Gale force winds have put today's Towcester card in jeopardy. A tough test in soft ground at the best of times, it will be very difficult for horse and rider if the meeting goes ahead and for betting purposes I would rather look elsewhere.
Chapoturgeon (2.40) could have got in lightly on his handicap debut over hurdles at Wincanton. Trainer Paul Nicholls has done well with fellow four-year-old Five Dream in similar circumstances recently, and Chapoturgeon would have won by a wider margin at Lingfield but for jumping violently to his left at the final flight. Hopefully that was just down to inexperience and the ex-French gelding can go on to better things.
They seem sure to go a good clip in the Dick Reynolds Handicap Chase, and the proven stamina of Our Jasper (3.10) could be decisive. He has won over two and a half miles, but has the pace to be competitive at the minimum trip.
Linda Perratt is now the name on the trainer's licence at Belstane Stables, Carluke, but Ian Semple is still very much part of the scene. The stable has been in fine form on the all-weather, winning with three of their last seven runners, and at Wolverhampton tonight Easibet Dot Net (7.50) can keep the run going. This eight-year-old is not the most genuine of horses, but he goes well here and is a pound lower in the ratings than when successful over course and distance in November.
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