Saturday Channel 4 Racing Tips & Preview

It is easy to understand why Overtown Express and Pull The Chord have made their way to the head of the market for this event. The former is expected to improve markedly for his opening gambit behind Top Notch and appeals now he has a handicap mark, while Pull The Chord’s yard have excelled in seemingly every decent chase run before Christmas and he rates a nicely handicapped individual. However, the Uttoxeter handicap which featured POKER SCHOOL (Best price 9-1) looks a warm piece of form given it has been enhanced a number of times since and he could be worth risking at a price. The selection won a decent Sandown handicap over hurdles two starts ago before his chase excursion in Staffordshire and I wonder if he will know a little more about what is required today.

UNOWHATIMEANHARRY (Best price 6-4) will stamp himself as a premier World Hurdle candidate if he can display the same authority that he did on his seasonal comeback at Newbury. It would be easy to become carried away with that performance as it was recorded early in the season on deep ground, but the manner of the success was such that Harry Fry’s charge shot towards the fore of the ante-post markets for March’s staying feature. French raider Alex De Larredya and Ptit Zig have plenty of previous and look closely matched again. I was close to putting the latter up as a bet as he is reported in rude health at present and he looks the each-way play against the favourite.

IRISH SAINT (Best price 8-1) looks to have been targeted at this handicap since the start of the season and is taken to step up on a creditable seasonal bow at Cheltenham over hurdles. A switch to fences around his favourite venue looks a smart move for Irish Saint who is 2-3 at Ascot and ran extremely well for a large percentage of his comeback outing. Co Conquer was another to run a blinder on his reappearance in chasing home subsequent Graded chase winner Present Man at this venue and is definite shortlist material.

Admittedly, MODUS (Best price 9-1) has looked quirky on occasion and has disappointed in races like this previously, but he appears to have turned over a new leaf this term and has arguably been unlucky not to win both starts. Patiently ridden on his return in a strongly-contested course and distance handicap, the selection flew in the straight to be agonisingly beaten and he subsequently suffered a similar fate at Cheltenham last time in the Greatwood Hurdle. The prospect of a good gallop, set by the likes of Rayvin Black and Sternrubin, should suit a horse like Modus who likes to be smuggled into a race and challenge late on and he makes some appeal with the odd firm going five places.

There is more to come from COURTOWN OSCAR (Best price 16-1) now he goes back over fences following a promising hurdle return in a warm race here last time. The selection wasn’t knocked about behind Ami Debois and Desert Cry and, with the former subsequently running well in a Cheltenham Graded race and the latter bolting up at Bangor since, the race doesn’t look too shabby from a form perspective.
VIEUX LILLE (Best price 9-1) is of interest now he heads back to a track where he ran well as a novice hurdler. The selection wasn’t knocked about at Exeter last time and the assessor dropped him 4lb for his defeat which looked an odd move given he was far from disgraced.

Trainer Evan Williams has never hidden the esteem in which he holds CLYNE (Best price 4-1) who ploughed through deep conditions to record a fourth career win on his return. All of the gelding’s victories have come on either soft or heavy ground and I didn’t see much to disprove the theory last month that the son of Hernando is a machine when he encounters his favoured underfoot conditions. Today’s step up in trip should hold no terrors as Clyne was staying on powerfully to score on his previous trip to Merseyside and he should go well again.

Read Sam Turner's tips in the Daily Mail every day or at www.dailymail.co.uk/racing