Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
A footnote, almost, in Tuesday’s Racing Post says that Tom Scudamore expects to ride Soll in the Grand National a week on Saturday. It’s encouraging news for us Soll fanciers, because Scudamore has links to other National runners, like Wyck Hill and Monbeg Dude, and might therefore have been expected to play the familiar jockey’s game of refusing to speculate about his mount until nearer the time, so as to avoid risk of offending any of the owners and trainers involved.
It would hardly be a surprise to see Scudamore partnering Soll on the day because he rides principally for David Pipe and Soll is likely to be the only Pipe runner that makes the cut for the race. But even Soll is not yet assured of getting a run, as he’s 45th on the list just now and a maximum of 40 can take part, so I take it as a good sign that, despite this little doubt, Scu’s thoughts appear to be tending in only one direction (I hope none of the older readers mind me using ‘Scu’ for the younger man when it will obviously make them think of his father. I dare say that even Michael was referred to as ‘Scu’ back in the 1950s).
Other Soll backers will have noticed that the form of his Exeter win in February, his first outing after joining Pipe, has got stronger and stronger. The second, third and fourth all won their next races and they weren’t just any old races either. Rebel Rebellion, the Exeter runner-up, won a Saturday handicap at Newbury, while Creevytennant, fourth at Exeter, cuffed his rivals by seven lengths at Ascot on Sunday.
Scudamore was aboard Soll at Exeter and I hope he gets another big run out of the horse on 11 April. Soll is still 25-1 in places and I tend to think he’ll start shorter than that, not least because he’s got clear potential to be a Pricewise pick. Most of all, I’m just hoping he gets to the starting line fit and healthy. He is a big horse and has had his problems.
Scudamore’s best chance today may be aboard Tokyo Javilex (3.40), who has been well backed down to 3-1 for his first start in three months. He’s back down to the same mark from which he won on good ground last April and an extra half-mile looks like helping but the most significant detail affecting his prospects is the blistering form of his trainer, Nigel Hawke, who has won nine races from 16 runners this month. Nine winners in a month; that’s more than Hawke has had in the entire year for 17 of the 20 seasons he’s had a licence.
Earlier, I like Tom Neary (3.05) at 11-2 for a small field novice handicap chase. This is a half-brother to Hunt Ball and he was trained by Ball’s trainer Keiran Burke when last seen in November, staying on into a promising third in a novice hurdle.
I’m afraid Burke found winners hard to come by for the last couple of years but Tom Neary is now with Robert Walford, whose strike-rate with his chasers is 29%. The horse makes his chasing and his handicap debuts today from a low mark with a tongue tie fitted for just the second time and it would be no surprise at all if he were to leave his previous efforts behind. Interestingly, Burke’s racing club still owns the horse.
At Huntingdon, you can still get 7-2 about Flash Crash (2.45), representing the Jim Best/Tony McCoy combination that has been so productive. Best only acquired this horse last spring, after which he was kept on the go while decent ground was available. After a winter’s break I expect him to take a step forward and he wouldn’t need to be much better than when second here in November.
Tipping competition, day two
Our winners so far:
Monday
New Horizons 4-1
Rolling Maul 8-1
Poker School 2-1
And our leaders are. . .
gildedvanity +11
Mai11 +11
Fixxxer +11
. . . who all paired Rolling Maul with New Horizons. Another six folk had Rolling Maul on his own for a score of +6, while Ormrod76 and NRJTFC are on +5, having had New Horizons and Poker School.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.40 Exeter, 3.50 Huntingdon, 4.10 Exeter.
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 -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!
Click here for all the day’s racecards, form, stats and results.
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
