Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
Two meetings on TV this Saturday with four races each from Cheltenham and Doncaster. The Town Moor card features a novice’s chase with the talented Shishkin as part of the lineup. Last year’s Supreme winner seems to have taken well to chasing with two victories already but this may be a stiffer task.
At Prestbury Park, the highlight of the day is the Cleeve Hurdle and the return to action of Paisley Park after his win at Ascot last time. Both of these should be victorious on their way to the festival. The major disappointment is the dearth of handicaps in Saturday’s cards with only two available out of the eight televised races on making it difficult to find much value amongst the cards on offer.
That said, there may be some dark horses hidden amongst the runners and here are my thoughts for this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.50 Cheltenham. Oldgrangewood
2.25 Cheltenham. Saint Calvados
2.40 Doncaster. Ask A Honey Bee
3.15 Doncaster. Canelo
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning at Cheltenham with the 1.50, the Paddy Power Millionaire Trophy Handicap Chase which is run over 2m 4 1/2f. Sue Smith has the favourite here with Midnight Shadow who was a course and distance winner twelve months ago. He came back here last month and ran second in a hot handicap similar to this. He may have to settle for a place once again.
Caribbean Boy has been consistent for Nicky Henderson with wins at Haydock and Newbury to his credit. His latest run where he was last of three when odds-on favourite was disappointing and he has plenty of weight here.
Mister Whitaker from Mick Channon’s yard loves Cheltenham and has won here three times latterly in April 2019 but he hasn’t won since and drops back in trip after a poor run in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby in October.
Nigel Twiston-Davies has been running Al Dancer at Cheltenham on regular occasions with two course victories. He has run here twice already this season without success and he is hard to fancy.
Dan Skelton’s Oldgrangewood won here on New Year’s Day last year and has run a fair fourth on both his runs this term. He has dropped down the handicap since those runs and is able to figure off his lower weight here.
The Paddy Power Cotswold Chase is at 2.25 and this race has attracted some top class individuals. The bookies choice is Bristol De Mai and Nigel Twiston-Davies’s star chaser has his first run since his fine win at Haydock in November but he has plenty of challengers here.
One of these is Colin Tizzard’s former Gold Cup hero, Native River, who began this season with a run at Aintree finishing third with Nicky Henderson’s Santini in front of him in second. I expect Santini who was last year’s winner to confirm those placings.
The winner of the race at Aintree was Nick Alexander’s Lake View Lad who reopposes but they missed out the last two races at the Liverpool course that day and that made a huge difference.
Yala Enki has been busy this month running third in the Welsh National, then winning last week at Taunton for trainer Paul Nicholls, but he will find stiffer opposition here.
David Bridgewater runs The Conditional who won at the Festival but has shown only fair form this season being placed on his two outings.
I like the look of Harry Whittington’s Saint Calvados who was runner up in the Ryanair here in March and ran well in the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day. He lost two places after the last to finish fourth. He will have come on for that run and he will give the older horses a run for their money.
Moving north to Doncaster, the 2.40 is the Albert Bartlett River Don Novices Hurdle run at just over 3 miles. Paul Nicholls Flash Collonges is the bookmakers’ choice but he fell here in November. However, he bounced back from that to finish runner up at Newbury before winning at Wincanton.
Nicky Henderson has Emir Sacree in the lineup who had his first run for 21 months when winning at Ascot in December but moves up in class here.
Ashtown Lad won a couple of lower class contests earlier in the season but was then a well beaten favourite at Cheltenham in December. Several of the contenders from that race meet again here, Pats Fancy was second and Ask A Honey Bee was third. I have a preference for the latter.
Fergal O’Brien’s gelding has only once been out of the frame in eight starts and has won four. He can continue that fine run here.
At 3.15, we have the Sky Bet Handicap Chase and Colin Tizzard has the top weight with Mister Malarky who won at Ascot on his latest outing in December. But he is up 6lb for that win and he is not the most consistent sort.
Christian Williams’s Cap Du Nord is a warm favourite here. He won at Newbury in November, then ran second to the highly-rated Royale Pagaille in December but he is another who is 6lb higher.
Kim Bailey’s Rocky’s Treasure won here at Doncaster in December with Give Me A Copper and Boldmere behind him. I would expect him to confirm those placings but he may have to settle for a place himself.
Alan King sends out one of his young stars, Canelo, who won at Aintree in November then after running second to Cap Du Nord came out and won the Rowland Meyrick in December at Wetherby. King says that this has been his target since then and he is in great form and will be very competitive.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.50 Cheltenham. Oldgrangewood
2.25 Cheltenham. Saint Calvados
2.40 Doncaster. Ask A Honey Bee
3.15 Doncaster. Canelo
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365