Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
A jamboree for racing fans on ITV over the weekend with the usual Saturday coverage and Musselburgh and the Dublin Festival from Leopardstown on Sunday with four Grade 1’s and a Grade A being covered from Ireland. But it’s Saturday’s racing I am concentrating on with ITV Racing covering five races from Sandown, three from Musselburgh and one from Wetherby where the talented Ahoy Senor returns to action.
We have some decent handicaps to look forward to with good fields so there should be some exciting racing with some good value prices, so here are my thoughts for this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.15 Sandown. Bun Doran
2.55 Sandown. If The Cap Fits
3.30 Sandown. Deise Aba
2.05 Musselburgh. Cool Mix
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning at Sandown with the 1.15 the Virgin Bet Handicap Chase where Olly Murphy’s Gunsight Ridge goes to try and continue his winning ways. After going off as the favourite in his first two contests this season and being defeated, he finally rewarded jolly backers in January here at Sandown last time over this distance but he has a 5lbs rise in the handicap for that victory.
Paul Nicholls runs Tamaroc Du Mathan who has not been seen since being pulled up at Aintree in October and is maybe best watched.
Frero Banbou won a fortnight ago for Venetia Williams at Lingfield on the heavy ground. He may not be the same horse on good going.
Dr Richard Newland’s Rikoboy has a lightweight here after finishing second at Wincanton last month and reproduction of that form would see him go close.
But my preference is for Tom George’s Bun Doran who comes here after a consistent season to date. His latest run was a second to Gunsight Ridge over this course and distance and he is 4lbs better off with that rival and he gets my vote.
The biggest field of the day runs in the Virgin Bet Heroes Handicap Hurdle at 2.55 where Jonjo O’Neills’ Easyland has top weight for his first run of the season but 11st 12lbs would seem to be too big an ask.
Harry Fry’s If The Cap Fits tries to repeat past glories. This past multiple Class 1 winner goes better on good ground and could be in the shake-up.
Orby’s Legend won at Wincanton on Boxing Day for Philip Hobbs finishing in front of If The Cap Fits but Fry’s horse is 5lbs better off here.
Nigel Twiston-Davies’s Beauport won here at Sandown last March but has been second on both his outings this season. One of those defeats was by Dr Richard Newland’s Classy Jesuitique who is three from four this season but this is a major step up in class.
Fry has another challenger with Ree Okka who has won his last two contests but this is his first step into handicap company and his time may be to come.
You can’t ignore the Irish contingent these days and the raider here is Peter Fahey’s Born Patriot who ran well under a big weight at Cheltenham in October. He looks well handicapped here and may go close.
Venetia Williams’s Green Book was desperately unlucky last time at Kempton when hampered and unseated when going for a hat-trick but this is a step up in class.
I will give a chance to If The Cap Fits to roll back the years on the ground he loves and win at a big price.
At 3.30 it is the Virgin Bet Masters Handicap Chase where Philip Hobbs’s Deise Aba goes for his third win in the race. He drops back in trip after being pulled up in the Welsh National and has a whopping 13 lbs less to carry than last year.
Paul Nicholls’s Kapcorse is lightly raced and must be hard to get right. He hasn’t been seen since winning at Newbury in November. Any reproduction of that will see him go close.
Tim Vaughan’s Le Milos was a winner at Exeter on New Year’s Day but he steps up in class here. I tipped Venetia Williams’s Farinet last week when he was a non-runner and I think the trainer is finding it hard to place him as he wants plenty of a give in the ground.
Christian Williams’s Five Star Getaway won three times last season and showed he has plenty of spirit when winning at Kempton in December. He will go very close.
But I will side with Deise Aba to win this for the third time in succession.
At Musselburgh, there is a Veterans Chase at 2.05 and these certainly have caught the punters interest probably because these older horses revive memories of when their favourites won.
The latest in this series of races is the bet365 Auld Yin Conditional Jockeys Veterans Handicap Chase (the horses not the jocks) with Olly Murphy’s Calipso Collonges at the top of the handicap. He won at Kelso in November then was not disgraced in the Tommy Whittle at Haydock the following month when he finished third, he will go close.
Richard Hobson’s Valadom was consistent last season and tried to make all on heavy going here at Sandown on his latest outing in January. Those tactics could see him go closer on better going.
Sandy Thomson’s Brotherly Company has won twice this season but that was during summer jumping, any give in the ground would go against him.
I like Iain Jardine’s Coll Mix who was fourth in Listed company on his penultimate start in November then ran a fair third on his latest start at Doncaster at the end of December, he has the ability to take this.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.15 Sandown. Bun Doran
2.55 Sandown. If The Cap Fits
3.30 Sandown. Deise Aba
2.05 Musselburgh. Cool Mix
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
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