Spud set to roast big rivals
(7) J Osborne 9-7 (17) R J Price 9-5 (D2) (30) M Bell 9-4 (49) D M Simcock 8-13 (98) D M Simcock 8-11 (4) P McEntee 8-8... BETTING: 9-4 Choice Encounter, 7-2 Musical Theatre, 4 Montague, 5 Falcon’s Vision, 6 Our Man In Havana, 10 Mother of Dragons.
6-1 Mid-division, headway to lead over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, kept on and held near finish, 2nd of 8, 3/4l behind Mushtaq at Chelmsford City 6f 2yo nov stks (4) pol in Dec.
12-1 Mid-division, headway over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong, 4th of 11, 6l behind Gold Filigree at Wolverhampton 6f Fillies Novice Stakes (2yo) (5) in Nov. 9-2 Chased leaders, effort on outside 2f out, kept on same pace approaching final furlong, 3rd of 5, 6l behind City Gent at Lingfield 6f 2yo hcp 0-85 (4) pol in Dec. 16-1 Took keen hold, held up, headway chasing leaders 3f out, run flattened out and weakened inside final furlong, 7th of 13, 3l behind Awesometank at Newmarket 7f 2yo fll hcp (2) gs in Sep. 9-4 Led, ridden and headed 2f out, weakened final furlong, last of 5, 4 1/2l behind Motown Mick at Lingfield 7f 2yo hcp 0-85 (4) pol in Dec. 9-1 Tracked leaders, ridden over 1f out, no extra, last of 4, 5l behind Lord Of The Glen at Newcastle 5f 3yo hcp 0-75 (5). PATIENCE is said to be a virtue and Chase The Spud can prove the point by making the 10-day wait for the rearranged Coral Welsh Grand National a rewarding one with victory at Chepstow tomorrow.
Fergal O’Brien’s gelding was well fancied to land the spoils last week and nothing has changed in the interim.
The 10-year-old has an established record in the marathon staying handicap department, having ground out victory over Mysteree in the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter in March.
After a richly-deserved summer off, Chase The Spud made his seasonal reappearance at Haydock six weeks ago over three and a half miles on heavy ground.
He had to display more courage and determination to beat Robinsfirth by six lengths, with 24 lengths back to the third horse, Cloudy Too.
Inevitably, Chase The Spud has gone up in the ratings again but the stable is on a high at the moment and he has the right attributes to cope with a big weight and when conditions demand it.
Mercenaire can give trainer Nick Williams a third success in the Coral Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle.
The Devon handler saddled Me Voici to take this Grade One contest in 2009, while Le Rocher struck in 2013.
He has found another suitable contender in Mercenaire, who was impressive when making most of the running to score by 25 lengths at Exeter in November.
The progressive Western Ryder looks the answer to an intriguing renewal of the 32Red Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown.
The Warren Greatrex-trained sixyear-old has shown the right attributes in winning his completed races over jumps at Chepstow and Cheltenham after unseating his rider at Stratford in November.
He beat Lalor in tidy fashion last time out and can take the step up to Grade One company in his stride
Gas Line Boy showed he was as good as ever when lifting the Grand Sefton Chase over the Grand National Fences at Aintree last month and can follow up in the final of the 32Red Veterans’ Handicap Chase series.
Trained by Ian Williams, the 12-year-old was fourth to Pete The Feat in this event in 2017, when a mistake at the 17th fence put paid to his winning chance. He is certainly worth another chance as he seems to be in the form of his life.
Not Another Muddle can confirm the promise he showed when winning on his debut over fences by lifting the S Markets Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase at Wincanton.
Gary Moore’s seven-year-old has few miles on the clock and looked pretty useful when scoring at Plumpton last month in his first race since finishing fifth in the Imperial Cup at Sandown in March.
James Fanshawe’s stayer Lord George has the ability to give weight all round in the 32Red Handicap at Kempton.
The five-year-old gelding has some good form in big handicaps, notably when fourth to stablemate Higher Power in the Northumberland Plate. He has been knocking on the door of late.