Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
I’m afraid the rain that was in my forecast for the Cheltenham area this weekend has now almost completely disappeared. Our unusually dry autumn is set to continue for another week, which would mean there was essentially no chance of the cross-country race taking place at Cheltenham a week on Friday, because the going is hard in places and the available irrigation is not sufficient to make that safe.
The good news is that we’ll still get three good days of racing at Cheltenham because their excellent turf management team has been watering the regular circuit since August. But other tracks with more limited resources must be crying out for some actual rainfall.
It’s good to firm in places at Musselburgh for today’s jump racing and I think a case can be made for the 10-1 shot Weapon Of Choice (1.00) in the opening handicap hurdle. Although he’s 0/10 over hurdles, some of those efforts (and indeed his Flat form of yore) suggest he ought to be able to win off his newly reduced mark, including his second place in a claimer at Perth in September.
He was stuffed last time but helped force the pace in a race that was won by a stablemate who’d been held up.That was only his second run back after a break and he may still have needed it.
With Brian Hughes aboard again and the cheekpieces restored, he’s of interest at a big price in a weak contest. The fast surface should help him last home.
In the closing handicap chase, the market can’t see past Formidableopponent, which is perfectly understandable, as he’s seeking his sixth win in two months. But all good things come to an end and I wonder if Boss In Boots (3.40) might be well placed to turn over the favourite at 12-1.
He’s dropped 8lb in two runs since joining Tim Vaughan from Seamus Mullins and is now below the marks from which he won his two handicap chases some time ago. If Vaughan has got him fit for this, with cheekpieces on for the first time, this eight-year-old has it in him to be a threat.
His recent flops were over two miles, which may well be on the sharp side for a horse that won a point over three miles in March. Today’s race is just shy of three miles.
Hairdryer (4.00) has halved in price for the amateurs race that closes Nottingham’s card and is now 9-2. This three-year-old showed renewed promise three weeks ago before getting tired on his first outing for six months. Andrew Balding, his trainer, has a 29% strike-rate with Hugo Hunt, riding here.
John Gosden fields three in division one of the mile maiden and the market doesn’t want to know about Master Singer (12.50), a 20-1 shot for this debut. But the market has not been a flawless guide to the chance of Gosden debutants and this colt’s low-profile jockey, Robert Tart, had a 25-1 winner for the trainer on his only ride in the past fortnight.
Master Singer is a Giant’s Causeway half-brother to Campanologist, who won four Group Ones in a career that began with a winning debut. There are other less talented beasts in the family but I shall take a chance at these odds, especially with the trainer’s juveniles doing so well at this late stage of the season (17/53 in October).
