Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Newbury’s Hennessy meeting gets under way with a couple of stonking novice chases. The Worcester at 2.10pm is not really a betting race for me because I fancy the favourite, Un Temps Pour Tout, while remaining wary about the current form of the David Pipe yard. Pipe has started to have winners in recent days, so hopefully all may again be well at Pond House and in any case Un Temps Pour Tout ran well at Cheltenham a fortnight ago when many of his stablemates were struggling.
It’s the following novice handicp chase that grabs me. I believe it used to be called the Fulke Walwyn and I certainly hope the great man’s name is still memorialised in a race somewhere.
Chosen Well was going to be the pick when I first looked at this race. From the in-form Alan King yard that won this last year, he “had his wind tidied up” during the summer, in the trainer’s words, and now wears a tongue tie, which perhaps explains a couple of weak finishing efforts over hurdles last season. A winning pointer in Ireland, he should be much better at this game.
But in the end I’m going with Warriors Tale (2.45), a 7-1 shot making his debut for Paul Nicholls after showing promise over hurdles for Nicky Richards last season. Nicholls was full of enthisiasm for this beast’s fencing prospects at his owners’ day a couple of months ago and it’s interesting that he has chosen to start him off in this very competitive event, which the trainer won twice in the past three years.
Earlier, I’m interested in 6-1 about Russe Blanc (1.00), who should be sharper for his reappearance run and has scored on his second outing in the past couple of seasons.
Pick of the Taunton card may be Oliver Sherwood’s Royalraise (2.20), another winning pointer making his chasing debut off what looks a handy mark. He progressed over hurdles in the spring but this is his first appearance in handicap company and I’d be surprised if his initial mark represented the ceiling of his ability. He’s 5-1
Tipping competition, day four
Our winners so far:
Monday
Gallery Exhibition 8-1
Lady Of Longstone 11-1
Medicean Man 10-1
Tuesday
Retrieve The Stick 7-1
Not A Bother Boy 3-1
Wilton Milan 6-1
Wednesday
Arquebusier 7-1
Indian Voyage 3-1
Fire Fighting 4-1
And our leader is. . .
cerises +15
... who improved his position with Indian Voyage. Royal1scot (+14) had Fire Fighting, while Ken Woodward (+12) had Indian Voyage and Fire Fighting.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 2.10 Newbury, 2.20 Taunton, 2.45 Newbury.
This week’s prize is a copy of The Oaks by Michael Church, a limited edition of a handsome and scholarly work by the official Derby historian. The accompanying blurb reports that it includes “a comprehensive history of the race, its foundation, the results, race commentaries, all the winners and their breeding. There are also accounts of famous owners, trainers and jockeys, essays and pictures of the best winners”. If you don’t win, you can buy a copy here. Don’t say we do nothing to keep you Flat fans warm in winter!
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -9.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
Good luck!
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