Recommended bets:
1pt win Ballycoe in 2.40 Southwell at 3/1
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Gordon Elliott, leading trainer at last week’s Cheltenham Festival, may have pinched the headlines yet again with a six-timer in Ireland on Sunday, but he’s not the only trainer on fire right now and Chris Gordon’s stunning 12 winners from 18 runners so far in March is surely an unrivalled strike-rate.
The colourful Gordon (his Twitter feed is worth a glance, at least) may lack the kind of Festival firepower of some of his fellow Hampshire residents, but Saturday’s Kempton double came on the back of a perfect five from five across Plumpton and Straford last Monday and there’s every reason to believe the fantastic run can continue at Southwell today.
Starkie bids to follow up his Plumpton win in the opening bookies.com Free Bets Handicap Chase and in theory a 7lb rise for his 20-length romp shouldn’t prove too much of a hindrance, especially considering he’s still around a stone lower in the weights than when in the care of Paul Henderson, and Henry De Bromhead before him.
The fitting of cheekpieces has been an inspired move and with confidence high Starkie looks quite solid on another sharp, left-handed track.
However, with money around for Johns Luck in the Bloomfields Horseboxes Handicap Chase (2.40) it’s hard to resist the slightly inflated prices about Ballycoe.
He’s been mixing in better company this season and has consequently dropped to a dangerous looking mark, now just 7lb higher than when completing a hat-trick of wins at Bangor last April.
Last month’s third at Sandown was a fair effort in the circumstances and with conditions in his favour, together with the yard’s red-hot form, it’s a performance he can be expected to build upon.
Unlike Johns Luck, who tends to flatter to deceive in his style of racing, Ballycoe is a strong stayer and finds plenty for pressure so between the two there’s no doubt who I’d rather be with and the Gordon runner looks worth a bet at the respective prices.
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Posted at 0824 GMT on 20/03/17.
