Chepstow's re-arranged Chase races take place on Wednesday at Ffos Las, and Road to Cheltenham has three best bets across the card.
With the weather impacting Chepstow’s Welsh Racing Festival, the chases have been switched to Ffos Las and the west Wales course will play host to a lucrative card on Wednesday afternoon.
There’s over £190,000 in prize money up for grabs and several high profile runners have been declared to line up. Chepstow’s loss is very much Ffos Las’s gain and I’m here to run through some of my leading selections across the card.
2.20pm – SINNATRA
1pt WIN - Best odds of 11/8 when publishing.
I had Sinnatra down as a potential Greatwood Hurdle horse but he’s always looked like a chaser and Dan Skelton is wasting no time getting him started over fences. He has to give plenty of weight away but he is undoubtedly the class act in the field and he looks to have a fantastic chance of getting off the mark at the first time of asking.
Pourqoui Pas Papa is the potential fly in the ointment. The four-year-old was less than seven lengths behind subsequent Grade 1 winner Saratoga in the Fred Winter and he’ll receive 19lbs from the Skelton runner. Paul Nicholls had a winner at Chepstow over the weekend and his horses are going well so he is a genuine threat to the selection.
2.55pm – IRON BRIDGE
0.5pts each-way. Best odds of 11/2 with bet365 when publishing.
Iron Bridge has plenty going for him ahead of this Veterans Handicap Chase and I think the switch from Chepstow to Ffos Las will be beneficial to him. He clearly has a liking for flat, left-handed tracks – with five of his six victories under rules coming that way round and I’m not entirely sure he enjoys the undulations of Chepstow.
In addition, his record when running after a break of 150 days or more reads extremely well, with form figures of 111PU32. Throw in the fact that the Jonjo & AJ O’Neill yard are going great guns right now, with three winners from seven runners at Chepstow, and he ticks plenty of boxes. It’s hard to see him finishing out of the first three.
4.38pm – CREBILLY
1pt WIN. Best odds of 3/1 with bet365 when publishing.
There are plenty of established names in the field and the presence of Grade 1 winner Il Est Francais means that my selection Crebilly carries just 10-5 and I’m happy to see Harry Cobden comes over for the ride. There is action at Punchestown but Cobden will make the short flight over for Crebilly and the Emma Lavelle-trained George’s Lad.
Up just 3lbs for his success at Worcester in September, underfoot conditions are likely to be in his favour once again and I expect connections to try and make hay before the weather turns. He was second in the 2024 Plate Handicap Chase off a mark of 140, so could he be an outsider for next month’s Paddy Power Gold Cup? Never say never.
