Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
As can be expected this time of year, the main meetings have some small fields as all roads lead to the Festival in March. This Saturday Cheltenham features what it calls Trials Day prior to the big meeting, but I’m not sure these races will tell us an awful lot as there are hardly any Irish challengers in the lineups and we know they will be at the big meeting in droves.
This Saturday, ITV are televising four races from Cheltenham, all Class 1 Graded races. These are backed up by three more Class 1 contests from Doncaster so we can expect some wonderful racing with top class, albeit small, fields.
That said, we had a 4-runner race last week at Ascot that produced one of the races of the season. It’s just these small fields represent little value for the small punter. So I have trawled through the seven races on offer to try and find some value and here are my thoughts for this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.45 Doncaster. Unanswered Prayers
3.20 Doncaster. Midnight Shadow
1.55 Cheltenham. Farinet
3.40 Cheltenham. Hillcrest
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning at Doncaster with the 2.45 the Albert Bartlett River Don Novices Hurdle, a 3 mile Grade 2 contest that looks very open. Henry Daly runs Bridge North who won a lowly contest at Ludlow earlier this month. Before that, he had been easily beaten by Green Book in an amateur riders event at the same course.
Sandy Thomson’s Coolbane Boy makes the journey south after winning at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day but has a lot more to do here.
My Bobby Dazzler has won three times at Aintree this season for trainer Mel Rowley and ran a fair fourth at Cheltenham at the beginning of this month.
Not At Present won three lowly contests for Ben Pauling at the end of last year, this is much tougher.
We have all seen how the Irish have been coming over and snaffling our big prizes and there is a raider in the lineup- John McConnell’s Mahler Mission who has shown consistent form in Ireland. He then came over Sedgefield a fortnight ago and won easily, a reproduction of that form would see him go close.
But my preference is for Chris Gordon’s Unanswered Prayers whose only defeat this season was by a long odds-on shot, mind you, he did lose one of those races in the Stewards Room, he can carry on the good work here.
The Sky Bet Handicap Chase is at 3.20, a 3 mile Listed contest where Nicky Henderson’s Fusil Raffles seems likely to go off favourite. He finished fourth last time at Cheltenham and before that had won comfortably at Wetherby.
Venetia Williams’s Cloudy Glen won at Newbury in November beating Demachine and Canelo. He was then pulled up at Wetherby the following month after stopping quickly. He is probably best watched.
Kapcorse from the Paul Nicholls yard won on his only outing this season and should go close.
Dan Skelton’s Debece is having his first run for 10 months after finishing second at Sandown. He had been pulled up in his previous two contests and looks hard to fancy here.
Down at the bottom of the handicap, Hurricane Harvey is worthy of a mention, Fergal O’Brien’s gelding has run consistently well this season and may be placed at a nice price.
But I like a horse at the top of the handicap- Sue Smith’s Midnight Shadow who won at Cheltenham in November. He then returned there the following month finishing third. He would have been closer but for being carried right at the last, he can defy top weight to take this.
At Cheltenham the 1.55 is the Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Hurdle a 2m 4 1/2f contest. The top weight here is Paul Nicholls’s Magic Saint who ran fourth here at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day at a huge price. That form doesn’t seem good enough to me.
Evan Williams’s Coole Cody was a fine winner here in December then flopped on his return the following month. Whatmore is having his first outing for 14 months for trainer Henry Daly after finishing second on two occasions that season, he is probably best watched.
Milton Harris’s Jacamar has shown some fine form in lower grade races and could run into a place here.
At the bottom of the handicap, David Pipe’s Eden Du Houx won at Ffos Las in November then he put up a fine performance to finish second at Chepstow two weeks ago. He could spring a surprise and be placed.
But my idea of the winner is Venetia Williams’s Farinet who won comfortably at Sandown earlier this month. Before that, he had been pulled up here at Cheltenham in December but he lost a shoe that day and can be excused that run.
The Ballymore Novices Hurdle is at 3.40, a 2m 4 1/2f contest with some of the best middle-distance novices in the country.
The current favourite is Nicky Henderson’s Balco Coastal who won twice in December at Ludlow and Huntingdon but for all his obvious talent, this is a major step up in class.
Donald McCain’s A Different Kind comes here after five successive victories, including Class 2 at Haydock, could he be a different class?
North Lodge from Alan King’s yard won at Aintree in December and the trainer is hopeful he can build on that as he is a good prospect for the future.
But I can see no further than Henry Daly’s Hillcrest, supposedly one of the biggest horses in training at over 18 hands. He will make a fine chaser in the future, but presently he is showing himself to be a top-class hurdler winning all three of his contests this season latterly over this course and distance on New Year’s Day, he can add to his tally here.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
2.45 Doncaster. Unanswered Prayers
3.20 Doncaster. Midnight Shadow
1.55 Cheltenham. Farinet
3.40 Cheltenham. Hillcrest
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Related Reading