Horse Racing Tips: Rory Delargy’s fine fancies for Saturday’s ITV Racing

Rory fancies Tommy’s Oscar in the 13:35 and Epatante in the 14:05 at Doncaster today.

Rory Delargy’s ITV Racing Tips

13:35 – Tommy’s Oscar
14:05 – Epantante
14:40 – Grand Soir
15:15 – Cloth Cap

*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.

13:35 – Tommy’s Oscar

TOMMY’S OSCARis taken to make the most of the weight he receives from Boothill in this Grade 2. Although beaten by the reopposing Since Day One at Newcastle last time, Tommy’s Oscar was conceding that useful rival 19lb, and was eased in the final 100 yards when unable to reel the all-the-way winner in. I put the true margin between them at less than half the eventual 4½ lengths, and the selection was also successful off a mark of 155 on his chase debut.

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Few raw novices would be asked to contest handicaps based on smart hurdles form, so it’s all the more meritorious that Tommy’s Oscar has done so with credit both times he’s been asked, while a defeat to Banbridge in the Arkle Trial at Cheltenham’s November meeting is likely to look particularly good form in the fullness of time.

The handicapper tells us that Tommy’s Oscar is 5lb superior to Boothill, and that’s a fair assessment given both have had opportunities to show exactly how good they are. That means he’s 10lb well in here, and while you can debate the numbers to some extent, it’s very had to argue that Boothill is superior on what he’s shown. As such, the early market has the pair the wrong way around.

14:05 – Epatante

Epantante should get the job done here, with only Martello Sky to worry about on paper. I can see Lucy Wadham’s game grey stepping up on this season’s efforts, but the gap between them is a wide one on paper, and she will need Epatante to underperform even if back to her best here.

Doncaster Jumps

14:40 – Grand Soir

Stay Away Fay is hard to weigh up, and could be smart, but the firms are taking no chances with his price, and clear preference is for GRAND SOIR, who promises to be ideally suited by this particular test. John McConnell won this last year, and rarely misses the target by much, if at all, when sending horses over to England. Grand Soir is already the best of these on form, but I think his superiority is also masked by a tendency to race lazily.

Grand Soir certainly had more than the bare margin in hand when beating Level Neverending at Thurles (2m7f) last month. Although not seeming to travel as well as the pair in front of him on the home turn, Grand Soir swept past them between the last two hurdles after getting a flick of the whip from Simon Torrens. He then proceeded to prick his lugs when in front and allowed the runner-up to get closer than he deserved. Clearly a thorough stayer, he should find the long straight at Doncaster ideal, and really should be heading the market in my opinion. 

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15:15 – Cloth Cap

CLOTH CAP had had a few issues in recent seasons, but he remains a smart sort when conditions are in his favour and that means good ground and trips around three miles. He didn’t get home in the Becher Chase last month but looked on very good terms with himself despite doing plenty in front along with Snow Leopardess.

He’s now just 2lb higher than when running away with the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury two seasons ago and has only raced on good or quicker ground once since, when running well under a big weight at Cheltenham on last season’s return. That came off a mark of 156, and he’s simply too well treated to ignore with the ground and trip likely to put less stress on his suspect wind.  

Rory Delargy’s ITV Racing Tips

13:35 – Tommy’s Oscar
14:05 – Epantante
14:40 – Grand Soir
15:15 – Cloth Cap

*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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