10.45am Ginge among entries for Scilly Isles at Sandown
Tony Paley: The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Splash Of Ginge, winner of a handicap chase at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, is among 10 entries for the Betfred Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown on Saturday after the Grade One contest over an extended two and a half miles was reopened.
Owner John Neild said the intention is to run this weekend, barring any adverse weather.
“Because he’s won a good handicap and is now rated 153 his options are limited,” he said. “Our preferred choice is to run this weekend, as long as the weather holds up. We have the back up of the Kingmaker at Warwick next week but that would mean stepping back to two miles and we’re not keen to do that.
“It’s a nice problem to have, in a way, but he’s highest rated this weekend and hopefully he gets to run. The Scilly Isles is a famous old race and to have a runner will be very exciting.”
Nicky Henderson’s Josses Hill also features among the possible runners, along with the Paul Nicholls-trained Irish Saint, Alan King’s Grumeti and Champagne West from Philip Hobbs’ yard.
A fascinating aspect is champion Irish trainer Willie Mullins putting in three horses - Jarry D’Honneur, Adriana Des Mottes and Gitane Du Berlais.
Venetia Williams is represented by Tango De Juilley, while Charlie Mann’s Seventh Sky is reportedly more likely to take up his entry in the John Smith’s Scottish Future Champions Novices’ Chase at Musselburgh on Sunday.
Wednesday’s best bets, by Greg Wood
Chelmsford City racecourse has had a difficult first few years, and it will be a while yet before some of those who have followed its staggering path to this point will be fully convinced that it is here to stay. Races like the £20,000 sprint handicap at the centre of today’s card are a very positive start, though, and while there are those who will never tear themselves away from the jumping at this time of the year, in terms of the value of the prize, the quality of the runners, the depth of the field and the competitiveness of the race, it is the best contest of the day by some margin.
Pretend, from the in-form Charlie Appleby stable, is the obvious form horse having won his last two starts, and he is lightly-raced for a four-year-old too with just six runs in the book. This is the strongest contest he has faced so far, however, and there are several more potential improvers in the field who could improve past him.
Magnus Maximus is one who might give him a race if he can translate his conditions-race form into handicaps, but Fear Or Favour (3.10) is the one who really catches the eye at around 11-2 off bottom weight. Clive Cox’s four-year-old has not been an easy horse to train, and makes his first start for the best part of a year today having run second in a strong Newmarket handicap last spring. Yet there was enough in his brief three-year-old career to suggest that he could be significantly better than his mark, and the fact that he was a winner first time up last season eases a little of the concern about his long absence.
Trimoulet (4.10) is another lightly-raced horse who could make his mark in handicap company on the same card, while at Kempton Park, Golly Miss Molly (5.15) should record her third win in four starts in the 12-furlong handicap. She travelled like a winner for much of the race over an extra furlong last time out but was caught in the final strides by another improving horse and races off the same mark here.
No Through Road (2.20) did little in his latest run to suggest that his winning run is about to come to an end and he can defy a penalty at Newcastle to record his sixth success in seven starts. Breeding experts, meanwhile, may take more interest in the concluding bumper, in which High Bridge makes his belated racecourse debut for John Ferguson. He is a son of Ameerat, who won the 1,000 Guineas, by the excellent stallion Monsun, and in terms of pedigree, today’s race looks like a walkover. If breeding was all that mattered, however, it would be pointless to race them, and at around even money High Bridge makes no appeal at all for betting purposes.
BoyleSports Tipping Competition, day three
Our winners so far:
Monday
Bush Beauty 12-1
Until Winning 2-1
Brunette’sonly 100-30
Tuesday
Sun Wild Life 7-2
Stradater 9-1
Winning Spark 8-1
And our leader is. . .
Grazioli09 +10
. . . .despite a winnerless Tuesday. There’s a fair crew chasing him on +7, including slackdad38, who was one of only two to find Stradater (along with DrClaw).
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.00 Leicester, 3.10 Chelmsford City, 7.15 Kempton.
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 7 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 -6.
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.
