Horse Racing Tips: Paul Jacobs’ value plays across the tracks on Sunday

A 7/1 winner last weekend and PJ's got some value plays in his crosshairs again.

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By / Horse Racing Tips / 8 months ago

Paul Jacobs’ Horse Racing Tips

12:45 Punchestown – Takarengo
13:30 Exeter – Manorbank
15:00 Punchestown – Gabbys Cross
15:10 Exeter – Atlanta Brave

*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.

12:45 Punchestown – Takarengo

These low grade, staying handicap hurdles can sometimes, at first glance, look horrendous races to dissect and try and find a play, but a ‘value play’ is always there to be found.

The dark horse here is Bob Cigar from the all conquering Gordon Elliott yard who has looked as slow as a snail, but looks as though he will stay five miles and has only visited the race course on just the three occasions, placed once in a point to point and third on a couple of times in maiden hurdles. A market move would obviously need to be heeded for this youngster.

Millstream Lady has won a couple of moderate events, but at least comes here in form which you can’t say for the majority of the 17 entries. Dr Val made an eye-catching seasonal debut and is feared, but TAKARENGO can finally return to winning form to land only a second win in 26 starts.

With 7lbs being claimed on the old boy, he is set to race from his lowest ever handicap mark over timber and has recently shown at Galway and Clonmel this autumn that the fire still burns bright. He may not be the percentage call with his poor strike rate, but this is his easiest task for a long, long time.

13:30 Exeter – Manorbank

This looks a really competitive event of its type and several of these should take major steps forward as we go through the season and into 2024.

I have had an eye on top weight Kilbeg King for a while as he is a stayer I like and there was plenty to like about his distant second to Iroko at Warwick on his chasing debut over a trip way too sharp and that last comment may well be the case here despite the stiffer run home; he looks a three miler to my eyes.

Emma Lavelle has a lovely physical specimen on her hands in MANORBANK who can only improve for his opening run over fences behind Matata at Ffos Las when his jumping improved as the contest went on.

He took a really good blow that day when coming back to the unsaddling enclosure and as long as the ground doesn’t get any worse than good to soft, the eight-year-old has very solid claims of stepping up here.

15:00 Punchestown – Gabbys Cross

It’s the old conundrum with these Pertemps Hurdle Qualifiers in that many connections are merely looking to make the final field at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

To a certain extent they have a smaller target to aim at with the first six gaining a spring entry being trimmed down to only four this season. Still, this is a nice enough prize in its own right, but the other stinger here is that nearly all of these need to win and some more to get their handicap mark up to the requisite level to even think of running for the main prize in three and a half months time.

Most of these are thoroughly exposed so we know how good they are and the likes of Cesarewitch winner The Shunter and Popova having obvious claims if they run up to their best, but I feel that GABBYS CROSS has just as big a chance as that pair.

Staying is the name of the game for this chase and hurdles winner and his last run, when coming from some way back to finish a closing second of 15 in a two and three quarter mile handicap hurdle at Galway, suggests this test will prove right up his street.

15:10 Exeter – Atlanta Brave

Bridge North is being shown some mercy by the handicapper, but he jumped like a Blackpool Beach donkey on his return at Huntingdon and he will need a rapid step up on that run to figure here even off a fair mark of 125.

London Calling has run well on all three chase starts and it is not hard to see the top weight being in the mix again and Jack Hogan is more than worth his 3lbs claim.

But the one I really like in this field of eight is the Kerry Lee runner ATLANTA BRAVE who to my eyes has always been crying out for fences and a distance of ground, runs over three miles here for the very first time in his career.

His comeback run on his chase debut was a really promising start. He jumped those difficult fences well and was merely outpaced from the top of the hill. If that run has brought this young horse forward then I can see him being a major player here in what looks a fascinating affair.

 

Paul Jacobs’ Horse Racing Tips

12:45 Punchestown – Takarengo
13:30 Exeter – Manorbank
15:00 Punchestown – Gabbys Cross
15:10 Exeter – Atlanta Brave

*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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