SQUIRREL NUT-KEEN
Secret is out – Hughie’s ace is a rising star
PUNTERS should go nuts for SECRET SQUIRREL (1.50) in the opener at Sandown today.
Trainer Hughie Morrison thinks the world of the five-year-old who has not been out of the first two this season in four starts.
Victories at Kempton and Taunton sandwiched two excellent seconds to Jeriko Du Reponet and Fire Flyer and he brings a strong level of form to the table in the bet365 Novices’ Championship Final.
The decent ground will suit – although there is some overnight rain forecast at the Esher track – and the righthanded circuit should also be up his street.
This is super competitive and there are dangers lurking at every corner. Be Aware is among them and he appeals as an each-way play at 12-1.
The Grade One clash between Jonbon and El Fabiolo is the highlight of the day for National Hunt purists.
Jonbon missed Cheltenham where El Fabiolo fluffed his lines in the Champion Chase with a race-ending mistake. Nicky Henderson’s star then won the Melling Chase over 2m 4f at Aintree and reverts to two miles for this crackerjack of a contest.
One of them should win but I can’t ignore EDITEUR DU GITE (3.00, nap) at a sorely tempting 40-1. I do have a blind spot about this fella as he is one of my favourite horses in training, but the ground will be pitch perfect and he arrives fresh having missed both major spring Festivals.
If the big two don’t bring their A-game, then Editeur Du Gite will be waiting to pick up the pieces.
Nube Negra should also outrun his odds (40-1) with the ground in his favour.
THE REAL WHACKER
(2.25) has endured a mainly frustrating campaign after hitting the heights as a novice chaser last season. But it should end on a high in the bet365 Oaksey Chase. Patrick Neville’s eight-year-old hated the deep ground in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and does not truly convince that he stays three miles-plus. Today’s 2m 6f on better ground should be much more suitable and the race conditions mean he is well in at the weights with most of his rivals.
The ITV cameras are at Haydock and Leicester for one race each.
SPARKS FLY
(2.45) was one of the success stories of last Flat season when she won a remarkable eight times.
She began on an official rating of 60 and ended up winning a Listed race in France.
Today she carries top weight off a mark of 107 in the trustatrader.com Handicap and looks to have a tough task.
But she is deadly on soft ground and Sparks Fly is fancied to carry on where she left off last season.
Another mud-lover is AL MUBHIR (2.05) who is fancied to repeat his victory of 12 months ago in the Madri Exceptional King Richard III Cup at Leicester.
He is 7lb higher this time round but should outclass his rivals.
Elsewhere look out for HELTER SKELTER (5.15, nb) at Ripon. He threw what looked a winning chance away at Doncaster by veering to his left but showed enough to suggest he can win plenty of races for Rebecca Menzies.