Jerrysback (3.00), who holds entries in both the Neptune Novice Hurdle and the Albert Bartlett, is the most interesting runner on Tuesday’s cards with next month’s Cheltenham Festival in mind, and while he is currently trading at around 8-15, he faces a decent opponent in Eaton Hill in the novice hurdle at Wetherby.
Philip Hobbs’s runner had little to beat on his debut over timber at Plumpton last month, but could hardly have won any more easily as he finished four-and-a-half lengths to the good and still on a tight rein. For the moment, he remains an outsider for Cheltenham, quoted at 33-1 for the Neptune, and though he will need to win well again on Tuesday to justify a place in a Grade One next month, it will be disappointing if he is not up to the task.
The odds-on makes little appeal, however, and there are better opportunities elsewhere on the afternoon’s cards. Handicap marks have been in the news this week with Michael O’Leary complaining at great length about the weights allotted to some of his entries in the Grand National, but the assessor may have erred in the other direction in allowing Top Tug to set off on his career in handicaps from a mark of 130.
Nicky Henderson’s six-year-old was a very useful stayer on the Flat who regularly raced off marks in the high 90s, and he was also the only horse to offer any challenge to the excellent High Bridge, a serious contender for novice hurdle honours at the Festival, at Catterick last time out. On the balance of his form, he could be a 140 horse at least, and is definitely one to be interested in at around 5-2 on Tuesday.
Towering (3.50) was behind a subsequent winner when second on his chasing debut at Doncaster last month and should go one better, while on the Fibresand card at Southwell, Custard The Dragon (3.10) should extend an already excellent record on the surface to a perfect five-from-five.
Captain Lars (3.40) is also worth an interest here as he returns from a short break, as his disappointing run last time out came at the end of a run of four races in the space of a month and he is generally very consistent at Southwell. Wimboldsley (4.10), meanwhile, is another in-form course winner and should outrun his current odds of 16-1.
