INSIDE TRACK

By now you will have had your fill of Christmas and may well have lost the first glow from New Year’s Day, writes Julie Williams.

This week we will have the entries for the top races at Cheltenham and that should whet our appetite for the punting challenges ahead.

Kempton this Saturday fields a cracking card whose centrepiece is the Listed Chase won last year by current Ryanair Chase contender WAITING PATIENTLY.

At time of writing the Ruth Jefferson trained 8- year- old can be backed at 5/ 2 for Saturday’s ultra competitive race, despite unseating his rider last time out at the track.

They go to post at 2: 05pm and race over 2 miles 4 furlongs. With 16 fences to take, on ground currently described as ‘ good’ , the market of 12 intended runners is headed by CHARBEL ( 2/ 1) for trainer Kim Bailey.

WAITING PATIENTLY and TOP NOTCH( 9/ 4) - who may well be just that - are hot on the heels of last years winner.

Notably four of the last five winners have gone off favourite and the market come Saturday may well be the biggest aid to finding this particular winner.

WAITING PATIENTLY is the top rank horse here on official ratings and is impressively six from seven over fences, the same at the trip ( or thereabouts); ditto with top jock Brian Hughes in the saddle.

Racing in the month of January he is a sterling three wins from three races. Though the likely winner, most of his winning has come on softer ground than predicted and I’ll as usual be taking my chance with a hopeful outsider.

With the front three in the betting likely to be involved in a tactical race it could give Nigel Hawke’s SPEREDECK

( 8/ 1) the chance to set strong early fractions and catch them napping in behind.

Nonetheless I would sooner back the bold jumper each way than pitch my pennies at any of the top three at current prices.

If that market is cramped in that competitive affair the opposite is true of the next race, the Lanzarote Hurdle at 2: 40pm.

They are currently going 11/ 2 the field.

The past ten winners have all done so at single figure odds. With Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson and Nick Williams having trained near all of them.

A fine puzzle indeed! Perhaps one clue is the 50 per cent win ratio for six year old horses.

With that in mind I’ll plump for an each way play with Nicky Henderson’s PACIFIC DE BAUNE ( 12/ 1). This trip could unlock his stamina strength in abundance.

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