Today’s best bets, by Greg Wood
It is pretty pedestrian stuff at today’s three meetings, which is, of course, only to be expected, scarcely a week before The Big One kicks off. The seven-furlong handicap at Wolverhampton offers an interesting challenge, though, albeit with yesterday’s selection, Gigawatt, now a non-runner.
It is still 9-2 the field with 11 runners going to post, however, and this is the race many punters will be trying their best to solve. Rocket Ronnie was the overnight favourite, having caught the eye at Kempton last time when running better than a final position in 10th of 12 runners might suggest. He is a little weak in the market this morning, though, and might be a bit better over an extra furlong, so Lucky Lodge (3.40) could be the one to back. There looks to be plenty of pace in the race and Mel Brittain’s runner will be staying on strongly from the rear as the front-runners start to tire.
Gabrial’s Wawa (2.40) has been in the form of his life since dropping back from a mile to six furlongs and can continue his good run earlier on the card, while Bathcounty (2.00) and Cafe Au Lait (3.30) have obvious winning chances at Fakenham. Kilcascan (2.50) is one of the few to make much appeal at Southwell.
Cheltenham Festival stat of the day
by Paul Jones, author of the Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide published by Weatherbys
If Silviniaco Conti is going to make it third time lucky in the Gold Cup and justify favouritism, he is going to have to fend off a wave, verging on a tsunami, of highly progressive second-season chasers including Road To Riches, Many Clouds, Holywell, Djakadam, Sam Winner and Smad Place. This is a far deeper representation for the previous season’s novices than is usually the case and that description extends to Carlingford Lough, though he is a third-season chaser, so the prospects of them extending their superb record in the Gold Cup looks very strong. The fragile Last Instalment was the big hope for second-season chasers in last season’s Gold Cup but he found the ground, described as good, far too lively and unseated six fences out when already starting to feel the pinch. With none of the other three second-season chasers sent off at any shorter than 20-1 last year, that should have been that, but up popped Lord Windermere from looking like he might tail himself off to give second-season chasers their twelfth win since 1990. In other words, last season’s novices have won the Gold Cup more often than not during that period, which is saying something, given how heavily outnumbered they have been.
The Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide is published on February 20th and available via www.weatherbysshop.co.uk or 01933 304776
Next week on Talking Horses
It’s that Cheltenham Festival you may have heard of. As in previous years, we will run four individual tipping competitions during the week, one on each day of the Festival, from Tuesday to Friday. You’ll be asked to make one selection for each race at Cheltenham that day and whoever does best to imagined level stakes on each tip at SP will be that day’s winner, landing a £50 bet from William Hill.
There will also, of course, be any amount of news and views on the best week of jump racing anywhere in the world, so do join us then.
Tipping competition - a new week
Congratulations to Lindsey6677, who found Bandit Country (9-2) on Friday to pinch last week’s competition on a final score of +10.50.
This week’s prize is a pair of Premier tickets to Ascot for Sunday 29 March, a day of good quality jump racing midway between Cheltenham and Aintree. This year, it will be the first Prince’s Countryside Fund Raceday, featuring a range of countryside-inspired activities to keep the whole family entertained, it says here.
To kick things off, we’d like your selections, please, for these races: 3.40 Wolverhampton, 3.50 Southwell, 4.30 Fakenham.
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.
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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