ELITE Service DC Tips - Wincanton 3.35
BADGER ALES - Wincanton 3.35 - C1 - 3 miles 1 furlong - Handicap Chase - 14 run - Going Good
This is Wincanton’s big day of the year and this, The Badger Beers Silver Trophy, is the feature race on the card. Wincanton is a right-handed, oval track which is a good galloping course and although the fences are stiff they are fair. The ground at the time of writing is officially described as Good and, with a largely dry day ahead on Saturday, it is likely to stay that way.
This is a race that local trainer Paul Nicholls has excelled in over the years and he has trained the winner 10 times. He has 3 of this year’s entry and a case could be made for each one of them.
The starting point in this 15-runner contest has to be the horse who has won the race twice in the past and that is PRESENT MAN.
He is a horse who is better going right-handed and 11 of his 27 races under rules have come at this venue. He is a better chaser than he was a hurdler and his record in chases here is very good with 3 wins and 1 runners-up spot from just 6 runs. The two blemishes came in the 2016 renewal of this race, when he unseated his rider at just the second fence, and in last year’s contest when he was pulled up in ground that was softer than ideal. He is a horse who connections have always insisted needs good ground, so the current conditions should be just right for him this year, and he has already raced, and won, this season so should be match-fit. He has only gone up 2lbs for that win, at Chepstow last month, so has not been treated too harshly ahead of a race that is seen as his personal Gold Cup. Yes, he is now a 10 year-old, so the trends are against him, but he is a proven performer here, and in this race in particular, and looks set to run another very good race in this contest. He does look a bit of an each-way banker.
Given the record of Paul Nicholls in this race and, indeed, at Wincanton in general, his other runners are worthy of close inspection. Named after a Peaky Blinders character, DANNY WHIZZBANG is the mount of main stable jockey Harry Cobden and, at the time of writing, this lightly-raced 7 year-old is the market favourite. This former pointer has only had 3 runs over fences, winning on chase debut, and finishing 3rd twice. He has undergone wind surgery for the second time this summer and does appear to run well when fresh so the fact that this is his seasonal debut should not be seen as a negative. We may look back on this race one day and see that he was really well-handicapped but, for a horse so short in the betting, I do have a couple of concerns. Firstly, he is yet to run on ground that is likely to be as quick as this and, secondly, he has no real experience of big-field handicaps like this. He’s also entered in The Ladbrokes Trophy at the end of the month so connections may be using this as a prep for that bigger target and given all these doubts I think he is worth taking on at the current prices.
The third of the Nicholls’ runners is MY WAY. This one is still a maiden over fences and, indeed, only won his first race for the trainer, at the 12th attempt, when winning a maiden hurdle at Stratford last month. The trainer thinks this race will suit him and he gets in here with a nice low-weight which is further aided by his jockey’s 5lb claim. The cheekpieces are re-applied, having been left off at Stratford, but he may not want the ground to be too quick and would have preferred some rain.
We were lucky enough to find the 1-2-3 in this race last year but the horse who finished 4th on that occasion, JUST A STING, turns up again here for another crack at the prize. He ran well last year, travelling nicely for much of the race, but he is another who possibly found that the ground had gone against him that day. His cause was not helped by an awkward jump three fences from home, which seemed to set him back, whilst he also made another small error at the last when, possibly, starting to tire in the ground. He was well backed last year and has already seen some nibbles of support on Friday afternoon for this year’s contest. He is a horse who is best when fresh, and appears to be more effective on better ground, so has conditions in his favour here. He is only 1lb higher than his last winning-mark and, also, 1lb higher than 12 months ago. His trainer also tends to start to hit form during November and he will be hoping a big win here will launch this year’s winter campaign.
Another horse who contested this race last year is COBRA DE MAI. He was less successful than JUST A STING, finishing just 9th, but, again, did run creditably for much of the race. He is another horse who prefers good or quick ground and found the softening ground all against him last time out at Cheltenham. That said, he was possibly done no favours by the ride he was given that day with Harry Skelton choosing to go toe-to-toe with Frodon on the front end of the race. His jumping slowly fell apart that day as it came under pressure from the Nicholls horse and he was, eventually, pulled up. He was, however, very well supported in the market for the race which suggested that somebody thought he was well-handicapped. He has now been dropped a further 2lbs following that run and runs here off a mark 12lbs lower than a year ago. His trainer is also applying blinkers for the first time, in a bid to sharpen up his jumping, and he will enjoy ground conditions far more than either at Cheltenham or in this race last year. Bridget Andrews takes over from husband Harry in the saddle but she is yet to win on the horse from 6 previous attempts so that may be a small negative.
Whilst COBRA DE MAI has been slipping down the handicap, a horse moving in the opposite direction is EL PRESENTE who turns up here representing the in-form combination of Kim Bailey and David Bass. A combination of better ground and wind surgery has seen this 7 year-old return this season with 3 wins and a 3rd place finish from his 4 runs. As a result of this, he is now 18lbs higher in the ratings than he was at the commencement of jumps racing in July. He is a horse that has raced predominantly at right-handed tracks and his last run saw him win at Hereford last month. He has gone up 5lbs for that win, and this is a much tougher race, whilst he also lacks experience in these big-field contests.
The one defeat for EL PRESENTE this season came at Market Rasen, in August, and that race was won POTTERMAN who re-opposes here. Alan King’s 7 year-old has a solid record over fences, winning 4 and placing in 4 of his 10 career starts to date. On paper, at least, his only sub-par performance came in this year’s Summer Plate at Market Rasen but he was badly hampered that day and, also, was possibly in need of the race after 8 months off the track. He is 4lbs better off with EL PRESENTE from their meeting at Market Rasen and, on that basis, should finish ahead of him again. He will enjoy the ground and should run his race but it’s debatable if he’s good enough to win this and he can hit the odd fence.
POTTERMAN’S last race came at Chepstow when he finished 2nd to Secret Investor and one place behind him that day was SOME CHAOS who also runs here. Michael Scudamore’s charge has since won a handicap chase at Kelso and, as a result, meets Alan King’s horse on 2lbs worse terms. He didn’t jump that well that day and the race rather fell apart but there’s no doubt he arrives here in decent form. As a former pointer, this horse was always going to be better over fences than hurdles and so it has proved. His chase record is good, with 5 wins from his 9 runs, and he has winning form over course-and-distance. He is also best on a sound surface and all of his wins have come on good ground. His trainer is in good form at present, with a 31% strike-rate in the last fortnight, but, with a 3lb rise for the Kelso win, he does need a career best to win here. Nevertheless, he does tick a number of boxes and is one for the shortlist.
Another former pointer who threatens to be better over the larger obstacles than hurdles is CHAMPAGNE COURT. This 7 year-old began his chasing career on this weekend last year when winning a novice chase at Sandown. He followed that up with another win at Plumpton before being thrust into better company in two Cheltenham Novice Handicaps. The second came at The Festival and he was not disgraced in either but he his 3lbs lower here for his first chase start since March. He had a prep run over hurdles, back at Cheltenham, a fortnight ago and that was his first try at 3 miles. He looks to have been laid out for this race and did improve for his seasonal debut over hurdles last year. He has been well touted by several prominent national tipsters but the concern here has to be the likely going conditions as most of his good performances have come with plenty of cut in the ground. He, also, has to prove that he gets a trip as far as this.
An interesting contender right down at the foot of the weights is the 4 year-old KITTY’S LIGHT. Although flat bred, he has taken to chasing really well and won 3 of his 4 starts so far (finishing 2nd in the other). He seems to have improved since stepping up to 3 miles and finished off well to win both of his last 2 starts, under this jockey, with the win at Warwick coming despite a slipping saddle. He gets all of the allowances for a 4 year-old here, plus his jockey’s 5lb claim, and his shrewd trainer will be looking to take advantage of that. All of his runs have come on a sound surface with his win last time, at Exeter, coming on good-to-firm. This is a step up in grade but he is unexposed and could run well.
This is a very competitive renewal and whittling down my final short-list has not proved an easy task. It is a race that Paul Nicholls has farmed over the years and his 3 runners all have a chance here. The one that has been supported is DANNY WHIZZBANG and he, clearly. could be one whose handicap mark underestimates him but the most solid of the Ditcheat contenders is PRESENT MAN who seeks a third win in the race. He is now 10 years old, has to give weight away, and could be vulnerable to younger legs but he showed his wellbeing when winning last time at Chepstow when, apparently, not fully race-fit. He gets his ideal conditions here and is only 2lbs higher in the handicap than when last successful. He rates an each-way banker for me with the enhanced places on offer.
For a second pick, I was really torn between several runners. COBRA DE MAI is a horse who looks dangerously well-handicapped to me and will relish the likely sounder surface. If the first-time blinkers work their trick and sharpen up his jumping he could go very well. He just misses out on being a formal selection but I will be having a bit of loose change on myself at an each-way price in case this is the day when it does all click once more.
This leaves me with splitting the rest of my points/stake between JUST A STING, who ran well for a long way last year, goes well fresh, and who is just 1lb higher this time on more suitable ground, and SOME CHAOS for who the going is also key. He is up 3lbs for his last win, and he does have to improve his jumping, but he is in form, has won over course-and-distance, and his trainer is going well. He looks an out-and-out stayer who could be suited by the likely strong pace here.
TIP - Present Man / TRACKERS - Just A Sting + Some Chaos