Tag: Storm Force Ten

£750,000 on offer in Scoop6!

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Last weekend’s Scoop6 was lost when Catching On and Tony McCoy crashed out of the Midlands National at Uttoxeter. The well-backed gelding was carrying the last remaining ticket so the pool has been carried over with a forecast £750,000 up for grabs.

All of this weekend’s Scoop6 are televised by Channel 4 so we’ve had a quick comb through the form in the hope of coming up with a winning permutation.

2.00 Newbury

As you would expect, there are no easy races and the opening Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase sets the ball rolling. Pepite Rose won this race last year and is now on a 1lb lower mark. O’Maonlai absolutely bolted up here last month but has been raised 15lbs.

PEPITE ROSE, O’MAONLAI

2.15 Kelso

This is a decent race with Harry The Viking having much the best form after being beaten on the nod in the Grand National Trial at Haydock. That was on testing ground, formerly believed to be against the gelding. Cloudy Too has a touch of class but has been weighted accordingly and a bigger danger may be unlucky faller The Last Samuri.

HARRY THE VIKING, THE LAST SAMURI

2.35 Newbury

The EBF Mares’ Hurdle Finale looks wide open but Nicky Henderson’s Spartan Angel should go well along with the Warren Greatex-trained Hannah’s Princess showed a liking for this ground last time.

SPARTAN ANGEL, HANNAH’S PRINCESS

2.50 Kelso

Spookydooky won with a bit in hand last time but has gone up 13lbs. Nicky Richards has his team in good form and Cultram Abbey could be worth considering.

SPOOKYDOOKY, CULTRAM ABBEY

3.10 Newbury

The form choice here is Financial Climate with the added bonus of AP McCoy in the saddle. He is only up 4lbs for a workmanlike success at Sandown but may have most to fear from No Duffer.

FINANCIAL CLIMATE, NO DUFFER

3.45 Newbury

The going has definitely firmed up in the last week or two and that favours the speedier flat race types. The two that catch the eye here are Andrew Balding’s Storm Force Ten and Alan King’s Gimme Five.

STORM FORCE TEN, GIMME FIVE

Totesport Scoop6

Newbury Saturday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Richard Johnson stole the show at Newbury on Friday with a treble including two for Philip Hobbs. It’s good to see the Hobbs yard back in form after a miserable Cheltenham where they sent out 15 runners to no avail, one-third of them failing to complete the course.

It was not such a good day for Nicky Henderson but he could be back in the winners’ enclosure after Saturday’s big race with Spartan Angel. The EBF Mare’s Hurdle Finale takes some winning and there are eighteen set to line up on Saturday. You could make a case for most of them and it is no surprise to see the bookmakers going 7-1 the field overnight.

The weight range is no more than 13lbs but bottom weight gives Spartan Angel an excellent charge for the Lambourn stable. She has been very lightly raced since winning a small race at Worcester in the summer. The daughter of Beneficial raced twice at Ascot before Christmas and was a fair second to Batavir. David Pipe’s gelding followed up at Wincanton before disappointing in the Doncaster race won by Call The Cops.

Henderson’s stable were not firing on all cylinders at the time and it may be that she has simply been put away for better ground and/or this race in particular. Hannah’s Princess is another worthy of consideration after winning comfortably on similar ground last time.

Every Tony McCoy winner is cheered to the rafters at present and Financial Climate should go close in the 3.10 race. He never really looked in any danger once he kicked on two fences from home at Sandown and a 4lbs penalty could be lenient. The opposition are a mixture of ageing chasers and unreliable handicappers.

Andrew Balding has kept Storm Force Ten for hurdling this season but he was a late withdrawal from the Cheltenham festival. I had given him a chance in the Fred Winter after a couple of encouraging runs, notably when fourth to Triumph winner Peace And Co. Four-year-old handicaps are a devil to unravel but he won’t mind the quicker ground and may have most to fear from Gimme Five. Alan King has been running this one on the all-weather and he looks quite well in with 10st 10lb.

2.35 Spartan Angel @7-1 Bet365

3.10 Financial Climate @9-2 William Hill

3.45 Storm Force Ten @7-2 Bet365