Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
Both codes of racing are represented on ITV this Saturday with the last big flat handicap of the season being shown from Doncaster’s final meeting before they revert to jumping.
Euchen Glen looks to round off a fine year for trainer Jim Goldie as the 7-year-old goes for his fourth victory of 2020, but I do have some concerns about the weight he has to carry. I have given a full write up below. Meanwhile, Aintree has its first meeting of the jumps season and there is just one race being televised from there over the Mildmay fences.
The third course is being shown, and it’s lovely to see one of the smaller (Wincanton) tracks being highlighted where four races are being televised, including the Badger Beers Handicap Chase where Present Man goes for his third victory in the race.
So with all this to look forward to, here are my thoughts for this week’s top races and the Saturday Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
3.15 Doncaster. Kingbrook
2.40 Aintree. Cool Mix
1.50 Wincanton. Cill Anna
3.35 Wincanton. Some Chaos
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning at Doncaster with the Betfair November Handicap at 3.15 over 1m 4f and with the going currently declared as soft and more rain forecast a proven mud lover looks have the conditions in their favour. Top weight is Jim Goldie’s Euchen Glen who bids for his fourth win in what has been a fine season.
He goes well in the mud as he proved last time when winning at Newbury where he had Glencadam Glory and Raymond Tusk behind. I expect him to confirm those placings but I still fear he may be outrun by a lower weighted rival. One of which is Sam Cooke trained by Ralph Beckett who won on soft at Chester in May. But the tight turns of the Roodee are nothing like the open spaces and long run in of Town Moor.
Alan King’s On To Victory is not without a chance here after his good second at Haydock in September but his future lies over hurdles and he is being geared for that.
Kingbrook won on soft at Newmarket last month for trainer Ian Williams who won this in 2019 and is well weighted. He is expected to go well with Richard Kingscote booked to ride him once again and I just give him the nod.
An outsider that I also like is Shaun Lycett’s Torcello who will love the going and ran well on his only outing this year at Newbury. He can be placed at a nice price.
Moving west to Aintree we have the Racing TV Handicap Chase at 2.40 run over the Mildmay fences. This 2m 4f chase has Dan Skelton’s Bennys King at the top of the handicap. He was last seen out when running second at Ascot in January and goes well on soft but his high weight is a worry.
Similarly, with Ben Pauling’s Delire d’Estruval who won a big handicap at Kempton in March at a big price, I feel he is too highly weighted.
Cool Mix comes here from Iain Jardine’s yard after winning at Wetherby last month. He is a consistent sort and is looking to regain the good form he showed in the 2018/19 season. If he can reproduce that form he can be victorious.
Dashing Perk found Graded company too hot for him at Kempton last February and Dr Richard Newland’s gelding may find some of these too good for him this time around.
Tom George has his stable firing well and his Espoir de Teillee is having his first run of the season after running well last year but he is moving up in class and may have to settle for a place.
At Wincanton, the Richard Barber Memorial Mares’ Handicap Hurdle is at 1.50 and the bookies choice is Paul Nicholls’s Sunrise Ruby. She comes here on a hat-trick after two fine wins at Newton Abbot and Kempton already this season and will take all the beating but she needs good going.
Perfect Myth trained by Neil King is having a fine season with three wins already but steps up in class here and may find one or two of these too good.
Nicholls also has the top weight Eglantine Du Seuil, a Cheltenham Festival winner in 2019, but I think he is best watched after his poor performance at this year’s Festival.
I am glad to see The White Mouse return to racing after falling at Newbury in March last year. Lucy Wadham’s mare had some fine form up until that fall but is best watched after almost 20 months off.
Henry Daly runs It’s Probably Me who had a fine finish to the end of last season by winning at Doncaster in February in heavy ground and may take a place at a nice price. But I like the look of another Nicholls entry, Cill Anna, who ran up a treble in her last three races last season, including one here at Wincanton. She is a classy individual who may well go on to bigger and better things.
At 3.35 is the Badger Beers Silver Trophy Handicap Chase which has been something of a Paul Nicholls benefit in recent years. He has trained the winner in the last three runnings, twice with Present Man who returns to try for his hat-trick but he has more weight this year than he has ever carried before.
Nicholls also has Danny Whizzbang and My Way in the lineup and the latter has won already this season, that was a modest Class4 at Stratford. And although this is a big step up, he is low enough in the weights to figure in the finish.
Alan King’s Potterman is a horse who pays his way but this may be a step too much for him. Kim Bailey’s El Presente has had a new lease of life since lockdown winning three times after not winning since 2017 but this is a major step up in class.
Coo Star Sivola was a Cheltenham hero in 2018 winning the Ultima Chase. He was pulled up the year after and has not been on a racecourse since, and Nick Williams’s gelding is best watched.
One horse who can give Nicholls legions a run is Some Chaos trained by Michael Scudamore. He is a course and distance winner and won at Kelso last month. He looks an ideal sort for this and has been rising through the ranks to challenge the top chasers.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
3.15 Doncaster. Kingbrook
2.40 Aintree. Cool Mix
1.50 Wincanton. Cill Anna
3.35 Wincanton. Some Chaos
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Related Reading
Top Bookmaker Free Bets & Bonus Welcome Offers