Nick Luck
Nick Luck’s William Hill blog: Cheltenham Trials Day & Doncaster preview
William Hill ambassador Nick Luck previews Saturday’s action from Cheltenham Trials Day and Doncaster.
Saturday, Cheltenham
JAGWAR is a very strong fancy to land the TV opener at Cheltenham on Trials Day (1.15). He’s very talented – and almost certainly well ahead of the handicapper – but has a tendency to be a bit slovenly on occasion. I expect him to be more aggressively ridden on a track that tends to favour pace, and could see him really stretching this field.
FINAL ORDERS (1.50) can take the X-Country race. He beat J’Arrive De L’Est stylishly here last time and, although the runner-up is open to more improvement and is better off at the weights, the price discrepancy is too great at the time of writing. The excellent Keith Donoghue is worth a good few pounds round here.
L’HOMME PRESSE is surely the play at the prices in the Cotswold Chase (2.25). Dan Skelton is making worrying noises about the ground for Grey Dawning, while any value appears to have been squeezed out of the talented Spillane’s Tower. Meanwhile, the selection won the race last year, and is very effective at this track and on bad winter ground. His comeback was a fine effort, and the market seems to be dismissing him too readily.
THE NEW LION gets the coin toss in the International Hurdle (3.00). It boils down to the belief that conditions and a relative test of stamina on the New Course may be more to his liking than Sir Gino’s. Until his unfortunate fall, he’d shown a good bit of encouragement in the Fighting Fifth, suggesting he was well up to Champion Hurdle calibre. Sir Gino has never been off the bridle in his life, and it will be interesting to see whether they can get him into a tussle.
GOWEL ROAD can spring a minor surprise by repeating last year’s success in the Cleeve (3.35). He is short of the class of a few of these, but he knows his way round here blindfold and is highly accomplished and very tough when the going becomes extremely testing.
Saturday, Doncaster
FOUNTAINS BLENHEIM is a little reach way play at a big price in the River Don, the first of three ITV races from Doncaster (12.55). His form doesn’t have quite as appealing a look to it as one or two, but he was a decisive winner over a smart rival at Windsor, doing better the further he went. I’d be certain he’ll relish a stiffer test still, and his pedigree – full brother to the really talented Fountains Windfall – suggests there might be quite a bit more to come.
THAT’LL DO MOSS is building towards a big performance, and looks a very fair price in the mares’ hurdle (1.30). She ran a fine race in the circumstances at Sandown, while leaving the impression she was now crying out for three miles and softer ground. She’s up there on official ratings, and can go close.
JOYEUX MACHIN is the long priced pick in the Great Yorkshire Chase (2.05). This isn’t the greatest edition of this, and the selection is well worth his place after an excellent fourth to Docpickedme last time. He boxed on stoutly at one pace that day, and I fancy a really contested pace in this company could bring him into the equation a bit more. He looks very well treated on some of his old form.
