The horse racing broadcaster provides his selections for Saturday’s racing around the UK, including one in the Badger Beers Handicap Chase at Wincanton.
Rain, or specifically the lack of it, continues to impede the West Country jumps meetings. Whilst Chepstow staged a particularly decent jumps card this week, the rain continues to largely stall over the other side of the Severn Bridge and has led to faster ground and smaller fields than ideal for Wincanton’s Badger Beer Day—now the longest continuous sponsorship in National Hunt racing.
A field of just seven stand their ground at this stage, two of which are trained by in-form Anthony Honeyball. I mentioned last week the form of the yard, and that has continued this week with an across-the-card double on Thursday. He saddles two in the Badger, where preference is for GUSTAVIAN / (15:30 Wincanton), who is 1 lb lower than when keeping on for 3rd in the race last year. His cause that day was not helped by being impeded by a faller at the cross fence four out and his yard not being in the same form they are now. He is quite closely matched with stable companion Credo on their Exeter running, but the assistance of Rex Dingle is a positive given his excellent record at Wincanton (19/123, A/E 1.54). Six of the stable’s last 12 runners have now won, including LORD BADDESLEY / (13:10 Wincanton), who would also take plenty of beating if asked to turn out quickly after his Newbury Thursday romp.
On the other three ITV races from the Somerset track, Paul Nicholls will be hoping for more success on a card he has often farmed in recent seasons with the likes of Rubaud, who lines up looking for a hat-trick of wins in the Elite Hurdle at 14:55, and Blueking D’Oroux in the Rising Stars at 14:23, who ran well below par on his chasing debut when beaten at Newton Abbot and faces two serious contenders in Henry De Bromhead’s Cobra Queen—only the stable’s second-ever runner at the track—and another Honeyball runner on a roll in Breaking Cover.
Away from Wincanton, Aintree stages its first race of the season over the National fences where, fresh from Djelo’s victory in the Charlie Hall, FRERO BANBOU / (14:40 Aintree) can go well for the same owner-trainer-jockey combination. The fact he lost his way a little late last season has seen his handicap mark drop 5 lb back to the same mark he ran 6th off in the race in 2024. He looked to be ridden a bit aggressively that day and failed to last home, and his 3rd the previous season to Gesskille looks to put him right in the mix. A double-figure price at the time of writing looks significantly over the odds (he is much better off with last year’s winner King Turgeon, who is much shorter in the market).
With Sam Thomas once again making a strong start to the campaign, KATATE DORI / (12:55 Aintree) looks to be a leading contender in the Pertemps Qualifier. He progressed well over fences last season but is unexposed over hurdles since that improvement, and it looks a decent chance to pick up an early-season prize and get him qualified for the final (qualifier winners are these days guaranteed a run). Haiti Couleurs this week has shown that, in many cases, horses can be more versatile between the codes than they are given credit for, and Katate Dori runs off a 5 lb lower mark than if this was a chase.
It is a far more sodden end to the Turf flat season at Doncaster, conditions which suit METIER / (15:45 Doncaster) down to the ground in the final race, The VirginBet November Handicap. His career record on soft or heavy ground is 6/17 (A/E 2.18) and includes a win in the race back in 2022. Granted, his form since his defeat of Zoffee in the Chester Cup two seasons ago has been nothing to write home about, but that win forced him into a higher grade and, like Frero Banbou, has resulted in a significant fall in his mark. The booking of very promising Irish apprentice Nicola Burns, who can claim a very handy 5 lb in what is becoming a breakthrough season, also catches the eye. She has partnered 25 winners in Ireland this calendar year and showed plenty of strength in the saddle at Dundalk this week when getting the well-supported Back to Me up in the final few strides. Metier will be her first UK ride, and with conditions in his favour, it would be no surprise if Harry Fry’s 9-year-old was capable of outperforming his big price.
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