By Charlie McCann
An excellent day's racing is headlined by Exeter and their strongest card of the season with an excellent field assembled for the feature G2 Haldon Gold Cup. That is supported with further jump-racing at Fairyhouse alongside all-weather action at Southwell and Kempton, not to mention the curtain drawn on the flat season at Redcar.
Cue Card is respected bidding to win back the crown he won in 2012 as Colin Tizzard's stable star bids to concede 10lb to Alan King's Aintree festival hero Balder Succes (2.15) with the new kid on the block given the nod to land the spoils under Wayne Hutchinson. The 6-y-o was tremendous in his G1 Maghull Novices' Chase success in the spring and was far from disgraced when paying for a costly battle with Champagne Fever up-front when finishing third behind the re-opposing God's Own in the equivalent race at the Punchestown Festival.
He has been a revelation since sent chasing winning five of his seven completed starts (three from four under Hutchinson) and with the team at Barbury Castle off to a flyer, Balder Succes is taken to make the 10lb count in his favour. Cue Card will have much bigger fish to fry over the remainder of the season and currently the 7/2 favourite to defend his Betfair Chase crown at Haydock and 12/1 second-favourite with BetVictor for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The supporting card is just as strong with King's Carraig Mor making his anticipated debut over fences in the novices' chase over three miles however Neil Mulholland's Carole's Destrier (2.45) has the fitness edge with a run under his belt already this season. The selection pulled 26-lengths clear with a promising sort of the Rebecca Curtis yard on his debut over the larger obstacles last month at Ffos Las and can make his second start over fences a winning one from Carraig Mor and another promising debutant over fences, If In Doubt for the team of Phillip Hobbs and AP McCoy.
The Hobbs yard took the 3m handicap chase on the corresponding card last year with Gas Line Boy and whilst he is respected from just a 2lb higher mark, he is overlooked for Rydalis (3.15). The selection chased home Gas Line Boy in the race last year before embarking on a fruitful campaign with excellent efforts in competitive handicaps at Ludlow, Wincanton and Leicester; getting her head in front at the latter. The Venetia Williams stable burst into life with three winners at Ascot and Carlisle over the weekend and the tough and consistent mare looks primed for a big run under regular partner Aidan Coleman.
The excellent NH action continues across the Irish sea at Fairyhouse with The Tullow Tank (2.55) the quintessential chaser in the making and taken to better the smart pair of Azorian and Mala Beach in a competitive renewal of the 2m 5f Beginners Chase. The 6-y-o was a dual G1 winner over hurdles last term and is having his first start since switching stables from Dessie Hughes from Phillip Fenton but looks to possess both the size and the scope to thrive over the larger obstacles. The selection should be Cheltenham bound in the spring and is 10/1 for the JLT Novices' Chase and 16/1 for the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival with BetVictor.
Redcar hosts' its final meeting of the 2014 season with the feature 10f handicap fancied to go the way of the evergreen 11-y-o Noble Alan (2.30) under Tom Eaves. Nicky Richards' dual-purpose horse has slipped down to an attractive mark, now just a solitary pound higher than his valuable Cumberland Plate at Carlisle in the spring, and has been far from disgraced in his subsequent three runs thereafter. With the stable in terrific form at present, three winners from their last six runners, he can make his experience count and better his younger rivals before switching codes and tackling timber.
There's evening action from Kempton where Ed Walker's Glorious Sun (6.10) looks set to defy an opening mark of 82 under George Baker in the mile handicap. The gelding was well-backed when an impressive scorer of a warm maiden over course and distance on his last start and is a confident selection, well-drawn in stall three and open to much further improvement.
For all the latest odds, specials and much more head to BetVictor.com
Be Luck
