15:45 Haydock

Saturday 19 January 2019

All12:5513:3014:0514:4015:1515:4516:15

Cheltenham Preview Here In March Handicap Chase

Off time: 15:45 | Winning time: 4m 18.2s

Dicosimo²⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: D A Jacob| T: W Greatrex| OR: 130| D

6/1

Front-runner with a modest record over fences (1-16); has gradually become more productive with each of his three appearances this season, and was only beaten 2¼L by Admiral's Secret at Wincanton (2m) on Boxing Day.

Form: P14-P53

New To This Town^t¹⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: T Scudamore| T: C L Tizzard| OR: 130| D

5/1

Ludlow maiden hurdle winner (2m, good to soft) in November 2017; back on track for the first time in 12-months when finishing a staying on fourth to Calipso Collonges on chasing debut at Uttoxeter (2m4f, soft) on New Years Eve.

Form: 340/12-4

Admiral's Secret^t²⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 11-7| J: T J O'Brien| T: V R A Dartnall| OR: 125| D

3/1

Raised 5lb for beating Ontopoftheworld (Dicosimo third) at Wincanton (2m) on Boxing Day; continues to progress over fences (now 3-7), so could potentially confirm that form despite re-opposing with the Greatrex-trained runner on 6lb worse terms.

Form: 5P11-21

Zalvados^p²⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: Harry Skelton| T: O Greenall & J Guerriero| OR: 124| D

6/1

Has offered hope for the future by making the frame in both starts over fences, including when fended off by 4½L by Kauto Riko over C&D (heavy) in December; handicap mark left untouched; contender.

Form: 72-0432

Vengeur De Guye^t⁴⁹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-5| J: Thomas Willmott⁽⁷⁾| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 123| D

9/2

Goes particularly well around Kelso, yet it was at Bangor (2m1f, soft) where he made the most of a slowly easing mark to beat Uno Valoroso by 5L; a 5lb rise looks fair so couldn't be entirely discounted.

Form: 252-541

Ubaltique^b,t²⁸

Age: 11| Weight: 11-4| J: W T Kennedy| T: D McCain Jnr| OR: 122| CD

7/1

Gamely downed the sadly ill-fated veteran Tornado In Milan when winning this contest for the third successive year in 2018, and lines up off his last winning mark (122); unseated his rider at the first over C&D latest.

Form: 1340-3U

Vendor²⁴

Age: 11| Weight: 11-1| J: Danny Cook| T: J Parkinson & S Smith| OR: 119| D

10/1

Not all that far behind Zalvados (second) when finishing fourth to Kauto Riko over C&D on his penultimate start (28/1) but is still searching for his maiden win over fences (0-6) at the age of 11, and that's troubling.

Form: 62/6544

Oliver's Gold²¹

Age: 11| Weight: 11-0| J: Jamie Hamilton| T: M Walford| OR: 118| D

25/1

Falling in the weights following a largely unproductive spell since winning at Southwell (2m, good) in May; tough to enthuse over after another poor show at Kelso (2m1f, good) latest.

Form: U43566

Deadly Approach^p1,t¹²

Age: 8| Weight: 10-6| J: Sean Quinlan| T: S-J Davies| OR: 110| D

20/1

Lined up in competitive action earlier this month for the first time in well over two years, racing keenly accordingly until departing at the third fence; makes precious little appeal in newly applied headgear.

Form: 143/3P-U

Forecasts

Admiral's Secret (3/1), Vengeur De Guye (9/2), New To This Town (5/1), Dicosimo (6/1), Zalvados (6/1), Ubaltique (7/1), Vendor (10/1), Deadly Approach (20/1), Oliver's Gold (25/1)

ADMIRAL'S SECRET poached yet another win over fences (now 3-7) when beating the subsequent Musselburgh scorer Ontopoftheworld and today's re-opposing rival Dicosimo at Wincanton on Boxing Day and can probably cope with a subsequent 5lb rise in the weights assuming that the ground doesn't deteriorate any further. Should such a scenario develop overnight (rain/sleet and snow are in the forecast) the pendulum would gradually swing towards Zalvados who has handled himself well in both starts over fences, including when finishing runner-up to Kauto Riko over C&D, with the three-time race winner Ubaltique another to enter the reckoning.