the Paddy Power First Millionaire Qualifier Intermediate Handicap Hurdle over 2m5f. Dr Richard Newland has the favourite here with Captain Tom Cat who has run up a quick treble already this season. His latest victory was here at Cheltenham in October where he had a couple of opponents he meets here behind him. He should confirm those placings even though he is up in the weights.
David Pipe’s sends Kepagge who won three times last year but top weight may be too much for him.
Nicky Henderson’s Son Of Camas was considered good enough to go for the Ballymore at the Festival, but he struggled in the testing ground. He will have gotten stronger over the summer and with a better ground, he has the credentials to take this.
Cheltenham Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.40 Quel Destin
2.15 Slate House
2.50 Dell’ Arca
3.25 Son Of Camas
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Related Reading
Top Bookmaker Free Bets & Bonus Welcome Offers