12:35 – East India Dock
13:10 – The Newest One
13:45 – L’Eau du Sud
14:20 – Protektorat (each-way)
14:55 – Doyen Quest / Zeeband (each-way)
15:30 – Wyenot
16:00 – Settle Down Jill
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
I’m a little disappointed as I don’t think any of these will be in the firing line in the Triumph Hurdle next March, but it’s there to be won as a Grade 2 trial. EAST INDIA DOCK looked good on debut at Wincanton and is a half-brother to Burdett Road, who won this contest last season.
My Noble Lord could become a good hurdler, but the jury is still out for me despite winning on debut at Chepstow. He needs to brush up on his jumping.
This is an amateur riders’ race where you need confidence in your jockey. Luckily for us, THE NEWEST ONE did us a favour at the Showcase meeting, and the team return here to try to follow up.
He got a 5lb hike for that win, but I think that’s fair, and he has a leading chance again.
L’EAU DU SUD was runner-up in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury and County Hurdle at Cheltenham last season. That form and his debut win over fences last time will do for me.
The Paddy Power Gold Cup gets your blood pumping, and generally, you’re looking for a second-season chaser with good form at the track. Ginny’s Destiny ticks those boxes off a rating of 155.
That doesn’t give him much room for manoeuvre despite his great jumping against novices. It will be harder to dominate these older and more experienced runners.
GA Law is the one I like, and he is a more likely winner. His jumping was good at Chepstow, and repeating that will see him go close.
However, my selection is last year’s Grade 1 Ryanair Chase winner, PROTEKTORAT (each-way). He’s been placed in this race before and looks a nice price for an each-way selection.
The Skelton team are in fine form and DOYEN QUEST is ultra-consistent. Stepping up in trip could bring out more improvement in him. Irish raider ZEEBAND could be a value play each-way.
The Henry Daly team is in good form, and usually, the string needs their first run.
However, WYENOT was a solid winner the first time out and has some good form to her name.
She can follow up now, as the handicapper hasn’t been too hard on her by giving her a 6lb hike.
It’s always wise to keep an eye on the market in the bumpers, but the Skeltons paid £120k for this four-year-old SETTLE DOWN JILL after she won her point-to-point in Ireland.
It looks to have been a decent race, as the third has been placed since for Gavin Cromwell in Ireland, and the fifth has won a couple of times for Lucinda Russell.
She runs in the colours of Sullivan Bloodstock who have had a couple of nice types.
12:35 – East India Dock
13:10 – The Newest One
13:45 – L’Eau du Sud
14:20 – Protektorat (each-way)
14:55 – Doyen Quest / Zeeband (each-way)
15:30 – Wyenot
16:00 – Settle Down Jill
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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