Neil Morrice bring us all of his tips for Saturday 16 March’s racing across Ireland and the United Kingdom, including Uttoxeter’s tradition post-Cheltenham fixture! UK racing comes your way from Kempton Park, Fontwell, Uttoxeter and Wolverhampton while there are two Irish meetings at Limerick and Down Royal.
UTTOXETER stages its traditional post-Cheltenham fixture with the Staffordshire course sure to be packed to capacity for the Marston’s 61 Deep Midlands Grand National.
Run over four and a quarter miles, the marathon is worth £150,000 and never fails to entertain. With a field of 20 going to post, another crackerjack of a contest lies in store.
Included are three Irish-trained runners FOLSOM BLUE, RAZ DE MAREE and KILKISHEN and getting in at the base of the Handicap is last year’s winner JETSTREAM JACK trained by Sophie Leech.
However, those closer to the head of the weights make more appeal, horses such as the classy mare MS PARFOIS trained by Anthony Honeyball and the ultra-consistent BALLYDINE for Charlie Longsdon.
Uttoxeter is backed up by a fine card at Kempton which hosts two Cheltenham consolation races, the Silver Plate at 14:40 and the Silver Bowl at 15:15.
The Plate is a handicap hurdle designed for horses that were declared but eliminated from any of the handicaps at the Festival which encompasses the Coral Cup, the Martin Pipe, the Pertemps Final, the County and the Fred Winter over hurdles.
The Bowl is open to those who failed to get a run in the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase, the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate, the Kim Muir and the Grand Annual.
Naas last Sunday and Dundalk on Friday night (tonight) made it a quiet week in Ireland but as the hordes travel home to celebrate St Patrick’s Day they are welcomed by two competitive cards at Down Royal in Northern Ireland and Limerick in the Republic.
Here is a list of the racing on offer at Hollywoodbets on Saturday 16th March 2019.
Ireland
15:45 – Limerick
16:30 – Down Royal
UK
15:30 – Kempton Park
15:40 – Fontwell
15:50 – Uttoxeter
16:00 – Newcastle
19:40 – Wolverhampton
International
12:25 – Turffontein
13:20 – Durbanville
15:00 – Auteuil
17:42 – Toulouse
Starting prices to be added on release:
Kempton Park Best Bets
Race 2: TIMOTEO (3)
Trainer: Alan King
Jockey: Wayne Hutchinson
With Alan King’s horses running into form, runners like this talented six-year-old are well worth following and it could be that TIMOTEO is going to be an entirely different proposition as a chaser than as a hurdler. It wasn’t much of a race in which he made his debut at Stratford on Monday but he could no more than jump superbly and hack up.
Race 3: BURROWS EDGE (1)
Trainer: Nicky Henderson
Jockey: Nico de Boinville
Made a perfectly satisfactory though belated return to the fray when second at this track last month, a run from which BURROWS EDGE can build. Given a confident ride, he appeared to run green when making his move wide in the home straight and was finishing best of all.
Fontwell Best Bet
Race 7: THE CANNISTER MAN (1)
Trainer: Sam Thomas
Jockey: H Nugent
Has shown a preference for soft ground and there can be no excuses on that score. The going was quicker than ideal for THE CANNISTER MAN at Ludlow last time and he got outpaced before staging a rally when the birds had flown. Ridden more aggressively today he should prove hard to peg back.
Uttoxeter: Marston’s 61 Deep Midlands Grand National Day
FOUR and a quarter miles in deep ground makes this one of the most stamina-sapping races in the jumps calendar and punters need to concentrate on horses that can gallop, jump and stay in such conditions.
MS PARFOIS has arguably the best form in the race including a fine second to Rathvinden in a novice chase at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival.
Anthony Honeyball’s mare has been conspicuous in her absence since fading in the home straight to finish sixth in the old Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury at the end of November, but Honeyball reports her to be champing at the bit for this return to racecourse duty.
It has transpired that the combination of quick ground and a bug in the yard ensured that she’s been in ‘hibernation’ until now but the one thing for sure is that she will enjoy the testing conditions and get the trip.
Top weight AMERICAN has experienced a roller coaster campaign since impressively landing a three-mile novice handicap chase on this card in 2017.
However, I’m not convinced such arduous conditions are going to suit him, even though this represents a drop in Grade for Harry Fry’s nine-year-old.
The one I like best is BALLYDINE, whose season looks to have been charted with this race in mind.
He needed his first run back at Newcastle, looked all over the winner before being reeled in at Newbury and most recently finished third at Haydock after a bad blunder three out impaired his momentum.
With the underrated Sean Bowen taking the irons and competing from a lovely mark, BALLYDINE looks sure to go well.
BACK TO THE THATCH is in some ways a pea out of the same pod in that he’s coming into this off only three outings.
Henry Daly’s strong stayer went close over three and a half miles at Haydock but sidestepped the longer Eider Chase at Newcastle. He, therefore, appeals as a fresh horse and his stamina is assured.
JAMMIN MASTERS‘ form figures of 2222 tells its own story and the confirmed front runner is always there to be shot at. In his defence, he’s a sound jumper but he weakened badly when Chef Des Obeaux tackled him in the Chepstow straight last time.
ARTHUR’S GIFT is one to have on your mind following his win at Carlisle for Nigel Twiston-Davies. At that stiffest of courses, he looked better the further he travelled and relished the uphill climb to the finishing line.
Neil Morrice’s Predicted Finish
1: BALLYDINE
2: Arthur’s Gift
3: Ms Parfois
4: American
5: Back To The Thatch
Newcastle Best Bets
Race 6: CHARLIE SNOW ANGEL (6)
Trainer: Miss S Forster
Jockey: Jamie Hamilton
Having spent a long time out in the wilderness CHARLIE SNOW ANGEL staged a revival and looked unlucky not to win at Kelso earlier in the month. He has managed to get himself well handicapped and can gain an overdue success.
Race 7: SHOW PROMISE (6)
Trainer: Phil Kirby
Jockey: Tom Midgley
Three of these take reasonable form into the race and are opposed by a well-related newcomer but the fact that he has course experience and was doing all his best work at the business end sways me towards SHOW PROMISE who will be even more streetwise now.
Wolverhampton Best Bets
Race 4: TIGER EYE (4)
Trainer: James Fanshawe
Jockey: George Wood
Easily the toughest assignment yet to be faced by TIGER EYE but this progressive filly scored with plenty in hand at Lingfield and should appreciate the step up in trip. She can take the spoils on the way to better things.
Race 6: PHOSPHOR (8)
Trainer: Martyn Meade
Jockey: Rob Hornby’s
Good vibes about this Manton raider who has easily the best form to bring to the table and is considered forward enough to do himself justice from a good draw. Made favourite for a Newbury maiden in which he was too keen, but if settling can win this.
