Good evening folks
Two further selections below. Nothing more to follow for tomorrow, tips sent already below them along with their write up’s.
5:20 Wincanton
ELECTRIC ANNIE – 3/4 Pt Win @ 9/1 BOG generally
Loves this course and the return to hurdles, where she is 2 from 2 in handicap hurdles looks a shrewd move. She goes from the front which is a tactic I like at this track and her trainer has an impressive 4 winners from 13 runners past year in handicaps (30% Win SR) and 7 placers! The jockey is a useful 7lb claimer which puts her attractively weighted against this inferior opposition IMO and I thought she could go very well.
2:25 Ascot
NOCTE VOLATUS – 1/2 Pt Each way @ 33/1 4 places generally
Tipped LTO in the Paddy Power Chase at Cheltenham, Nocte Volatus was far from disgraced on that occasion, but again a serious error at the eleventh fence caused him to lose plenty of momentum and surely affected his finishing effort. He does have stamina to prove moving up a few furlongs in trip, and can get a little low at his fences at times, but he strikes me as a horse that has more to offer over fences and remains fairly handicapped and his sire, Midnight Legend, is renowned for his 8 year old’s improving for 3 miles on goodish ground.
I liked how he got himself back into contention after that mistake, still only having a couple in front coming down the hill, and hopefully that experience in such a competitive environment won’t be lost on him. Furthermore, I can actually see this longer trip helping his jumping, as they will more than likely go a stride or two slower which should give him more time to get organised.
He is a little worse off at the weights with Phoenix Way – who likely went into plenty of notebooks following his run at Cheltenham – but that rival has been well found in the market and, given that Nocte Volatus started at 14/1 in the Paddy Power, odds of 33/1 that are on offer now in a race which isn’t any deeper simply look too big. Trainer Tom Lacey is in fine form, too, and I can’t resist giving Nocte Volatus another chance at the price racing this way around.
2:40 Haydock
TIM PAT – 1/2 Pt Each way @ 15/1 5 places Bet365, 16/1 4 places, 12/1 5 places generally
Donald McCain’s charge has a good record at this track and promises to progress further now his stamina is stretched out once again. He won very impressively over C & D a few runs back and looks to have been laid out for this with the Champion Jockey booked to do the steering. He arrives here off the back of a career-best run at Doncaster too, travelling well into contention and this improving 7 year should go very well carrying a very lowly weight.
3:00 Ascot
TOO FRIENDLY – 3/4 Pt Each way @ 21/2 5 places Bet365, 10/1 5 places Skybet, 11/1 4 B365, 10/1 generally
THIBAULT – 1/2 Pt Each way @ 33/1 5 places Skybet, 25/1 4 places generally
A very smooth traveller, Too Friendly looks sure to run a big race for a trainer who is mustard with his handicap hurdlers. In fact, he is 3 from 7, 5 placers!! in handicaps over C & D and is a brilliant target trainer. Bridget Andrews gets on very well with this horse (returned form figures of 1,2,2,4 from 4 rides!) and this likeable 5 year old looks nicely weighted to go close.
A couple of recent all-weather spins over 2m will have blown away the cobwebs for Thibault and a mark of 124 gives him sound claims. Indeed, that is the same mark off which he finished second in this very race at 80/1 two years ago, and, while he has winning form on soft and heavy, his best efforts have come on decent ground, including on good to firm on the Flat.In fact, they have come on decent ground under today’s 7lb claimer Ben Ffrench-Davis, and hopefully the horse is ready to embark upon his form of last Spring when winning three from four, with a fair seventh at Aintree in between.
Trainer Adam West had his first jumps winner since November on Valentine’s Day – he hasn’t had a Flat winner since July – so I will take that as another positive and can see a big run in the offing at this sort of price off this mark with the useful 7lbs off another bonus.
3:23 Lingfield
EPSOM FAITHFUL – 1.25 Pt Win @ 5/1 BOG generally
There are a couple of decent handicaps on Lingfield’s all-weather card and there looks to be a good bet in one of them (3.23) in the shape of Epsom Faithfull.
There doesn’t appear to be a lot of pace on in this contest which won’t suit some of the runners, but it won’t bother the selection who had a useful field well strung out over six furlongs on the turf at Ascot last summer and made a very pleasing return to action here two weeks ago when beaten little more than a length by Anaaf in a listed contest, running on strongly late in the day. That run should have taken any freshness out of her and, back in a handicap, looks to have been found a good opportunity back up to 7 furlongs.
4:10 Ascot
IMPHAL – 1 Pt Win @ 8/1 generally
Another class dropper, was very unlucky over C & D last season, running an astonishing race to finish 2nd having nearly been brought down at the 1st hurdle, coming to a standstill then becoming detached. A repeat of that, off this mark sees him go close for his very much in from yard.
7:00 Newcastle
TITAN ROCK – 1.25 Pt Win @ 13/2 BOG generally
A horse I very much like this strong travelling Class dropper looks to have a big chance in this granted a decent pace to chase. He has been running in much, much better races than these and this 1st time drop to a Class 4, allied to the fact he is 5lbs lower than his last winning mark bodes very well.