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
