Architect Tips has a few fancies for the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury and suggests there could be significant Market Movers for the Grand National after Sunday’s trial at Punchestown.
Glory and Fortune to prevail at Newbury?
The Betfair Hurdle (15.35pm) at Newbury this Saturday looks ferociously competitive as ever but I’ll be doing my best to try and follow up last year’s victory for us having tipped Soaring Glory, who took the spoils 12 months ago.
The seven-year-old defied a mark of 143 and finds himself only four-pounds higher this time round but he will probably need a career-best performance to defy top-weight. He’s got each-way possibilities at a general 7/1 but, if you fancy him to repeat the dose, then surely at treble the odds, GLORY AND FORTUNE has to come into the reckoning here for the Tom Lacey team.
He was last seen contesting the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle and defied huge odds to finish a two-length second to Epatante with Soaring Glory back in third.
In addition, he’s four-pounds better off with last year’s winner this weekend back in handicap company and is only a pound higher than when sixth in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham back in November.
His latest career-best display, however, looks a solid piece of form for this assignment and hold-up tactics have almost certainly contributed to the horse’s improved display this term, likewise to when beating subsequent winners Dans Le Vent and Cormier in the Welsh Champion Hurdle earlier in the campaign.
I like him a lot for this and now that he’s established himself as a genuine Grade 1 operator coupled with his only entry at the Cheltenham Festival being the Champion Hurdle, he looks capable of booking his ticket to the Cotswolds venue next month. He is best priced 22/1 to win on Saturday.
Betfred
- Huge range of regular promotions
- 24/7 live chat service
- PickYourPunt builder for custom bets
A strong Betfair Hurdle mention with sights on the Grand National
I also want to give a strong mention to Ryan Potter’s JETOILE, who has the ideal profile for this race and arrives here on the back of an excellent showing in the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle behind Constitution Hill. The winner is clearly a monster, but the runner-up deserves a lot of credit considering he was stepping up significantly in grade and didn’t look out of place.
He’ll sneak into the field here off a nice weight allied with lenient-looking mark of 133 for his handicap debut and with his connections having their sights set on a potential trip to Aintree for a Grade 1 at the Grand National meeting, he should make a bold bid at a general 8/1 (best price 11/1) in this with front-running tactics likely to be the plan.
Grand National betting clues on offer at Punchestown
Over in Ireland, on Sunday, the Grand National trial (14.40pm) at Punchestown is likely to be informative and provide a chunk of clues in terms of potential market movers for the Grand National itself in April. The market for this weekend's trial is headed by Diol Ker, who put it all together in the jumping department to finish fourth in a strong renewal of the Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase.
He has only gone up a couple of pounds for that display, but his stamina is far from certain entering unknown territory over the extra three furlongs this weekend and he seems under-priced on what he’s actually achieved in this sphere.
Gordon Elliott is responsible for six of the 19 entrants at this stage and has Frontal Assault and Floueur towards the head of affairs, but I wouldn’t rule out DEATH DUTY AND COKO BEACH, who are currently 50/1 respectively for the Aintree showpiece and are available at 12/1 apiece for this weekend’s event.
The former makes more appeal of the pair given how class he was as a novice; he’s slowly getting back to something near his best and was a creditable sixth in the Porterstown Handicap Chase on his only previous try over a marathon distance. He has also run well in two subsequent starts, including when seventh in the Thyestes last time.
How will The Big Dog shape up for Aintree?
It’ll be interesting to see how The Big Dog fares for trainer Peter Fahey, who was well fancied for the Welsh National but a bad mistake early on left his rider with no irons and he was quickly pulled up as a result of that incident. He could be a major player as he didn’t have a hard race in Wales and is open to further improvement.
Interestingly, all of the possible participants are priced up 50/1 bar the ante-post field for the Grand National at Aintree and whoever wins on Sunday is sure to take a significant move in the market for the headliner in Liverpool in April.
