Molly, Otto & Puddle.
Chris can only find one selection tomorrow on what is a relatively innocuous weekend.
All week I have been enamoured by the prospects of Sego Success in the Classic Chase (3.35) at Warwick tomorrow, but the weights rose sharply at declaration time and the horse now has to lump 11-12. He’s also been well found by the market as the general 6-1 favourite, so my enthusiasm has been tempered a good deal and the punting instincts suggest he is now worth taking on.
Unusually for a 15-runner staying marathon, there are plenty of the opposition that I’m willing to dismiss quite happily. This is much more competitive than the Kelso handicap Vivaldi Collonges won last time out and I wasn’t convinced by his attitude last season. Midnight Prayer was ruled out of the Welsh National through coughing and this only comes a week later; I don’t think Houblon Des Obeaux will stay; Rigadin De Beauchene is 11lb higher than when winning the race two years ago and isn’t discernibly better now, while De Kerry Man has stamina to prove and Algernon Pazham might find this jumping test a bit too taxing.
As such, I’m drawn to the claims of his stable companion Foxbridge, who ran a good race in the circumstances at Kempton over Christmas, three miles on good ground proving too sharp for him there. He’d previously finished second in a good staying handicap at Cheltenham and he outlined his stamina reserves and ability to go through deep ground when notching a hat-trick at Ffos Las last season. He shapes like the step up in trip tomorrow will be right up his street and I’m a fan of 5lb conditional Jamie Bargary, who takes the racing weight of this horse down to 10-1. At 14-1, he’s well worth an interest.
I’ve trawled through the rest of tomorrow at least twice and can’t find anything else I want to back. It’s most certainly a day for watching with the future in mind, with a number of potentially very good novices on show. Should the card at Naas survive an inspection for frost, Pont Alexandre is certainly the most fascinating in the 1.55. He defied a monster absence to making a winning start over fences in December and jumped like a buck when doing so. I hope he can continue on his upward curve tomorrow.
Chris.
Advice
1pt win Foxbridge, Warwick 3.35