Wincanton is always likely to be a Paul Nicholls benefit event but even if I found his winners on Thursday and Friday, the rest of his runners were disappointments. The 1.40 also has a surprise short-priced favourite in Nickolson which makes it a funny one. Spenno opens the bidding with,
One
against it is Bathsheba Boy who was highest rated on the flat when trained by
Richard Hannon. Now with Nicholls & the good going makes him worth a small bet
against the fav.
Ecco's form from the Cheltenham Festival makes him unbackable in the 2.10 at 1/4 so it's a race for the each way backers if anything but it might be time for a glass of something refreshing.
The 2.45 might not be one too risk vasst amounts on, with Spenno tentative -
Wisecracker is 3lb lower than when 2nd in this
race last year. Frost was jocked up at the 5 day stage, that will do for me.
We are, however, of one mind in our enthusiasm for Sebastopol in the 3.20 with the Prof summing it up,
Tom Lacey and Nico have had a few winners lately. Now in a
handicap expect this to go close first time up.
Spenno in the 3.55 is with Forgot To Ask, he has been placed
in his last 4 starts since a wind operation in Dec 2018 & Burke gets on
very well with him.
I'll have a modest interest in Heavey in the 4.25, benefitting from 6/1 as a result of a below par performance last time which we might optimistically excuse. The Professor takes me on with, Dollnamix,
Consistent last season and looks like
first time out is the best time to catch this one.
Spenno is against that but not sufficiently impressed by anything else so this is where it gets competitive.
The 4.55 has The Professor making Thunderstruck his nap,
A £125k purchase for the Emma Lavelle stable. It takes on a
Nicholls hot pot which I am happy to do considering the doubtful form of that
stable. Thunderstruck looks to have potential now stepped up in trip.
Spenno and I are together on Our Uncle Pat in the last for the same reasons but he puts it better than me,
Our
Uncle Pat has been in good form since moving stables to O. Murphy 2 runs ago.
Good conditional on board, who was also jocked up at the earliest stage, and
has ridden the horse before.
Thanks for that, gentlemen.
Nothing can possibly go wrong.