Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
I slightly wondered about Kerry Lee during the opening bars of this jumps season, when her runners were not much in evidence at the business end of races. But the trainer who made such an impact in her rookie season is now following that up with continued success, seven winners from 39 runners (18%) since the start of December, and it looks like she’ll have a long and happy career in the game.
I was especially impressed by her win with Alfie Spinner in yesterday’s Somerset National. This is a horse that ended his time at Nick Williams’s stable with 21 straight defeats but has since gone 2/2 for Lee in two well-spaced-out efforts, his prep run for yesterday having taken place in March.
Lee is clearly one of those trainers who can freshen up an animal that had lost its way elsewhere. At the risk of trying to repeat a trick that worked the day before, I’m keen on Altiepix (3.20) at Chepstow, in a race for which he is just 9-2 from an opening 7-1.
In fairness, he was formerly with Gordon Elliott and I wouldn’t fancy anyone’s chance of improving a horse from that yard. But I’m not sure he would have to improve on the pick of his form to take this off his current low rating, having scored by 20 lengths at Clonmel last year from a mark just 2lb lower, albeit in fortunate circumstances.
Gigginstown evidently decided to dispose of him about a month before their split from Willie Mullins. Perhaps they sensed that Elliott might soon be taking in a handful of better horses. Anyway, it’s no great surprise that they had no further use for a low-grade handicapper.
But this seven-year-old is probably still good enough to do a job for someone else, especially in Britain, where there are more chances for low-grade sloggers. He will be fine on this testing ground, wears a tongue tie for the first time and also has a first-time visor, which may help, considering he wore blinkers for the first time at Clonmel.
There’s been some support at Musselburgh for good old Ifandbutwhynot (2.25), down to 8-1 from an opening 12s. He hasn’t won for ages but has come down a stone in the ratings over the past year and ought to be well suited by today’s decent surface.
The first-time tongue tie is interesting, as is the addition of Richard Johnson. He hasn’t had such a high-profile jockey in such a winnable race for almost two years, since AP McCoy rode him at Haydock. Two of his last three wins were at this track.
Like a whale beaching itself, I am drawn back to Lingfield, where every finish brings heartbreak for someone. This time the lure is Dhahmaan (2.35), wearing a first-time visor on his debut for David O’Meara and backed down to 4-1 from 8s.
His only previous try in a handicap was in a much hotter contest at Newmarket in midsummer. His all-weather form has a mixed look but some of it would make him good enough to take this. I imagine O’Meara will have sought a good opportunity for this one in hopes of impressing a middle-eastern owner who is new to the yard.
At Wolverhampton tonight, I like 7-2 about Fly True (6.15) from the Jeremy Gask yard that is literally ablaze, with four winners from 11 runners in the past fortnight. Fly True improved for the fitting of a hood to score two starts ago and nothing much went right for her at Lingfield last time. She’s well worth another go.
