DOUBLE HANDFUL

A authority S much as it pains me to say it, the way the British Horseracing

handled the equine flu situation was fairly impressively. Any variety of flu, whether it be equine, bird, or man, has to run its course before a clean bill of health can be returned.

Of those strains, only man flu is considered life threatening.

It’s a well-known fact that if a doctor treats you for flu it will go away in around seven days. If you leave it alone, it will go away in approximately one week.

A week’s absence means today’s bumper card at Ascot will be savoured even more than usual, particularly if I can end the day in profit.

This year’s renewal of the Betfair Chase looks hugely competitive with very little between the front four in the betting.

Waiting Patiently won in superb style last season, drawing alongside the great Cue Card over the last before pulling away on the run-in.

Ruth Jefferson’s lightly raced eight-year-old is still unbeaten when completing over fences but has only been seen once this season.

That was in Boxing Day’s King George VI Chase at Kempton where he was brought down at the ninth obstacle, through no fault of his own.

Waiting Patiently is one from one at Ascot but his current level of fitness is hard to guage, which is why I prefer to side with the Paul Nicholl’s pair of Cyrname and POLITOLOGUE, who both love the Berkshire course. Politologue has won on both his two visits here. In fact the eight-year-old has only lost once going clockwise and that was in the King George, where he finished fourth. That three-mile trip was perhaps a tad too long for the grey, he’ll appreciate the shorter distance today.

Cyrname bolted up in the bet365 Handicap Chase at Ascot last time out where he was allowed to get an easy lead. I believe Politologue and Sam Twistondavies will time their run to perfection and play their hand to swoop late.