Oli Bell looks ahead to Friday's quality card at Newbury and fancies Lostintranslation to open his chasing account.
1.50 Newbury - Lostintranslation
2.25 Newbury - Aso
3.00 Newbury - Wholestone
3.35 Newbury - Dragon D'Estruval
It's Lostintranslation v La Bague Au Roi II at Newbury on Friday and I fancy the Colin Tizzard runner to get the better of the battle this time around.
The mare gets 7lb again and ultimately had a bit to spare when scoring here earlier in the month, but Lostintranslation really impressed me with the way he travelled that day and, providing he can sharpen up a little in the jumping department, that could be enough for him to exact his revenge.
Wholestone looks bombproof in the Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle, the other Grade Two on the card.
You know what you're going to get from this horse which isn't necessarily the case with Sam Spinner first time out this season. I like him a lot but think he could warm into the campaign and be a sharper for this outing.
A race-fit Wholestone is going to be very hard to beat in this sort of company.
Aso gets the nod for Venetia Williams in the Ladbrokes Handicap Chase.
He has gone well fresh in the past but had been off a long time and looked like last month's reappearance run at Aintree on lively enough ground might just have been needed.
Based on his second to Frodon in the 2016 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup he's well treated from a mark of 150, while conditions will be right up his street as he loves it when the mud starts to fly.
Dragon D'Estruval could be the 'good thing' on the card in the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle.
He won on his debut for Nicky Henderson in a novice event and he brings some eye-catching form from France. A mark of 132 over hurdles is 11lb lower than his chase mark and this looks a good piece of placement before he goes back over the bigger obstacles in good races.
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