Horse Racing Tips: Frank Hickey’s 6 to score on Saturday

Frank Hickey's back with more top tips at Cheltenham and Doncaster on Saturday.

FrankHickeyheader

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change

Cheltenham 13.15 – Sky Pirate

Sky Pirate probably isn’t a warrior of the turf but he has plenty of ability and will bolt up off a mark of 134 at some stage when everything falls into place for him. Last month he traded odds on in the run in the Paddy Power before making an awful error at the second last fence and lost all his momentum and weakened from there to finish 5th.

The ease with which he travels through his races over further suggests that he could really benefit for a strongly run two miles. It is interesting that Tom Scudamore takes the ride, as he won the Ladbroke Trophy on the stable’s Cloth Cap, riding him aggressively from the front when he had been a hold up horse previously. I think there is a chance that Tom Scu might adopt similar tactics here on Sky Pirate and be positive and that might be the key to him finally get his head in front over fences.

Doncaster 13.30 – Wheesht (4 places)

Wheest makes quite a bit of appeal on just her second start for Alastair Ralph. A point winner in Ireland, she showed some fair form in novice hurdles and on her stable debut last time, on what was just her second start in a handicap, she ran a huge race. She was held up out the back and began to make her move leaving the back straight and was staying on nicely when making a mess of the final hurdle and losing all her momentum.

She finished 5th but with a clean jump at the last it is likely she would have gone very close. That was over two and a half miles and being a point winner she could well improve for the step up to three miles. She gets to run off the same mark of 107 here and makes strong each way appeal.

Cheltenham 13.50 – Saint Sonnet (6 places)

Saint Sonnet would look to be 3rd string for Paul Nicholls here based on jockey bookings but I think he is worth siding with here at a double figure price. He was only 6/1 for the Paddy Power here last month and shaped nicely until a bad mistake 3 out appeared to knock the stuffing out of him and he ended up a tired faller at the last fences. I think the run may have been needed more than connections thought and the application of a tongue tie is interesting.

Nicholls has won this 4 times in the last 10 years and three of those winners were beaten in the Paddy Power before winning here, with Poquelin only finishing 5th and Frodon was well beaten in the Paddy Power in 2016 before landing this race. They prove that a disappointing effort in the Paddy Power doesn’t necessarily mean that Nicholls can’t land this race and with Saint Sonnet still only being a 5 year old, he retains plenty of potential.

Doncaster 14.05 – Hurricane Harvey

Ofalltheginjoints has improved for going chasing, shaping well on his chase debut in a handicap at Aintree where it appeared the run was needed but he was only beaten under two lengths. He build on that when getting off the mark at Exeter on his next start off a mark of 136. I think he sets the standard but isn’t as far clear as the prices would suggest and I am going to oppose him with Hurricane Harvey.

Hurricane Harvey ran a lovely chase debut when beating the well regarded Emitom at Uttoxeter over two and a half miles at the beginning of October. He then found that trip on good ground around a sharp track like Wincanton too much of a test of speed when behind GA Law.

The step up in trip looks sure to see him improve and he had some very nice hurdles form last season. He finished 3rd in the EBF Final at Kempton, behind McFabulous & Sevarano. McFabulous won the Grade 2 Persian War Novices Hurdle this season, before finishing 3rd in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury behind Thyme Hill and Paisley Park, while Sevarano has won both his starts over fences since.

That leaves those two horses rated 22lbs and 15lbs higher respectively than they were at Kemtpon, so it is not inconceivable that Hurricane Harvey could rate in the mid 140’s. If I am correct, then he should be far closer to Ofalltheginjoints in the market and rates the value play here.

Coole Cody Tom O'Brien Cheltenham November 14, 2020

Cheltenham 14.25 – Took The Lot

Danny Kirwan has always looked like a horse that could make into a graded performer but it has taken a while for everything to fall into place for him but the step up to 3 miles here could really suit him but I am going to take a chance on Took The Lot who looks a very fair price to enhance Nigel Twisten Davies’s strong record in this race. In the last 6 years, he has won the race 3 times and had a second and a third also.

Take The Lot won his bumper first time out and he has improved on each of his 3 starts over hurdles, following up a 2nd on hurdles debut at Fontwell with two easy wins at Bangor. All those runs were over just shy of two and a half miles and looks very likely to appreciate the step up in trip. He doesn’t have as much to find with the likes of Danny Kirwan and Ashtown Lad as the market suggests and looks worth siding with here.

Cheltenham 15.00 – Goshen

On ratings this Millionaire Chase qualifier looks a really tight race with Sceau Royal the top rated on 158, with most of the field rated within 5lbs of him. That sort of rating wouldn’t be good enough to hit the frame in a Champion hurdle and if there is a proper contender here for that race in March, it has to be Goshen.

He was going to be such an impressive winner of the Triumph hurdle when he unseating Jamie Moore at the last hurdle and it is really difficult to get that performance out of my head. That form looks so much stronger now with Aspire Tower beating Abacadabras in a Grade 2 hurdle in Down Royal and Allmankind winning a Grade 1 over fences last weekend.

Goshen was going to beat those horses by 10 lengths plus and if he can replicate that form here, he should take all the beating. Were he coming into this race without those two rather underwhelming runs on the flat, then it is likely he would be around an even money shot here. Throw in that if there is one horse in this field who could rate 165+ it is surely him and he really does rate the value here to throw his hat into the ring for the big one in March.

Frank’s tips for Saturday’s racing

Cheltenham 13.15 – Sky Pirate
Doncaster 13.30 – Wheesht (4 places)
Cheltenham 13.50 – Saint Sonnet (6 places)
Doncaster 14.05 – Hurricane Harvey
Cheltenham 14.25 – Took The Lot
Cheltenham 15.00 – Goshen

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change

Read More

THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

All the latest Racing odds are just a click away on PaddyPower.com