11.55am Bay on course for crack at Champion
Tony Paley: Trainer John Ferguson is targeting Purple Bay at the Champion Hurdle after his runner finished runner-up to Faugheen at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Having won the Grade Two Elite Hurdle at Wincanton on his previous start, Purple Bay put up another creditable display in the Christmas Hurdle won impressively by Willie Mullins’ hot favourite.
“Purple Bay ran a cracker at Kempton and has earned a shot at the Champion Hurdle,” said Ferguson. The progressive Three Kingdoms will also be in Ferguson’s team for the big meeting in March after he ran Henry VIII Novice Chase winner Vibrato Valtat to half a length in the williamhill.com Novices Chase at Kempton on Saturday.
“Three Kingdoms ran just as well there [at Kempton]. It wasn’t really his track and he’ll be in the Cheltenham team,” said the Newmarket handler.
Tuesday’s best bets, by Greg Wood
Taunton’s clerk of the course needed to do little more than glance out of the window this morning before deciding that today’s meeting could go ahead as scheduled, since the overnight temperatures did not reach the levels that some forecasts had suggested. It is an interesting and well-contested card too, although the double-figure turnout for the Listed mares’ novice hurdle will not stop Tara Point (3.00) going off at around 4-7.
The preceding handicap chase is possibly the most interesting race for those wanting a bet, as it appears to revolve around Allez Vic and Pure Poteen with the former heading the market at 2-1 after a couple of promising recent runs. Very recent, in fact, as Evan Williams’s eight-year-old finished a close second at Chepstow on Saturday when it could be argued that he might well have won with a little more positivity from the saddle.
He is clearly on a very workable mark, but three days is not a great deal of time to recover from a three-mile race on heavy ground and Pure Poteen (2.30) makes more appeal at the prices this morning. Neil Mulholland’s six-year-old has been absent since finishing second at Worcester in early October, but the form of that race worked out quite well and he too looks fairly weighted on a mark of just 108.
Friendly Society (1.30) and Rolling Dough (1.00) are also worth close inspection on the same card, while at Lingfield, Tournament (2.20) could be the answer to a competitive eight-furlong handicap on his first start for Seamus Durack. Formerly with Andre Fabre, Tournament is proven on an artificial surface, took a maiden event in France by six lengths last time out and may have crept in on a reasonable mark here.
Tipping competition back on Monday
There will be no tipping competition this week during the holidays but Talking Horses will continue through the festive season so please do keep us company and share any fancies you may have for the racing over the new year.
Click here for all the day’s racecards, form, stats and results.
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
