David Ord is in the Weekend View hotseat this week with selections at Cheltenham and Doncaster.
It’s little surprise to see Madara now finding himself at the head of the market for Saturday’s Nyetimber December Gold Cup on Saturday.
Four of the top five in the betting contested the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November, the winner Il Ridoto, runner-up Ga Law and Fugitif are three of them but it was the run of Matata in fourth that really took the eye that day.
He was only two weeks into life with the Skeltons when the tapes went up and racing over the two-and-a-half miles trip for the first time.
Perhaps that was the reason for such a conservative ride but having been dropped out from an early stage, he was never going to get a proper shot at the leaders. 11 lengths down jumping the third last, he made relentless progress from that point, motoring into fourth despite not being asked particularly stern questions.
There was petrol left in the tank and he’s a fascinating prospect for his top yard but he’s also as low as 4/1.
The bet at this stage looks to be PINKERTON at 16s.
Noel Meade confirmed on Monday that the race is the target for the Galway Plate winner providing a midweek blood test comes back all-clear.
He’s a fascinating runner given how he seemed to relish the big-field scenario when beating Duffle Coat and impresses with how he travels, jumps and then fights at the end of his races.
The ground at Prestbury Park is currently good to soft, soft in places and while it won’t dry out significantly at this time of the year, no meaningful rain is forecast either so it shouldn’t deteriorate.
That surface will be ideal for Pinkerton who has won the only two handicap chases he’s contested and ran a career best to chase home Found A Fifty in a Grade Two at Down Royal in November.
He’s nine pounds higher than when winning in Galway but should still be competitive.
It’s a bigger leap of faith to side with THIRD TIME LUCKI in the BetMGM Handicap Chase but he’s potentially too well handicapped to ignore.
The nine-year-old has only raced once for Fergal O’Brien since connections bought him out of the Skelton yard for 190,000 guineas and was ultimately beaten 26 lengths when chasing home Matata at the November Meeting.
However, he looked as though the run, his first for 19 months, wouldn’t be lost on him beforehand and shaped accordingly, making headway to briefly chase the freewheeling winner turning for home before tiring from the second last.
He needs to come forward significantly from that to win a race like Saturday’s but there’s every chance he will. He’s been dropped three pounds meaning he’s a pound lower than when winning at Sandown in February 2023 and seven short of the rating he finished fourth from in the Grand Annual a month later.
Again the ground will suit on Saturday and he’s an intended runner.
The best at Doncaster would be Altobelli in the bet365 Handicap Hurdle at 3.15.
Harry Fry’s charge is best caught fresh, his form figures when racing for the first time in more than 60 days are 1112 and he too is handicapped to play a big part.
The six-year-old ran two fine races at Ascot last winter, chasing home Knickerbockerglory in a valuable November pot before finishing third behind Luccia and Impose Toi in the Betfair Exchange Trophy.
He was below form on his only subsequent start in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury, where he was sent off a very strong 6/1 chance, and has been dropped two pounds as a result.
However he’s also in at Cheltenham on Friday with Bryan Carver jocked up both races so it’s a watching brief at this stage.
Preview posted at 1420 GMT on 10/12/2024
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