By Charlie McCann
Richard Hannon’s star filly Tiggy Wiggy gained a sixth success of her illustrious season winning the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.
Her trainer thinks that she could well get a mile next season providing she finally allows herself to settle but BetVictor weren’t convinced and left her unchanged at 20/1 for next year’s first fillies’ classic of the season. Her next immediate target however looks to be Sunday’s Prix De L’Abbaye at Longchamp and BetVictor make her the 5/2 (from 7/2) favourite to claim a brace of successes at the top level inside the space of a week.
Today’s racing comes from Bath, Hamilton and Newton Abbot with excellent summer jumping at the latter and Court Minstrel (4.00) the biggest star on the card, making his debut over fences in the two miles’ novices chase. The selection is rated 152 over hurdles and ended an excellent season last term winning at Aintree’s Grand National festival and following-up with an excellent second in the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr. Jockey Paul Moloney has partnered the 7-y-o to four of his six career victories and he looks set to get the better of Paul Nicholls‘ Keltus, who should make a race of it, the 4-y-o in receipt of 11lb.
The Williams and Moloney team should go close with Going Concern (3.00) under top weight in the handicap chase over the minimum trip. The selection battled back well to beat subsequent scorer Endeavour last time out at Cartmel and appears well-treated to go in again from a 6lb higher mark.
Nicky Henderson has both Simonsig and Sprinter Sacre to unleash on the forthcoming National Hunt season and is the even money favourite to win back his Trainers Championship after losing out to Paul Nicholls last year. Henderson has a promising set of novices’ for the forthcoming campaign and runs Son Du Berlais (2.30) in the opener with Champion Jockey AP McCoy booked to ride. The 4-y-o has been recruited from France after winning a 4-y-o race at Auteuil and he looks well-placed to make an excellent start to his racing career on these shores.
Richard Hughes heads to Bath bidding with five rides on this afternoon’s card and the Champion Jockey an eye-catching booking for Andrew Hollinshead’s Bilash (4.20) in the five furlong handicap. The selection won a competitive race earlier this month at Wolverhampton and arrives at a track where he excels in good fettle; the 7-y-o a beaten favourite here earlier in the season and won at the track last term from 1lb higher mark. Providing Hughes can get across from the less than ideal draw in stall ten, he boasts solid each-way claims.
A seven-race card at Hamilton sees Alistair Whillans’ Alexandrakollontai (4.40) well-fancied to land the feature six furlongs handicap. The selection won well over course distance last week when pulling clear with a well-backed favourite for the Tim Easterby stable and the filly looks set to go in again under a 6lb penalty.
There’s a mixed card over the Irish Sea at Roscommon and a good opportunity for A Greater Force (3.05) to shed the maiden tag at the third time of asking. Aidan and Joseph O’Brien’s stoutly-bred Montjeu colt has improved on both starts this term, fourth on debut when needing the run and third earlier this month when beaten less than a length and he looks a cut above the field.
For all the latest odds and more head to BetVictor.com
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