Tuesday’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Today’s Haldon Gold Cup was the race in which Cue Card made us all say “Flaming Nora” two years ago, when he won by 26 lengths. But he was well held from a stone higher in the weights last year and is on the same mark this time.
He’s a smashing horse but I don’t see why things should go better for him today than they did last year, when he was a younger horse and had not yet had the pelvic fracture that would end his season. We don’t yet know if he can be as good as he was after that injury and I feel he has to be taken on.
I expected to be fancying Balder Succes but he’s favourite and, on reflection, pretty high in the weights, getting just 2lb from Somersby, whose achievements over fences include winning this last year. Balder Succes looked good last season but he was running against novices and it’s not that easy to argue he has anything in hand on this mark, even though his stable is quite literally on fire.
Somersby was given a chance by the handicapper when he won this last year and is 9lb higher now. Hinterland is more fairly treated and the first-time tongue tie is interesting.
But Pepite Rose (2.15) has more appeal, with Venetia Williams making another strong start to a season. She hacked up in two handicaps last season and should still be competitive from her revised mark.
That might not be the conclusion you’d draw from her last outing, when she was third off this mark at Rasen, but it was her eighth run of last season and she was giving a lot of weight to the first two. I’m taking the view that she can do better.
The only one at a bigger price is Oscar Hill and am I mad or is there a case to be made for him, given that he hosed up around here last autumn on his first start for David Bridgwater? If soft ground was to blame for his two flops that ended the season, he could do a lot better here. I find the 10lb out of the handicap off-putting but 50-1 is probably overdoing it.
Later, Solstice Son (3.15) will do for the staying race at 11-2. He made a good chasing debut behind a horse who has since won again and now steps back up to the sort of trip that suited him over hurdles.
Tipping competition, day two
Our winners so far:
Monday
Comeonginger 11-10
Saint John Henry 9-1
Protectionists 7-1
And our leader is:
dean055 +17.10
... who had all three winners on Day One, even though one of the races was a 22-runner handicap run on the other side of the world in the middle of the night. Blimey!
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 2.15 Exeter, 3.15 Exeter, 3.30 Redcar
This week’s prize, with Cheltenham’s November meeting just 11 days off, is a copy of Cheltenham Et Al, The Best Of Alistair Down, a newly published collection of the best columns by the Racing Post man who sadly no longer adorns our screens on Channel 4. The book is “by turns moving, uplifting and laugh-out-loud funny,” says the blurb. If you don’t win, you can buy a copy here.
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 -3.
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.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
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