This Saturday’s ITV Racing program brings us another quality pre-Christmas jumps card, dual headlined by Newcastle’s Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle (2.10) and Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup (3.00), which for many will remain forever associated with the great Denman and a popular brand of Cognac.
We’ve got selections going in both the biggest races of the day, plus an upwardly mobile chaser bidding for a hat-trick over fences in the lucky last.
ITV Racing Tips Saturday November 30
2.10 Newcastle – Sir Gino to win @ 11/10
3.00 Newbury – Kandoo Kid to win @ 8/1
3.35 Newbury – Imperial Saint to win @ 5/2
Bet on the latest horse racing odds at Betzone
Collateral form suggests Sir Gino is far from the average four-year-old
The market makes the Fighting Fifth Hurdle (2.10) all about two horses, despite SIR GINO and Mystical Power only being 6lbs and 4lbs ahead of the field on official ratings respectively.
Nevertheless it’s difficult to argue with the Betzone traders’ assessment, with the duo both Grade 1 winners representing elite yards and open to as much improvement as any in the field
For many punters the temptation will be to side with Mystical Power on the assumption that four-year-olds such as Sir Gino are rarely competitive at the top level in their first season in open company.
However, a closer look at the collateral form around Nicky Henderson’s juvenile offers a clue as to why he’s favourite ahead of Willie Mullins’ raider.
Burdett Road, 10 lengths behind him in the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Trial at Cheltenham in January, won the ultra-competitive all-ages Greatwood Hurdle at the same track earlier this month.
Meanwhile Kargese, who Sir Gino beat by more than three lengths at Aintree, lost the Triumph Hurdle by only a length and a half to Majborough and beat Nurburgring at Punchestown in May.
That rival also went on to win a big-open company handicap, taking the Galway Hurdle in August.
Nicholls could have the answer with Kandoo Kid in wide open Coral Gold Cup
There’s no obvious Cheltenham Gold Cup horse in the vein of Denman or Bob’s Worth lurking amidst the entrants of this year’s Coral Gold Cup, which looks an ultra competitive renewal as a result.
At the time of writing half the 14-runner field – Broadway Boy, Senior Chief, Colonel Harry, Victorino, KANDOO KID, Galia Des Liteaux and Midnight River – are inside of 10/1 in the betting.
Of that septet, Kandoo Kid makes plenty of appeal on his first run after a wind-op. His trainer Paul Nicholls evidently has a good grasp of which of his charges will thrive at Newbury having trained more winners at the track than any other trainer in the last five years (44 from 174 runners at a 25% strike rate).
The Ditcheat representative has a record of 2-1-2 at the Berkshire venue and, while he was pulled up on his only career run to date over further than 2m5f, there’s reason to suspect that the step up to 3m2f here will bring out plenty of improvement.
Prior to the beginning of the campaign, Paul Nicholls was quoted as saying ‘I like him and view him as a potential Grand National contender’ in Mark Howard’s excellent season preview ‘One Jump Ahead’.
Imperial Saint can defy big weight and class jump to ring up chase hat-trick
The ‘lucky last’ for ITV viewers sees Phillip Hobbs and Johnson White’s exciting IMPERIAL SAINT bid land a third win in as many runs over fences and he has every chance of extending his unbeaten record over the larger obstacles.
Petit Tonnere reopposes on 12lbs better terms than when just three quarters of a length behind at Aintree in October, but the winner was eased down with the race won on that occasion.
The selection must carry 11st 12lbs here, but has proven himself more than capable of doing so given he waltzed home upwards of eight lengths clear carrying 12st in his most recent victory, which came in another Aintree handicap.
Less exposed than any other horse in the field and seemingly nowhere near the limits of his potential as a chaser, he can take the step up to Class 2 company in his stride.
