Andrew Asquith has two selections at Aintree and Doncaster on Saturday, including one in the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase.
Weekend View: Saturday November 8
1pt win King Turgeon in Grand Sefton Handicap Chase at Aintree at 6/1 (bet365, William Hill, 888sport)
1pt win Castle Cove in November Handicap at Doncaster at 7/1 (General)
There is a nice mixture of racing on ITV this weekend, but not every race is priced up fully, and the betting isn’t as competitive as I’d usually like. That, along with several horses having multiple options, makes it a slightly tricky week for ante-post betting.
However, one horse who should be lining up in KING TURGEON, who will bid to defend his crown in the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase at Aintree.
He started last season with a real bang following another breathing operation, making a winning reappearance at Chepstow in fine style, jumping with accuracy and well in command from the second-last.
King Turgeon then confirmed himself on a steep upward curve when following up under a penalty in this race from 2lb out of the weights, so effectively 9lb higher. He produced another outstanding display of jumping, one rarely seen at the first time of asking over the National fences, keeping on gamely from the last over a trip five furlongs shorter than he had won over at Chepstow 11 days earlier.
He proved his versatility when completing a hat-trick back up to three miles and a furlong at Cheltenham a month later, taking another step forward to defy another 6lb rise in the weights.
Admittedly, that wasn’t a deep race for the prize money which was on offer, and the favourite finished lame, which dented the form somewhat, but King Turgeon again displayed a fantastic attitude to regain the lead having been headed entering the straight.
His winning run was ended at Wincanton afterwards, but he still produced another career-best effort in defeat, finishing third, a short head behind Katate Dori, who arrived on a roll and went on to win a long-standing, prestigious handicap at Kempton next time by 15 lengths.
King Turgeon’s form tailed off afterwards, failing to complete his last two starts last season, but they came in the Edinburgh National over a marathon trip, and the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival, where he was ridden more patiently than usual on both occasions.
Given how impressive he was over the National fences on his sole attempt, I can't quite fathom why he didn’t go back to Aintree for the Becher or the Topham, and if he gets into a rhythm like he did 12 months ago, he may take some stopping from a 10lb higher mark, with the ground no problem and his positive record when fresh also standing him in good stead.
The Virgin Bet November Handicap is the feature at Doncaster and, even though he’s proving quite expensive to follow, I’m wading in with the William Haggas-trained CASTLE COVE once more.
As I’ve mentioned previously, the form of his return win over a mile and a quarter at Chester in May, when storming home to defeat Grey Cuban is strong, and he has shaped better than the bare result in each of his three runs since.
The next two were over similar trips, but his latest effort came over an extended 13 furlongs at Newbury, and he did very well to finish as close as he did after being given too much to do.
The winner, Lieber Power, set steady fractions and made all on that occasion, but Castle Cove wasn’t asked for his effort until around two furlongs out, where he began to make good headway closest to the stand rail, just never able to get on terms with the principals.
The third that day, Beylerbeyi, was ridden in similar fashion, also doing incredibly well, and he came out and won the Cesarewitch next time in grand style, giving Castle Cove's form a big boost considering they both were given hopeless tasks.
You couldn’t say that Castle Cove didn’t stay the longer trip that day, he just paid the price for his move into contention, and a mile and a half on soft ground at a galloping track like Doncaster may bring out the best in him.
I’m convinced that he’s more than capable of landing a big handicap such as this from his current mark and, looking at his most recent SPs, 7/1 looks fair given he continues to leave the impression he has an even bigger performance in his locker.
Preview posted at 1505 GMT on 04/11/2025
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
