Good afternoon folks
Hope you have had an enjoyable day. Four further selections for Boxing Day are as below, along with the 2 already sent.
Back tomorrow for the 27th’s action.
2:10 Wetherby
RAFFERTYS RETURN– 3/4 Pt Each way @ 27/4 Bet365 4 places, 6/1 4 places, generally
Away from the glare of the ITV cameras, keep an eye out for Rafferty’s Return on his… return to Wetherby in the William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Hurdle.
He wasn’t seen to best effect on good ground when resuming after a summer break at this track last month and yet he ran much better than the bare result, ending up ninth but still right there two-out before a bad blunder at the last hurdle saw him stop to a walk.
He’s been dropped 3lb for that effort which looks generous to say the least as he’ll be much happier back on a softer surface and we know he loves this place having won and been second here as a novice back in February. He generally finds loads for pressure at the head of affairs and I’d expect him to be a good bit fitter for his first run of the campaign.
3:00 Wolverhampton
MUMS TIPPLE– 1/2 Pt Each way @ 17/2 3 places, 9/1 generally
3:35 Wolverhampton
WITCH HUNTER– 1.25 Pt Win @ 6/1 generally
4:10 Wolverhampton
SOCIETY RED– 1/2 Pt Each way @ 14/1 3 places Bet365, 12/1 3 places generally
2:30 Kempton
ROYALE PAGAILLE– 1/2 Pt Each way @ 17.5/1 (boost) Will Hill, 16/1 & 14/1 3 places generally
Venetia Williams holds the key to the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase but it could be worth backing her second string ROYALE PAGAILLE to cause an upset in the Christmas highlight.
It’s easy to see why stablemate L’Homme Presse has found his way to the top of the market, as he amassed an impressive C.V as a novice and looked to have improved again when shouldering top weight to victory in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle off a mark of 164.
There is also the potential for more to come, but all of the juice has been squeezed out of his price at 15/8 and there’s just a niggle that he won’t get away with it in this company if he adjusts left at his fences.
It could well be he needs to go left-handed to be at his very best, but at least his presence at the top of the betting allows us to get on Royale Pagaille at 16s, as there is more than a whiff of second-string syndrome factored into those inflated prices.
The 20mm of rain on Friday and the threat of more heavy showers are absolutely key to this horse’s chance, but it looks like he’s got his ground and in such a scenario he’s a huge player.
3:40 Kempton
NEW FOUND FAME– 3/4 Pt Each way @ 26/1 Bet365 5 places, 28/1 4, 25/1 Skybet 5 places 25/1 generally
Won well on debut at Uttoxeter (2m4f, soft) in March then pulled up at Ffos Las on return in October but his 12l second at Hereford (2m3f, soft) in November was much more like it. He moves out of novice company into a hot handicap but these are very early days for this lightly raced 6 year old and he should have potential to massively improve. Trainer Kerry Lee has ONLY run 2 hurdlers here in the past with both running crackers to finish 2nd’s to decent horses. He has a lovely racing weight and the icing on the cake for me is the booking of jockey Jonathan Burke, whom, in the past year has ridden 3 winners and 3 seconds from just 7 mounts for the stable, including a win and a 2nd on this horse from 2 rides, so that suggests a big run hopefully is on the cards.