*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
2.20 Naas – Wujdaan
The main conundrum for this final of this auction series race, in which there is plenty of prize money up for grabs, is trying to sort out which of the Joseph O’Brien horses to side with. The Owning Hill handler has no less than five of the 15 final entries. The best form in the book belongs to Montesilvano. Last time out the son of Holy Roman Emperor finished third of five in the Group Three Prix Francois Boutin at Deauville when he probably saw a wee bit too much daylight racing wide of his field all the way and only giving best inside the final 200 yards to be beaten a length and three quarters.
If he takes another step forward from that run then I suspect that he will be the one to beat, but with Wayne Lordan booked I think that we will see a huge run from the once raced Gleneagles filly Wujdaan. She finished a close-up second to smart stable mate Voce del Palio on her only start. The last named has since gone on to frank the form in no uncertain terms when running well in a Group Three and then landing a huge maiden pot last time out at Naas. The selection looked rather green in the closing stages when asked for more and will certainly know a lot more about the game this time around.
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2.30 Cork – King Gresel
Another of these low grade handicap hurdles that I love to play in and seek out some each-way value. This time around 17 runners have been declared and I am sure that they are a mix of purely poor race horses with perhaps a handful that may well have been hiding their true talent under a bushel. As always in such a race, the market will tell us plenty. The likes of Shean Glory and Merry Moves with be interesting if supported in the market place and both may well be worth a saver if well backed.
But I am going to go out on a limb here and row in with the massive outsider trained by Philip Fenton in King Gresel. We only have three pieces of form to look at for this four-year-old gelding and although he has been beaten 46 lengths, 33 lengths and 42 lengths on his outings to date, he has shown more than a modicum of promise each time.
That particularly applies to his run in a maiden hurdle at Sligo last time out when he was always on the back foot made worse when he made a hash of the first flight. Allowed to take his time to get back on an even keel by his young jockey he made some good headway mid race before that effort told and he was allowed to coast home in his own time just before the penultimate flight. It could be that I got this absolutely wrong, but he could well be a deal better than his lowly mark of 82.
3.50 Sedgefield – Storm Lorenzo
The first of numerous Nationals throughout the national hunt season in the UK and despite the decent ground this extended 3m5f Durham version is nearly always run at a good clip so turns into a desperate test of stamina. This is the easiest race that top weight The Two Amigos has run for some time and with young David Prichard taking 5lbs off his back, he is very fairly treated off a mark of 125 if retaining the majority of his old talent.
The likes of Bbold (my original fancy) will relish this kind of test and his efficient jumping will be a huge asset around this tight track. But in the end I have further changed my mind and would rather row in with my light weight selection Storm Lorenzo. After a horrible experience when he slipped up at Hexham in September, he bounced back at the Northumberland track to win a lesser race but with great authority 16 days ago. The handicapper has allocated him a 4lbs higher mark here, but that seems a very fair penalty and I fancy he can outrun his price here for his shrewd handler and the hugely underrated Nathan Moscrop on board.
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4.05 Naas – Zola Sakura
As is the very nature of a handicap for horses rated 47-75, very few of these have a gold medal locked away at home from racing over the past six months and it could be a case of finding the best handicapped horse which will be suited by the make-up of the race. With two confirmed front runners and a handful of pressers, this should be a true run race and I think that the refreshed Zola Sakura could well be worth an each-way play.
The four-year-old signed off mid season in the height of summer with very nearly a career best effort when running on late over an extended nine furlongs, eventually finishing a never nearer fourth of 14 at Gowran Park. This extra furlong looks made to measure and he will arrive on track a much fresher animal than the majority of his 15 rivals, and gets to race off a 4lbs lower mark than last time out which I think was a little generous from the assessor.
Paul Jacobs’ value plays:
2.20 Naas – Wujdaan
2.30 Cork – King Gresel
3.50 Sedgefield – Storm Lorenzo
4.05 Naas – Zola Sakura
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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