Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
In an effort to suss out which horse Tony McCoy will be riding in his very last Grand National, I had a quick word on Monday with Frank Berry, racing manager to the owner JP McManus, McCoy’s main employer. McManus has six entered for the National on 11 April and it seems that five are regarded as likely runners if all goes well.
The exception is Carlingford Lough, who, having won the Irish Gold Cup on Sunday, is going to get a significant hike in the weights. His main target is the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the National is not currently thought to be a tempting follow-up. “I’d say not,” Berry told me.
The remaining five are all likely to have a run before the National and much will depend on how they fare then. Wyck Hill, for example, will go for the Eider, which he won last year.
My first idea about Alderwood was that he would never stay the National’s four and a half miles, having been a two-mile winner in handicaps at the Festival in 2012 and 2013. But Berry said: “The lads seem to think he needs further these days. I could easily see him running.”
Sunnyhillboy, pipped in the National three years ago, has only had five runs since and has not been seen for more than a year. He missed last year’s National because he was “failing to sparkle” at home but Berry reported: “At the moment, he’s good. We hope he can run. That’s the intention.”
But Sunnyhillboy is the only one of the six that McCoy was inclined to say he would not ride. “I’d be hoping that JP and I can find something a little younger than Sunnyhillboy,” the jockey told me yesterday. “There’s no point in two pensioners going round together.”
And so we come to the two most interesting ones. Cause Of Causes, a good second under Nina Carberry in the Kim Muir last year, will have a prep-run in a Cheltenham handicap, Berry said. He looks well handicaped but he is still only seven and hasn’t won over fences yet.
And then there’s Shutthefrontdoor. I thought he was going to be a Gold Cup contender when he hosed up at Carlisle in November but he has not been seen since, missing the Lexus and Sunday’s race at Leopardstown, which were both suggested as targets for him.
“He’s had a few niggly problems but he’s getting there,” said Berry. “We’re happy with him again. He’ll have a run first. I don’t know about the Gold Cup.”
He’d be the right type, having won the Irish National last year, but he is going to be somewhere near the top of the weights if he turns up at Aintree. He is also at the top of the betting at a general 20-1, though this is a betting market with a lot of developing to do. For now, at least, Shutthefrontdoor looks like McCoy’s probable mount and I imagine that 20-1 may come under pressure in the next week.
I should think McCoy’s winning run will continue at Ayr today with Top Of The Glas (2.10) wearing first-time cheekpieces in the maiden hurdle. Top Of The Glas is 0/3 over hurdles so far but it’s been a couple of months since we saw him and even a modest step forward would make him hard to beat in this company. He’s 5-4.
I like 9-2 about Turtle Cask (2.45) in the following novice handicap. He was beaten only by a 100-1 shot at Catterick on New Year’s Day but stuffed the rest and duly won next time at Sedgefield. He is only edging his way up the handicap and still looks dangerous off his revised mark, with the return to three miles likely to help.
At Ffos Las, I’ll go with Silvergrove (4.00) at 5-2. He was beaten only by Monkerty Tunkerty last time at Wincanton and gets to run off the same mark. His main rival is Copper Birch, who is up 8lb for a debut win over fences in a Taunton race that rather fell apart.
BoyleSports tipping Competition, day two
Our winners so far:
Monday
Dewala 2-1
Saint Are 9-4
Catchin Time 3-1
And our leaders are. . .
23skidoo +7.25
BearRides +7.25
orso +7.25
ps4999 +7.25
. . . who all had all three winners on Day One. Surely we’ve never had four perfect scores before? Let’s see if any of them can extend the winning run to six.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.25 Ffos Las, 4.20 Ayr, 5.05 Ffos Las.
This week’s prize, kindly offered by those sporting fellas at Boylesports, is a £25 ante-post bet on a race of your choosing at the Cheltenham Festival (provided it’s one of the 15 on which Boylesports are taking bets just now). The bet must be placed by Saturday 21 February.
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!
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