McCoy’s final Irish National ride will be Cantlow
Chris Cook: Tony McCoy has been declared to ride Paul Webber’s Cantlow in Monday’s Irish Grand National at the final entry stage. A field of 30 is expected to line up. Cantlow has been backed in recent days, seemingly in anticipation of McCoy riding, and the ante-post favourite for the Fairyhouse race, Gallant Oscar, has been withdrawn and will be aimed instead at the Aintree equivalent. Cantlow is now 9-1 favourite for Monday’s race.
Philip Hobbs’s If In Doubt will carry topweight in the Irish National, with Ger Fox aboard. If In Doubt is owned, like Cantlow, by JP McManus and would therefore have been a possible mount for McCoy, who rode him into fifth place in the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
McManus has been speaking to Irish radio this morning about his chances in the Grand National itself and said that Shutthefrontdoor had been “laid out for the race all year”. “He seems to be in good form and, with luck in running, he could give a good account of himself,” McManus added of the horse, who will be McCoy’s final mount in the Aintree race.
Today’s best bets by Greg Wood
...are here. Tips for all today’s races are here.
Tipping competition, day five
Our winners so far:
Monday
New Horizons 4-1
Rolling Maul 8-1
Poker School 2-1
Tuesday
Royal Native 2-1
Mr Lando 11-4
Free Of Charge 9-1
Wednesday
After Eight Sivola 7-1
Just Spot 10-1
Miss Buckshot 14-1
Thursday
Rio Milan 5-1
Milly Malone 5-1
Bombadero 2-1
And our leader is. . .
waltersobchak +15
. . . despite a winnerless Thursday. Mulldog (+14) closed right up by picking Milly Malone. Other good scores: Viejo +10.75, sandiuk +10, Sportingbest +8.75, Mai11 +8, Fixxxer +8, kingklynch +6.75, gildedvanity +5.75.
For today’s thrilling climax, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.15 Lingfield, 4.15 Lingfield, 4.45 Lingfield.
This week’s prize is rather special, a copy of Timeform’s Racehorses of 2014, the definitive reflection on last year’s Flat season and its horses by those dedicated experts at the respected ratings organisation. Retailing at £79, this hefty tome includes extended essays on more than 75 of the leading horses from last year as well as an individual entry for every British-based horse that ran on the Flat in 2014. It runs to more than 1,200 pages and, if you don’t win, you can buy it 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 -12.
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 (TODAY).
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
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And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
