Tag: Tingle Creek

Tingle Creek Chase Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Saturday’s Tingle Creek Chase looks wide open in the absence of Sire De Grugy and Sprinter Sacre. Eighteen horses were entered on Monday so the race looks more like a big handicap than a two-mile championship race.

Many Clouds (tipped at 9-1) gave us a nice win last week in the Hennessy for one of the smaller stables in Oliver Sherwood and this week it could be the turn of Trainer Tom George to steal the headlines. He is set to run the rapidly improving God’s Own who has still not convinced everyone that he is a Grade 1 chaser despite wins at Punchestown and Exeter.

Balder Succes beat him fair and square at Kempton in February but could not repeat the performance in Ireland. God’s Own returned at 25-1 that day and was still a very generous 8-1 when the two met again at Exeter last month. The son of Oscar ran out a convincing five-length winner, both horses having made bad mistakes in the home straight.

His jumping is probably my main concern as they are certain to go very quick early on with such a big field. Balder Succes can go quite low at his fences and he is not certain to enjoy the Railway fences either. Never the less, I feel that God’s Own is a better bet at 9-2 than Alan King’s horse at 11-4.

Several of these have alternative engagements over the weekend including Twinlight, one of three entered by Willie Mullins. I don’t think that I could support him after the way he jumped at Kempton last year. Stable companion Ballycasey surely wants a longer trip and Felix Yonger looks held on Punchestown form, although he would probably be the best of the trio.

Oscar Whisky ran a great race to finish a close fourth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup with 11st 12lb on his back. However, he is a two and a half mile horse who has run his best races at Cheltenham and Aintree over the years. He put up a really laboured performance here last spring, admittedly in heavy ground, but I am not convinced that this race will suit him.

Paul Nicholls does not have a Kauto Star or Master Minded to call upon this year as he seeks a ninth win in the race. You have to treat Hinterland with caution after he was pulled up with a broken blood vessel last time so his best chance has to be Dodging Bullets.

He is starting to become a little frustrating as he didn’t really fire at Cheltenham last year and looked to be travelling well until flattening out on the run-in on his comeback behind Uxizandre. He could have failed through fitness there or maybe he does not really like the Cheltenham hill despite having won there in the past. He jumped perfectly soundly that day and could be worth an each-way bet on Saturday.

God’s Own @9-2 William Hill

Dodging Bullets @10-1 Bet365

Each-way ¼ odds, 1,2,3,4

Racing Preview Saturday 7th December

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It’s a busy weekend for both flat and National Hunt fans with Aintree and Sandown followed by the big meeting in Hong Kong. Our midweek bets on the big races have all stood their ground so let’s hope we can follow up our 20-1 Hennessy Gold Cup success!

There are plenty of interesting supporting races, not least the Listed Chase at Aintree at 2.40. According to the Racing Post, Channel 4 are not televising this race. This is slightly baffling, given the good quality of the field and the fact that the Tingle Creek does not start until 20 minutes later!

I am presuming that the powers-that-be had prepared a stack of musical interludes with slow-mo pictures of Sprinter Sacre. One day they will realise that racing fans want more live action and less waffle!

Returning to the race in question, I am going to side with the five-year-old Unioniste. Paul Nicholls has admitted that a lot of his runners are in need of a run this season and the grey was a typical example at Wetherby. He just didn’t quite get home behind Harry Topper and can reverse the form with the runner-up Wayward Prince.

Katenko fell too early in the Hennessy to say whether he would have been involved at the business end whilst The Giant Bolster seems to reserve his best for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Unioniste is tough and consistent and looks great value at 9-2.

I am a big fan of Nicky Henderson’s dual-purpose performer Lieutenant Miller and I’ll be supporting him in the 1.00 at Aintree tomorrow. He ran his heart out at Royal Ascot, Goodwood and in the Cesarewitch on the flat this year and deserves to pick up a decent hurdling prize. He is still on a very attractive handicap mark over hurdles and he should be able to exploit it.

There seems to be a National named after every part of Britain these days and tomorrow it is the London version. I’m going for Bradley in this one after his fine third at Cheltenham last time out. I thought Godsmejudge ran well too but I can’t support him with 11st 12lb on his back.

Bradley caught my eye last year when just run out of it by the mud-loving Monbeg Dude at Cheltenham. He is yet to land the big prize that he deserves but tomorrow could be his day.

Lieutenant Miller 4-1 Bet365

Unioniste 9-2 William Hill

Bradley 8-1 Bet365

Tingle Creek Chase Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase was meant to be the starting point for Sprinter Sacre this season but he has been ruled out after tests suggested that he was less than 100%. Obviously nobody wants to see Nicky Henderson take any chances with the highest rated chaser in training but it is disappointing for the Sandown crowd.

Henderson has diverted Captain Conan to take his place and he is no mean deputy. He was only beaten once last season as a novice and that was at the Cheltenham Festival in March. I had not rated him particularly prior to that run but I thought he stuck on gamely at Prestbury Park and he got his just reward by winning at Aintree subsequently.

I seem to remember jockey Barry Geraghty emphatically saying that Captain Conan was a two and a half mile horse so this is going to be interesting. If he proves good enough to win here, it will be difficult to find any opposition to Sprinter Sacre come March.

My idea of the winner on Saturday is Sire De Grugy. I first put him in my notebook after he ran a cracker in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury won by Zarkandar. He lugged some big weights over hurdles and was always going to make a smart chaser. He was not quite right early last season but showed his true ability when beating former two-mile champion Finian’s Rainbow at Sandown in the Celebration Chase.

I fully expected him to follow up at Cheltenham last time but he was caught by Kid Cassidy up the final hill. His jumping can be a little worrying at times and he took off a little early on a couple of occasions there. I’m convinced that he is a horse that is always going to be better on the so-called park courses and he looks a cracking bet at 9-4 with Bet365.

I have plenty of respect for Somersby who seems to have been around forever but is actually only nine years old. He is now trained by Mick Channon and won the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter when holding off Module in a driving finish.

Cue Card finished third that day but it would be foolish to take that form literally. Clearly Cue Card was a lot fitter when he contested the Betfair Chase and galloped his way into the Gold Cup picture.

Sire De Grugy 9-4 Bet365