16:19 Newton Abbot
Saturday 19 April 2025
All13:5914:3415:0915:4416:1916:5417:29
Plymouth Motor Company Handicap Chase (GBB Race)
- 5YO plus  |  Class 3  |  2m 4f 216y  |  Heavy  |  11 Runners  |  Turf  |   Weighed In
- Off time: 16:21Â Â |Â Â Winning time: 5m 24.76s
Cloth number
Odds
Star rating
Horse A-Z
Show odds
Improved again to land back-to-back 2½m Newbury handicaps last March, most notably the valuable Greatwood Gold Cup. Yet to fire this season but now 2 lb below last winning mark and, with the recent rain a help, it would be no surprise to see him bounce back with a bold show.
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Jumping let him down in the 2½m Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury on penultimate start but he's broadly consistent and quickly returned to form when runner-up over the same C&D 3 weeks later. Likely to give another good account, albeit without perhaps being quite good enough to defy this mark.
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Won his only start of last season at Newbury and resumed from 12 months off with respectable placed efforts at Wetherby and the aforementioned Berkshire track. However, seems to have lost his way since and Charlie Deutsch prefers Bucksy des Epeires.
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Built on reappearance fourth of 15 at Bangor when striking at Sandown in December, winning with more in hand than the margin of victory would suggest. However, he hasn't fired in 2 subsequent starts and Heltenham may represent his title-chasing yard's best chance of success here.
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Improved immediately on hurdles form when making a winning reappearance over fences at Ascot (18.8f, good) in November. Followed that with a good second behind an improver and possibly found 2m too sharp at Leicester last time, so he's one to consider now moving back up in trip.
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Likeable sort who recorded back-to-back chase victories last winter and made a decent return when fourth at Haydock. Failed to to build on that when third at Sandown (2½m, good to soft) next time but that was a decent effort nonetheless and he merits respect down another 1 lb.
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Enhanced his impressive strike rate by scoring over hurdles and fences during the 2022/23 campaign. Shaped better than the distance beaten when returning from 11 months off at Newcastle last March but subsequent absence is naturally a concern.
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Understandably needed the run back from almost 2 years off at Haydock in December and subsequent placed efforts at Market Rasen and Warwick have been respectable. On the downside, the drop to this trip seemingly counted against him last time and he's just 1-17 over fences. Cheekpieces now tried.
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Dual Wincanton winner at around this trip last term but his jumping clearly isn't getting any better judged on this season's exploits, falling when in with a shout at the third-last back at Wincanton (25f, soft) last time. Others make more appeal.
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Surpassed anything that he's previously achieved when opening chase account at Chepstow (2m, heavy) in January. Again showcased a likeable attitude when second upped to 19.4f at the same course next time, despite a stuttering round of jumping, and he's shortlisted here with Harry Cobden booked.
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Improved form when recording back-to-back victories at Wetherby last February and posted best effort of this season so far when third back there on penultimate start. However, he didn't see things out particularly well there and that trait was even more pronounced at Haydock last time.
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Forecasts
Royal Jewel (7/4), Scarface (4/1), Bucksy Des Epeires (7/1), Happy And Fine (17/2), Heltenham (10/1), Eaton Collina (10/1), Sheldon (20/1), Equus Dancer (20/1), Galop De Chasse (22/1), Mount Tempest (22/1), Smarty Wild (33/1)
Despite failing to make an impact in his three starts so far this season, HELTENHAM is nevertheless appealing here off a reduced mark and in a lower-grade handicap than he is typically accustomed to. Happy And Fine also arrives here pretty fresh and is feared most ahead of Bucksy des Epeires and Royal Jewel.
- Heltenham10/1
- Happy And Fine17/2
Prize Money
1st: £10,562.002nd: £4,860.003rd: £2,430.004th: £1,216.005th: £606.00
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