The Champion Hurdle on Tuesday looks a sub-standard renewal and while one can have doubts about the credentials of all the top horses in it, that also means that one of them might be made to look special if the doubts about the others are well-founded. Yanworth keeps winning but not always impressively; Buveur d'Air reverted to hurdles and won apparently in second gear; Limini is a contender having recently run above expectations; Yorkhill has flopped before and the majority of his wins have been at long odds on and is almost favourite under sufferance. So I'll take the handicap form of Brain Power to be promising enough to come out of the pack and be sufficient.
If Limini runs in the Champion Hurdler then Vroum Vroum Mag has to be worth the NRNB price available at the moment in the Mares race even if a further distance might be preferable against better class opposition.
Neon Wolf ought to be backed in whichever novice event he runs in and that is likely to be the Neptune, on Weds, judging from the markets and anything more than 2/1 looks fair enough. His last run was as impressive as anything seen in the division this season and he looks like a potential champion until there's evidence to the contrary.
And I'll take Might Bite to repel the Irish invader in the RSA Chase, who owes me for having reduced a vast pay day to a merely excellent one by not successfully giving away weight in a handicap hurdle last April. Going chasing has made him look even better if we excuse his fall on Boxing Day when he had the race sewn up.
At the risk of nominating too many favourites, Unowhatimeanharry is an obvious banker in the Stayers hurdle on Thursday and so I'll take on some market leaders with the profit we will have built up by Friday by suggesting Mega Fortune in the Triumph Hurdle; West Approach in the Albert Bartlett where I reluctantly desert Wholestone who has done me a few favours but there is reason to think West Approach can turn it around and Native River has to be the Gold Cup selection because Djakadam is an each way horse at best in that and Cue Card isn't going to get a fairytale end to his tremendous career.
Thus, Neon Wolf (Weds, 1.30, nap), Native River (Fri, 3.30) and Unowhatimeanharry (Thurs, 3.30) make a tidy treble in excess of 30/1 and that will do for me.
And here's The Professor on the line right now who nominates his treble- Native River (Gold Cup), Buveur d'Air (Champion Hurdle) and Let's Dance (Mares Novices Hurdle, Thurs).
Thanks, Prof.
