The ground is continuing to dry out at Haydock Park ahead of today’s jumps card and the ground should be ideal for a competitive six-race card.
Dual course and distance winner Cinders And Ashes has been dropped 5lbs for his belated reappearance at Musselburgh last month but the 2012 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner has not won since that glorious Cheltenham success and is best watched. Both Dark Dune and Satanic Beat like to set the pace and that should suit the enigmatic War Singer (2.10) who will have the race run to suit and ran well at Kempton off a 2lbs lower mark on his penultimate start back in January.
Bennys Well made all in the corresponding 3 mile Chase 12 months ago and is only 8lbs higher today for Sue Smith. This is a wide open contest but I am giving the each way nod to his stablemate Swing Hard (2.40) who has to put behind a poor effort at Newcastle last time but is only 1lb higher than when scoring at Musselburgh last year on similar ground to what he will encounter this afternoon.
It is impossible to oppose Masterful Act (3.15) who carries just a 7lbs penalty for a facile win at Huntingdon last week for Dan Skelton in the 2m 4f handicap hurdle. The 8-year-old had won seven times on the all-weather prior to that Huntingdon success but this trip on decent ground brought about significant improvement and the stable remain in excellent form.
I have always been a massive fan of Ambion Wood but he was reported to have bled from the nose at Exeter last month on his return from a near 600-day break and he is best watched although I like the booking of Denis O’Regan whose sole mount on the card this is.
If the market speaks in his favour I shall be having a saver on him but Haydock suits front-runners and Galway Jack (3.50) can make a bold bid from the front. The selection caught a tartar at Newcastle last time and although he remains 6lbs higher than his highest winning mark this is his time of the year and he looks sure to run well in a cracking handicap chase.
A Vos Gardes will be hard to beat in the Fixed Brush Novices’ Hurdle for Charlie Longsdon whose impressive Kempton winner last weekend Our Kaempfer will take plenty of beating if he lines up at Aintree next month. That said he might struggle to give 6lbs to the lightly-raced Wild Bill (4.30) whose point-to-point success came on good ground and returns from a three month lay-off having hurt his back at Leicester last time.
Donald McCain has a strong hand in the concluding Bumper with Gingili chasing the hat-trick and the well-bred The Tailgater making his racecourse debut but preference is for Alan King‘s Board Of Trade (5.00) whose Exeter win has been franked by the runner up (Wishfull Dreaming) who scored in listed company at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.
Evan Williams‘ stable jockey Paul Maloney is at Warwick to ride Kings Odyssey (2.00) and the 6-year-old should be good enough to break his maiden tag at the fourth time of asking over timber. The ground is, at the time of writing, heavy soft in places, and I’m slightly concerned that the selection wouldn’t want a slog over this trip but his class should get him home and the drying ground will suit.
Apache Pilot won a decent race at Newcastle over the weekend and he only went down by a head at Hexham back in November to Brave Buck (3.05) when in receipt of 31lbs including jockey’s allowance. The latter’s subsequent absence from the track is a concern and he must carry 11st 12lbs on what is likely to be tacky ground but he is built to carry weight, goes well fresh and gets the vote.
Flaming Charmer (4.45) represents the yard of Colin Tizzard who had a welcome winner at Taunton earlier in the week and they can follow up with this 7-y-o who is 6lbs higher than when scoring at Wincanton last month. The second and third in that race were both pulled up at Uttoxeter last weekend but that was on desperate ground and this looks a very winnable race.
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