*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change
Frank Hickey has picked out a brace of bets to consider when the action gets underway at Chepstow on Saturday.
Speaking on the latest episode of Paddy Power’s From The Horse’s Mouth podcast, our tipping expert selected a couple of tempting each-way bets – including an outside shout in the Welsh National.
(Chepstow is set to undergo an inspection at 8am on Saturday morning)
1.25pm – Yggdrasil (Each-Way)
YGGDRASIL is a horse that will definitely improve. He’s a big horse that will build on his debut and I can definitely see him reversing with Elham Valley.
We just don’t know how good Nassalam is. He’s bolted up twice, but he’s won by 59 lengths and 49 lengths so he could be anything. I wouldn’t be keen to take even money because we don’t know how good Paul Nicholls’ horse Houx Gris is. He has won in France and is having his first start for Nicholls.
Adagio probably wants better ground, and this is probably more of a watching brief for me, but if you want an each-way bet Yggdrasil would be the one. Nassalam definitely deserves to be favourite though.
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3.10pm – Dominateur (Each-Way)
DOMINATEUR in the Welsh National is my best bet of the weekend. I’ve had an ante-post bet on this one for a while.
The favourite Secret Reprieve is going to be tough to beat if he stays the trip, and was very impressive here in the trial over just shy of three miles, winning by 12 lengths. He’s 8lbs well-in and if he stays he’s going to be hard to beat, while he is relatively short at 100/30, but at the same time you wouldn’t be keen to lay in at those odds.
The one I like is Dominateur, who has been lined up for the race – reading connections’ quotes – since he won on the card at Christmas last year over just shy of three miles. He’s run over fences at Chepstow twice, winning both relatively impressively and beating Sojourn. Sojourn has done nothing wrong for the form, winning impressively at Carlise and finishing second in the Tommy Whittle. Dominatuer shaped a lot better than the finishing position would suggest in an intermediate chase at Sandown behind If The Cap Fits and Pym. The jockey wasn’t hard on him at all after his chance had gone and the ground would have been too lively for him as well. He wants a slog on bad ground and he’s really going to relish it.
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What’s key here as well is, on the initial day we were supposed to run on December 27, Gavin Sheehan could ride and Johnny Burke was down to ride. I remember seeing a quote from Oliver Sherwood saying that he’s a tricky enough horse and he wanted Gavin, who knows him well, to ride him. Gavin is back up on him and he’s about 11/1. With five places paying, I think he’s a cracking each-way bet. I just want to see him jump the first three or four fences with a bit of fluency. If he gets into a rhythm, and he’s there at the top of the straight, I think he’s got a great chance of winning this race.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change
Frank Hickey’s Chepstow bet summary – Saturday, January 9
1.25pm – Yggdrasil (Each-Way)
3.10pm – Dominateur (Each-Way)
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