Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
It’s the last hurrah for the flat season, and the television cameras are at Doncaster for the meeting where they cover three races. The feature contest is the November Handicap where it may pay to follow Richard Hughes’ Calling The Wind who has been rested over the past month with this in mind. But the jumps continue to gather pace and ITV are covering the cards at Aintree and Wincanton this week.
There are four races from Wincanton as the Somerset course holds its seasonal highlights, the Badger Beer Chase and the Elite Hurdle. Meanwhile, Aintree has three televised races and they include the first race of the season over the National fences, the Grand Sefton Chase, this is backed up by a couple of hurdles, including the Class 2 Betway Hurdle.
So I have looked through the cards and here are my thoughts for value for this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.25 Wincanton. Rose Of Arcadia
3.00 Wincanton. Some Chaos
1.08 Aintree. Aquila Sky
2.15 Aintree. Time To Get Up
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning in Somerset at Wincanton with the 2.25 the Richard Barber Memorial Mares Handicap Hurdle a 2m 5f contest where Paul Nicholls has the top weight with Eglantine Du Seuil who won the Mares Novice Hurdle at The Cheltenham Festival back in 2019. This season she has won a couple of times most recently at Newton Abbot in September but she may have too much weight here.
Nicholls also has Une De La Seniere in the lineup who won last time out at Ludlow last month but she’s on a 6lb higher mark after that victory.
Bottom weight Hotter Then Hell has been unable to get going this season for trainer Alan King and is best watched.
All the rest of the runners are making their seasonal reappearance including King’s other runner Wynn House who goes well fresh and should go close.
My preference is for Colin Tizzard’s Rose Of Arcadia who won over this course and distance last February. She ran well at Newbury in March finishing fifth on going she hated, a little cut in the ground will help her chances.
The 60th Badger Beer Handicap Chase is at 3.00 and Kim Bailey’s El Presente is out to defend the trophy he won last year over the 3m 1f course. He didn’t get very far on his last outing at Perth in June falling at the second and he has 2lbs more to carry than last year but he may make the frame.
Last year’s second, Alan King’s Potterman, returns to try to go one better but he was pulled up at Perth in El Presente’s race and is another upped in the weights.
Paul Nicholls’s Highland Hunter is the bookie’s choice but he would want soft ground as he makes his seasonal reappearance.
Hurricane Harvey from Fergal O’Brien’s yard showed the form of his life in his first three races last season winning twice. O’Brien has targeted this race and the horse had a prep run at Chepstow last month, he is sure to go close.
Another lively contender is at the bottom of the handicap and that is Caroline Bailey’s Cobra de Mai. He has put in good efforts on both his outings this season but needs to up his game, and that’s possible, as he has not won since October 2019.
Michael Scudamore’s Some Chaos looks to have a major chance after winning last month at Chepstow where he was able to ease down after going clear after the last, a reproduction of that form would see this course and distance winner taste victory here once again.
Moving north to Aintree the first televised race is the 1.08 the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle which is run at just over 3 miles.
Dr Richard Newland has the favourite here with South Terrace who was last seen out in June when winning at Uttoxeter but he has risen 6lbs for that win and that may hold him back.
Olly Murphy’s The Worlds End has been a classy hurdler in his time and is a course and distance winner but he is a 10-year-old now and probably needs to drop down the weights a little.
Phillip Hobbs’s Pileon won twice in January last year but has seriously lost his form since then and after a 6-month break, it remains to be seen if he has reacquired his best form.
I like Sam Allwood’s Aquila Sky who tried chasing last month and flopped, he returns to hurdling where he has had much more success.
At 2.15 it is the Betway Grand Sefton Handicap Chase run over 2m 5f and the Grand National fences. Top weight here is an Irish challenger from Henry de Bromhead’s yard, Spyglass Hill, whose campaign last year was unsuccessful and this year has not started too well with two defeats.
The other Irish horse in the lineup is Eddie O’Grady’s The West’s Awake who has been busy this season with one victory in seven starts. He was a well-beaten third on his last outing at Cork.
Alan King’s Senior Citizen was a winner at Market Rasen last month and reproduction of that form would see him go close.
Paul Nicholls sends Cat Tiger here after his runs last season in amateur riders races, including here in the Foxhunters where he was leading at the elbow but finished third. He is expected to put up a bold show.
Sir Jack Yeats was second in this last year then fifth in the Foxhunters so he looks a certainty to get round but Richard Spencer’s 10-year-old will probably do it in his own time.
Jonjo O’Neill’s Time To Get Up looks the one to be on after his two victories in February and March. He is being aimed at the Grand National and this is his chance to have an early-season look at the fences prior to his tilt at the big one in April.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.25 Wincanton. Rose Of Arcadia
3.00 Wincanton. Some Chaos
1.08 Aintree. Aquila Sky
2.15 Aintree. Time To Get Up
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
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