Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece I’m looking at the best of Friday’s action. Plus, you can read my preview of this afternoon's Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter.
The most valuable race either side of the Irish Sea today is the Betway Haldon Gold Cup Handicap Chase (3:30) at Exeter which has £47,552 on offer to the winner.
Besides Exeter there’s also some good racing at Down Royal and Dundalk.
Down Royal
Down Royal's rearranged two-day meeting gets under way with the highlight of seven race card being two Grade 3 hurdles. Postponed from last weekend after heavy rain meant the track was unraceable. A week later, with a few dry days at the track and yielding is back in the going description. At this rate the track will be quicker than it was 12 months ago.
Magical Zoe won over C&D at this meeting last year and holds strong claims in the Grade 2 Bottlegreen Hurdle (2:02). She’s getting 13lb from Aintree Grade 1 novice hurdle winner Irish Point and that should be enough to swing the race in her favour.
Dundalk
There’s Listed action the flat at Dundalk this evening. The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cooley Fillies Stakes (6:30) is the highlight of an eight race card. James Tate has a rare runner at the track in the shape of Behind The Scenes. The filly looks like a better horse on the synthetic surfaces with her form figures being 112. She has a bit to find on OR’s with her main rivals but is the going right way as she showed when a 2 ¼ length 2nd of 10 to another improving three year-old in Kempton handicap 37 days ago. It’s a winnable race and I will be surprised if she is out of the first three.
Exeter
It’s Haldon Gold Cup Day at Exeter. Besides the feature race there’s an interesting enough undercard. Albert Bartlett winner Stay Away Fay makes his chase debut in the ‘Future Stars' Silver Bowl Novices' Chase (2:55). He faces four rivals including the Dan Skelton trained Grey Dawning who was a useful novice hurdler himself last season and should progress further over fences.
It used to be a real midweek treat to have the Haldon Gold Cup meeting run on Tuesday. Then the course management switched it to a Friday because they got live coverage on ITV. Well, there’s no ITV Racing this year and the meeting has continued in its new Friday slot. It made sense to move the meeting to a Friday if ITV Racing were going to cover it. However, if they aren't then please go back to Tuesday.
3:30 – Betway Haldon Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Grade 2) (Limited Handicap Chase) – 2m 1 ½ f
The days when the likes of Best Mate, Flagship Uberalles and Kauto Star (runner-up in 2005) ran in the race seem long gone looking at today’s line-up. It’s now, what it is, a good solid ‘Saturday’ handicap.
Six have been declared for the race. However, the bookies were going 100/30 the field on Thursday morning which underlined the competitive nature of the race despite the small field.
There should be a good pace on with the likes of Editeur Du Gite, Solo and Elixir De Nutz all like to go forward.
Solo
Bids to give Paul Nicholls a ninth win in the race and he’s been installed the 100/30 favourite in the early bird betting. He’s got a good record fresh and has strong claims given his trainers record in the race.
Editeur Du Gite
Top weight Editeur Du Gite is at his very best when able to bowl along. He won the Grade 2 Desert Orchid and Grade 1 Clarence House Chase last season from the front and drops in class here for his seasonal return. No great record fresh and with pace pressure the percentage call is to oppose.
Elixir De Nutz
A winner at Wincanton in January looks on a competitive mark with Freddie Gingell taking off a further 7lb. He has race fitness on his side and all his six career wins having come in field sizes of six or less.
With the likelihood of good gallop, it could set the race up for one more patiently ridden that brings into the mix War Lord and Brave Seasca and Irish Challenger Indiana Jones.
War Lord
A useful novice chaser two seasons back but struggled last season. He’s another returning from wind surgery but is 5lb out of the handicap here. If the breathing procedure has had the desired effect, he can win races this season.
Brave Seasca
Ended last season with three disappointing efforts, but the 8-year-old impressed when winning an Aintree handicap under top weight (12-1) on his seasonal return last December. He’s just 2lb higher here and makes his seasonal reappearance after a summer wind-op.
Indiana Jones
Trained by ‘Mouse’ Morris who will be hoping to follow up Gentlemansgame’s win in last Saturday’s Charlie Hall Chase and take more winner’s prize money back across the Irish Sea. A winner of 2 of his 13 starts over fences. Indiana Jones shaped like the run was needed when 6th of 10 at Cork 26 days ago.
Verdict: I was going to go with Brave Seasca at 5/1. But the early money has arrived for him and at 100/30 I can let him win. At the prices I would rather be with the Tizzard pair of Elixir De Nutz and War Lord and it’s the former that is a tentative selection.
Friday Selection:
Yesterday’s selection Theatre Man gave it a good go from the front. But he had no answer when challenged by Inch Man after the last and had to settle for an honourable second. Ironically the winner was in the bottom three in the weights.
I’m off to Dundalk for today’s selection.
Dundalk
6:30 – Behind The Scenes – 13/2 @ Coral & Ladbrokes.
Good luck with your Friday bets.
John
Daily Groan:
What a joke at Down Royal.
Even Ruby was astonished at the removal of the first hurdle/2nd last in the 14.02 race, as it was directly in line with the second, 150yds further up the course..no shade and exactly on the same line, but that one was ok to jump?!
In the 15.12 over just under 2.4 miles, they jumped 7 fences and missed out 3 (twice) so, 6 not jumped. Watch the race and tell me where the sun is in relation to those 3 fences, as all I see is shade from one side of the course to the other!! No sun…shade!! Aghhhh!!!
PS..Well done with EDN