Dont Tell No One the value option in open-looking Troytown Chase
WITH the favourite MIN priced around 1/8, the Ladbrokes Bet 10 & Get 40 On The Grid Chase (2.20 Gowran) is obviously not a race for betting today.
Second in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2016, Willie Mullins’ gelding has been very impressive over fences with two wins in as many races, including the Grade One Racing Post Novices’ Chase at Leopardstown by nine lengths last time out.
He’s been sidelined with injury since, so the camp will have their fingers crossed he can reproduce on the racecourse his stable form, which is said to be back near his best. With all due respect, his two rivals Flaxen Flare (Gordon Elliott) and Uncle Danny (John Queally) are simply making up the numbers, although there’s always the chance of something going drastically wrong such as a fall.
The Troytown Handicap Chase is the big one at Navan tomorrow (2.35) and Mullins’ top weight Acapella Bourgeois looks set to go off as favourite under Paul Townend.
He was below form in the Champion Novices’ Chase at Punchestown last time and I can’t quite make up my mind if his mark of 149 on his handicap chase debut here is a fair reflection of his ability.
So at the short price of 3/1, I’m going to avoid the seven-year-old today. This looks quite open to me and the John Kiely-trained
DONT TELL NO ONE gets the nod instead, priced in the region of 16/1.
He got off the mark in a beginners’ chase at Killarney in August, and was a little unlucky to finish second in a Galway Novice Chase last time, having traded near 1/3 in-running. He’s got potential in this sphere and I suspect he may be a little better than his mark of 130 would suggest.
In the following Grade B Proudstown Handicap Hurdle (3.05), consider backing the Francis Flood-trained PEACE
N’ MILAN each-way, which was trading at 20/1 in the early markets yesterday.
She finished off last season with a double success in some mares’ handicaps, and her latest poor effort at Clonmel is overlooked as the three-mile trip seemed a bit of a stretch.
Earlier on the same card, Gordon Elliott’s SAMCRO should take all the beating in the Grade Three ‘Monksfield’ Novice Hurdle (1.05), but this is another race best watched without a bet with the price likely to be in the region of 2/5.
He looked very smart when winning his debut over hurdles at Punchestown, and he’s already warm in some Cheltenham Festival markets.