Jake Price is up over 32pts across his last four tipping columns, check his four tips for Saturday here.
13:52 Warwick - Hampton Novices’ Chase
Tip 1: HOLLYGROVE CHA CHA - 1pt Win
This certainly looks an interesting Grade 2 contest, but I would have to have immediate concerns about the favourite Wade Out – mainly because Warwick provides a unique jumping test that means he would need to jump considerably better than Cheltenham last time, but also because his official rating of 145 puts him right on the cusp of being expunged from his main target of the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Doyen Quest is interesting because he is such a slick jumper, but the likely testing conditions at Warwick coupled with his Class 2 penalty would have to dampen enthusiasm slightly. Moon Rocket could well be up to this sort of task but he does come into this off the back of being mugged in a match race at Doncaster, so instead I thought the horse massively overpriced here is the Mare HOLLYGROVE CHA CHA.
This Jamie Snowden 6yo enjoyed a very successful season as a Novice Hurdler which culminated in winning the Grade 2 Jane Seymour Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown last February, where she gamely made all of the running to see off That’ll Do Moss (137). Connections have never hidden the fact that they were more excited by her prospects as a Chaser however, and she made the perfect start to life over fences when finishing third in the 2m4f Listed Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle in November – where she was only beaten a couple of lengths by Resplendent Grey (152) and Handstands (154).
Reverting to Mares only company at Exeter before Christmas, she again jumped well despite dropping back in trip to 2m1½f and taking on Bluey (129), who is another Mare who likes to go forward. Despite the clash in tactics and our selection jumping out to the left however, she still came away really nicely to score by 4.75 lengths. As I mentioned she was dropping back in trip, but the ground was officially heavy, and it was so testing that the card ended up being abandoned just three races later. Whilst that does not fully prove she will stay this 3m trip, her Jane Seymour performance suggests she has plenty of stamina, and her sire Affinisea produced Affordale Fury to win the Savills over 3m just a few weeks ago. Providing she does stay, she has to have strong claims in receipt of the 7lbs Mares allowance.
14:05 Kempton
Tip 2: THE DOYEN CHIEF - 1pt Win
This is last chance saloon for me with THE DOYEN CHIEF, but he was absolutely cantering at Cheltenham in December before he completely puked at the sight of the hill – and despite jumping up into second place at the last, he fell in a hole afterwards and somehow managed to only finish in 5th place. Returning to a flat, right-handed track like Kempton (which he has already won at) should be exactly what he wants however, and the fact he was dropped 2lbs by the handicapper back down to a mark of 138 is generous considering how his latest effort - boosted by Herakles Westwood subsequently - developed.
This Alan King horse was an exciting prospect going into last season as a Novice Chaser, but he took a while to get his act together. Following a neck second at Taunton in February however, he then racked up a double at Kempton and Warwick off marks of 127 and 132 respectively. When running off a mark of 137 at Bangor in November on his return he travelled all over his rivals and just had to jump the last to win in what would have been an impressive performance, but sadly he got it all wrong and allowed subsequent Ascot winner Deep Cave (141) to go by and score nicely.
That run was very much in preparation for the Coral Gold Cup, and it was that contest for which he was quite well supported in the buildup. Those dreams were quickly shattered that day however, as the race went to a standing start, and he shied away from the tape losing any chance immediately. Tom Bellamy very sensibly pulled him up straight away to save his horse for another day, and whilst Cheltenham in December looked a suitable consolation prize, returning to Kempton in an even weaker contest should hopefully prove to finally be the winning ticket.
BresBet
15:17 Kempton – Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle
Tip 3: CAME FROM NOWHERE - 1pt EW (5p)
I absolutely loved what Jeremy Scott’s CAME FROM NOWHERE did at Hereford 21 days ago, and he surely can continue his progression in a race like this off a very low weight considering his Maiden Hurdle form suggests that there is still plenty of mileage left in his handicap rating.
That run which makes him still look so well treated came at Stratford the October before last, where on his first start after a summer break he finished a narrow 1.5 length third behind Glynn Brae (132) and Lud’or (139), despite trying to give them both a bit of weight. He unfortunately missed the rest of that campaign however, and did not return to the track until November when running well for a long way before weakening into third behind The Blue Room (129) and Double Measure (125) – but he was entitled to take a blow after a 382-day absence.
I took a chance on him at a massive price at Wincanton in early December where he tried to make all over 1m7f, and he ran a blinder off a mark of 115 when only ran down late in the day by Non Stop. Only put up 2lbs for that run, it interested me greatly that he was stepping up in trip to 2m3½f at Hereford just 16 days later, and everything truly clicked that day. It was a decent enough race with Marsiac (128) sent off the 2/1f, but Jeremy Scott’s 7yo travelled all over them, and absolutely hacked up off a mark of 117 wearing the first-time tongue-tie.
I thought a 7lbs rise for that performance to a new official rating of 124 was very lenient considering the ease of his 2.5 length success, and as such I think he can continue his progression despite stepping up into Class 2 company. Kempton should be a track which suits him well, and whilst French Ship is a horse I have plenty of time for, I think he faces a very tough task giving our selection 22lbs at the weights.
15:32 Warwick – Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle
Tip 4: LORD SNOOTIE - 0.5pts E/W
Had Tom Symonds kept original jockey booking Ned Fox aboard Lud’or to claim 5lbs then I might have given him a chance here, but considering this is a Pertemps Qualifier, a top 4 finish will surely be on the agenda as he is already rated 139 and wouldn’t want to be getting much higher in the weights with the Cheltenham Festival in mind. Instead I want to be with a Horse who would need to win this race to get into the Pertemps Final, and that surely applies to LORD SNOOTIE more than most.
This Horse has always looked to have a big pot in him, and back in 2024 he was only beaten half-a-length by the ill-fated Cuthbert Dibble (140) in another Pertemps Qualifier at Haydock, before he then split Gwennie May Boy (144) and West Balboa (135) in the Premier 3m Handicap Hurdle at the Aintree Festival. Connections wanted to go Chasing last season, but disaster struck on his first start of the season at Chepstow, and he was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Making his long-awaited return to the track after a 434-day absence at Ascot last month, he ran a race of promise over a trip too short, travelling well up until the third last before taking a big blow and eventually finishing well beaten. Having been dropped 2lbs back down to a mark of 123 however, he now looks quite nicely treated returning to a course and distance he has won at in the past. Christian Williams will surely have him much more like it fitness wise this time around, and Jack Tudor returns to the saddle which is a clear positive.
