Jump racing steps-up a gear this weekend with the top-class meetings at Ascot, Ayr and Wetherby on Saturday. Regular readers of the blog will remember this weekend from 2015 when I tipped Wakanda at 8/1 on the Friday, Pendra at 8/1 on the Saturday and then Vintage Star at 10/1 on the Sunday - heady days!
Before then, we have a good meeting at Sedgefield on Thursday which includes the Durham National over 3m5f. However, on Thursday, I will be at Lingfield watching the filly Cribbs Causeway - in which I have a share in the owners syndicate - endeavouring to obtain some "black-type". While she is unlikely to be the fav for the race, the 3yo filly Melodic Motion should be the fav, I'm hopeful of a very good effort from Cribbs Causeway but she will have to do it the hard way having been drawn 13 of the 14 runners. There are quite a few hold-up horses in the race, so I'm hoping she gets an easy lead and then kicks-off from the front with about half-a-mile to run.
The Wetherby meeting on Friday is a good one too, with an interesting 3-mile novice chase but also the "Listed" Class 1 Bet365 handicap chase over and extended 2m3f.
However, on Saturday, all eyes will be on Wetherby for the "Charlie Hall" Chase over 3-mile as it brings the best of the staying chases together for the first time this season. Old-stagers Cue Card and Coneygree take centre-stage, but they may find things not going their way. Certainly, should Coneygree run as well as he did LTO at Punchestown then he will be in the mix. I think connections now realise that they have to take every race as it comes with Coneygree, there is no point in holding some back for later as he is prone to injury and they may not get another chance. I know Cue Card has won this race before 1st-time-out, but he usually needs a run. The 6yo Bristol De Mai is a bit unpredictable, certainly on his best days he could go close, but those best days are hard to predict. I do not think Blaklion is anywhere near good enough, as was shown when 3rd over C&D on Boxing Day last December. The winner that day was Definitly Red, who went on to win at Doncaster but, in between, he was beaten by Bristol De Mai when they met in the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock and if Bristol De Mai is in thatb sort of form on Saturday then he will take all the beating. The 9yo More Of That is a horse with unfulfilled potential as a chaser, but this 2014 "Stayers Hurdle" winner over 3-mile at the Cheltenham Festival certainly has the class.
I think given the ages of the front pair in the betting, I think there is scope for an upset and at the odds I am interested in the chance of BRISTOL DE MAI at 10/1 generally (Paddy Power have him at just 7/1). There will be plenty of pace on in the race and that will suit Bristol De Mai, and we know the horse stays this 3-mile trip well
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