Saturday 23rd April
After group race action at Sandown on Friday, jumps racing takes over at the Esher track on Saturday for the NH season finale (and for some of us NH racing doesn’t start again until Chepstow in October!).
In the opening handicap hurdle (1:50) one that got away at Aintree, Whizz Kid, makes a relatively quick return to action. I thought Cillin Leonard went too hard from the front on that occasion, so he has to be of interest off only 1lb higher. Doctor Parnassus is another one in my notebook, I thought he ran well in what is looking a hot Triumph Hurdle, beaten twelve lengths but up against it on ratings, prior to that he’d won
his two novices easily and he could be on a handy mark with his 8lbs four-year-old allowance:
Sandown 1:50 – WHIZZ KID – ½ point win @ 13/2 (several firms)
Sandown 1:50 – DOCTOR PARNASSUS – ½ point win @ 15/2 (several firms)
I quite fancy Greaneteen (3:00) to win back-to-back renewals of the Celebration Chase, having beaten Altior last year, obviously he was past his best at the time, but connections were confident going into the race. Greaneteen emphasised ed his likening for the track when winning the Tingle Creek in December beating Nube Negra. I don’t really understand why the Skelton horse is
favourite, he was beaten on his only other visit to the Esher course. Statistically Greaneteen is a better horse on better ground, and it is easy to forgive his run at Leopardstown as most of the yard’s runners were under-performing at the time:
Sandown 3:00 – GREANETEEN – 1 point win @ 13/8 (generally)
In the feature event, the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase (3:32) the head of the market centres around last year's race where Enrilo was ‘first past the post winner’, Kitty’s Light was the moral winner but bizarrely the stewards awarded the race to Potterman who had finished second. Kitty’s Light returns for revenge off a 6lbs higher mark having had a long and consistent season in
staying chases. Potterman returns only 2lbs higher and Enrilo is back 1lb higher. It’s not difficult to envisage that the connections of all three are returning with something to prove. I prefer Enrilo who has had a light campaign and is surely primed for revenge. The mare Win My Wings won a year ago off a mark of [123] and has been a revelation in staying handicap chases including wins in the Eider
and Scottish National this spring. She has gone up another stone for her annihilation of the opposition at Ayr last time out to [154]. In the ‘year of the Williams’ [Christian, Venetia and Evan] Christian has been snapping up some big handicap chase prizes, and it is easy to see why Kitty’s Light and Win My Wings are at the head of the market [he also saddles last year’s fifth Cap Du Nord]. Although there is always the
possibility that connections may have ‘gone to the well too often’ and the yards runners, with so much media spotlight, may be over-bet. Flegmatik is very short at 8/1 for a horse having to prove he stays marathon trips. Streets Of Doyen appears to have little stamina doubts, he was my pick for the Irish National last week before his late withdrawal. He was a staying on third in the 2021 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. He needs a
sound surface to be at his best, like when he beat Flooring Porter in a handicap hurdle, so I will ignore his run in the Brown Advisory. He comes with risks, apart from the fact that he is not guaranteed to stay the longer trip, he has run some shockers including a refusal at Cheltenham earlier in the season, but the price factors that in:
Sandown 3:32 – STREETS OF DOYEN – ½ each-way @ (already advised 16/1)
Sandown 3:32 – ENRILO – ½ point win @ 7/2 (generally)
