Bookmaker Reviews

Archive for November, 2008

Steven Rawling’s search for Arkle and Royal & SunAlliance winners continues – here he looks at the Ronny/Hall Beginners’ Chase, the Worcester and the Berkshire Novices’ Chases.
There are a couple of festival pointers at Newbury tomorrow, firstly the 12.55. A beginners chase with only five runners and only three with any sort of chance. It was won last year by Big Buck’s, favourite for Saturday’s Hennessy and his trainer Paul Nicholls sends out the huge and imposing Pasco tomorrow.

There shouldn’t be too much between him and Straw Bear after the two of them filled the places behind Sir Harry Ormesher at Exeter a little over a month ago.

Nicholls said he had come on enormously for that though and I fancy he’ll reverse the placings comfortably. Straw Bear has since run at Cheltenham, and was comprehensively put in his place by Arkle favourite Tatenen. There wasn’t an awfully lot to like about the run and his jumping was again sticky, especially early on.

Jonjo O’Neill’s Isn’t That Lucky is the only other horse in with a chance. He caught the eye at Kempton in a good race won by I’Msingingtheblues. He looks sure to improve on that and win races but this may be a bit tough for him.

The 2.05 race, the Worcester Novices’ Chase over three miles, is a very tricky contest where only the Irish raider, Ouste, can be dismissed.

Tartak is one to be very wary off. He’s certainly on an upward curve and is open to any amount of improvement after his comfortable Huntingdon success.

The Tother One, Paul Nicholls’ representative, comfortably beat Gone To Lunch on his chase debut at Exeter. He’s a little quirky and won’t want to be in front too long but it’s hard to see Gone To Lunch reversing the form, even though he’s since won himself; comfortably landing a beginners chase at Hereford last week.

Crescent Island is interesting stepped up in trip. He was no match for Tatenen over two miles but the horse he beat at Stratford won well on Wednesday.

But I’ll have an eye on the going and as long as it’s not too soft I may well side with Hold Em. His trainer, Keith Goldsworthy, feels his handicap mark of 131 is fair and that he’ll be a polished performer on good ground. I’ve already been impressed with his attitude and there wasn’t much wrong with his effort behind highly-regarded Breedsbreeze in the Rising Stars at Wincanton.

A better Royal & SunAlliance trial, despite being over only two-and-a-half miles, is the Berkshire Novices’ Chase on Friday, won by Denman in 2006. The final declarations have yet to be made at the time of writing but looking at the entries it’s sure to prove an informative race once again.

It may well help to clear the somewhat cloudy picture of the RSA market, albeit only slightly.

One of the many to have shortened in this market is Ballyfitz, who impressed many with his win at the Cheltenham Open meeting and is now around [15.0]. There was also a lot to like about the way Charlie Mann’s Shining Gale won the day before and there have been impressive enough wins for Cooldine in Ireland and Massinis Maguire at Ascot. Indeed there seems to be an almost daily springer in the RSA market and its starting to look like it’s going to be an extremely competitive renewal in March.

In contrast the Arkle market seems almost stagnant with Tatenen a firm favourite and it’s in this market I’ve had my first ante-post bet.

Despite the stable being very much out of form, Ferdy Murphy’s Kalahari King impressed again when he won his second chase. He cosily got the better of Henderson’s Shatabti at Leicester, conceding her 20lbs. Henderson was said to be a bit disappointed with his mare but I think time will show that he shouldn’t have been. I’ve taken [15.0] down to [13.0] about him and was pleased to see Cast Iron Casey frank his form on Wednesday at Sedgefield. more