Andrew McLaren sits in for Ben Linfoot this week and he has three selections for Saturday's ITV Racing action from Kempton and Newcastle.
The Verdict: Saturday February 21
1pt win Fantasy World in 13:45 Kempton at 14/1 (Paddy Power, bet365)
1pt win Fortunate Man in 14:43 Newcastle at 7/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair)
1pt win Hoe Joly Smoke in 15:35 Kempton at 7/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
Some heavy showers are still forecast to hit Kempton Park, so expect the ground to ease from the current Good to Soft (Soft in places) for their Saturday card, headlined by the feature Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase.
Kdeux Saint Fray is likely to be popular with punters after his fourth in the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last time where he caught the eye finishing well up the hill after being hampered at a vital stage. I’m sure there are more races to be won with him from a mark of 129, and he’s very interesting stepping up to three miles for the first time, but I worry about his relative inexperience over fences in a race of this nature.
After falling on his chasing debut, his last three runs have all come in single figure fields, and this will be by far the biggest test his jumping has faced up against more experienced rivals, and he hasn’t been foot perfect in that department so far.
It’s enough to put me off him at the prices, and my eye is drawn to HOE JOLY SMOKE for the Skeltons. He’s returned better than ever this season with three very encouraging runs in hot handicaps at Cheltenham, and the form of each of those efforts has been working out extremely well.
His third behind Three Card Brag on his return was followed by another bronze medal behind Panic Attack in the Paddy Power, and that pair filled the first two spots in the Coral Gold Cup subsequently. He had to settle for fifth in the December Gold Cup last time but again, the horses around him have boosted the form since with Vincenzo (second) winning at Ascot, and Imperial Saint – two lengths behind Hoe Joly Smoke in sixth – winning the Peter Marsh at Haydock last month.
This three-mile test around a speed-favouring track like Kempton could be absolutely ideal and while he has finished weakly over this trip in the past, he has been seeing his races out much better lately, and the addition of first-time cheekpieces can help in that department too.
He can land another big Saturday pot for the Skelton brothers.
Those Skelton boys will be hoping the well-fancied Precious Man can get their day off to a flyer in the Grade 2 Adonis Juvenile Hurdle, but I feel FANTASY WORLD is being forgotten about after what was admittedly a disappointing hurdling debut for Nicky Henderson six days ago.
Formerly with Andrew Balding, he had a progressive profile on the flat, running to a Timeform rating of 106 when landing a listed race at Ascot on his final start in that sphere before changing hands for 600,000 guineas.
Being turned over at odds of 30/100 wasn’t the ideal start to life over hurdles, but he is surely capable of much better than that, and Nicky Henderson clearly thinks so if he’s happy to pitch him into this Grade 2 – a race the trainer has won with the likes of Punjabi and Binocular in the past.
He’s handled cut in the ground on the level, so the conditions won’t hold any fears, and it’s way too soon to be writing him off on the back of one bad run. He’s worth backing at double-figure odds in receipt of 5lb from the market principals.
300 miles north of Kempton we have Newcastle’s Eider Handicap Chase where plenty of the old stayers who regularly bash heads in these marathon handicaps line up again.
I’d be keen to give Mr Vango another chance after a rare off-day last time, but the drying ground has seemingly gone against him – he’s been pulled up on his two starts over fences on Good to Soft ground.
It’s hard to make a case for any of them having much in hand of the handicapper at this stage of their careers, but the one who could is the new kid on the scene in FORTUNATE MAN who is yet to race over this far, but there’s no reason to believe he won’t stay, or even improve for this extra test of stamina.
He never got involved from off the pace at Sandown last time in a race where the winner made all, but it’s worth remembering the impression he created when beating a subsequent winner at Aintree on his return, and a mark of 129 is unlikely to be the ceiling of his ability based on that effort, and a series of good efforts as a novice last campaign.
He’s an assured jumper who has all the tools to thrive in these top staying handicap chases and, unlike most of his rivals here, his best days are surely still ahead of him at the age of seven.
Published at 14:00 GMT on 20/02/26
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