Open Meeting

Friday sees the start of Jumps Racing's first proper big meeting of the season. It's a three day event and there are numerous good horses scheduled to appear. On the Friday we have the Novice Chase that the likes of Denman and Grands Crus have won in the past opening the meeting. Fingal Bay is set to appear in this against better opposition that he faced at Chepstow the other week. The Novice Hurdle later on that afternoon features a number of very promising animals and is a must for the record button on the remote.

The Paddy Power Gold Cup is the big race of the weekend and my ante-post bet on the race went south when For Non Stop wasn't declared on Monday. It looks a high class renewal and I think it will be between the second season chasers near the top of the handicap who seem well treated in the main and look to have too much class for the more exposed animals that lurk at the bottom of the weights. Having had a little on Al Ferof for the King George I was naturally interested in him when Nicholls confirmed the race as a definite for the horse at the 5 day stage. Al Ferof hasn't run in a race with a big field and a strong pace since he won the Supreme at the Festival eighteen months or so ago and he is very unexposed at this sort of trip. He jumps well enough and the sort of lead he'll get in a competitive race like this will really suit him. I got a little over 9/1 on Monday and I firmly believe he's the main danger to short price favourite Grands Crus. The Pipe horse looks well handicapped off 157 and his stable has farmed this race in the past. He was disappointing in the RSA at the Festival but he went into that race having not run since Boxing Day and I believe it was this rustiness against hard fit rivals that cost him as much as a lack of stamina. It's a poor effort that certainly kept his rating down and he must go close even if he is a bit short in the market. For that reason I have put him in a cheeky little double rather than had an outright bet on him.

Sunday's card looks top notch as well. There is a massive Handicap hurdle that I haven't really looked at yet and also the return of Sprinter Sacre to the racecourse. All in all a meeting to really get the blood pumping.

Paddy Power Gold Cup:
For Non Stop £20w @ 21/1 (NR)
Al Ferof £40w @ 925/100
Grands Crus and Finian's Rainbow (King George) £10dbl @ 9/4 and 8/1