Our form expert tipped the Triumph winner at 40/1 amongst three Cheltenham Festival winners and he has three selections for Saturday's ITV Racing action.
The Verdict: Saturday March 14
1pt win La Pinsonniere in 14:40 Kempton at 7/1 (General)
1pt win Deafening Silence in 15:00 Uttoxeter at 9/1 (General)
1pt win Blueking d’Oroux in 15:18 Kempton at 7/1 (Ladbrokes, Coral)
Silence is golden for Skelton
Dan Skelton has rifled his way through the Cheltenham Festival handicaps with projects like Madara and Supremely West and he might just top off his week with victory in the JenningsBet Midlands Grand National with DEAFENING SILENCE.
This horse has improved again for a trip this season, losing second in the Welsh National only because he tried to chase down Gold Cup runner Haiti Couleurs all the way up the straight, while he ran well again in the Grand National trial at Haydock last month.
He’s become a very solid operator in these marathon handicap chases and this looks an easier assignment than his previous two races, while the ground has probably been quicker than he’d like in all of his races this season.
Saturday he gets soft conditions for the first time since he won at Warwick over a year ago and it could well be the catalyst for a season’s best on his fourth start of the campaign.
The 4m2f could certainly bring out more in him, as well, and he looks a solid alternative to Emmet Mullins’ J’Arrive de L’est who has been well found at the top of the market on the back of his Cross Country form at Cheltenham this season.
The Verdict: Back DEAFENING SILENCE in the 15.00 Uttoxeter
Pin precision from Henderson
Over at Kempton it’s better ground, Nicky Henderson ground, and with the Seven Barrows outfit in great form after a successful week at Cheltenham their LA PINSONNIERE could land the Virgin Bet A Good Bet Handicap Hurdle over 2m5f.
This six-year-old mare is just the type of horse Henderson wins with in the spring after a light campaign and she improved this time 12 months ago, finishing second at Newbury and at Cheltenham’s April meeting over this sort of intermediate distance.
Beaten less than two lengths by the now 139-rated Jubilee Alpha at Cheltenham, it looks as though a mark of 130 is workable for her and she shaped with promise on her comeback on heavy ground in a Listed event at Warwick last month.
On her first start in 10 months on ground that wouldn’t play to her strengths, she ran a perfectly acceptable comeback race and she should come on plenty for that here with conditions now very much set to suit.
She wasn’t given a hard race last time, Nico de Boinville now takes over in the saddle, and the jockey and trainer look to have a good chance of landing this race again just like they did a year ago with Aston Martini.
The Verdict: Back LA PINSONNIERE in the 14.40 Kempton
Nicholls to find key to Blueking
Finally, the jury is still out with BLUEKING D’OROUX, when it comes to whether he’s as good over fences as he is over hurdles, but he’s worth chancing in the Virgin Bet Supports Safe Gambling Handicap Chase.
Paul Nicholls’ horse is rated 151 over timber and he didn’t look a natural chaser at either Newton Abbot or Wincanton on his first two fencing starts, but a scrambling win at the latter track kept him over the bigger obstacles.
Outclassed in the Grade 1 Kauto Star at this track over three miles on Boxing Day, when this week’s Brown Advisory winner Kitzbuhel galloped them into submission, he shaped quite encouragingly in a good race and was still in there pitching at the top of the home straight.
Given 78 days off and dropped back in trip to 2m4f and a bit with cheekpieces added, he’s dead interesting in his first handicap chase off a rating of 141.
If he puts it all together in the headgear, his class could shine through in a race Nicholls has won in two of the last three years.
The Verdict: Back BLUEKING D’OROUX in the 15.18 Kempton
Preview posted at 16:10 GMT on 13/03/26
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