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

PJ likes Queen Jane at a decent price in the 2.35 at Punchestown.

Paul Jacobs Byline for Jumps Racing

By / Horse Racing Tips / 3 months ago

Paul Jacobs’ Sunday Racing Tips

2.15 Musselburgh – Shadows In The Sky
2.35 Punchestown – Queen Jane
4.10 Punchestown – Jeriko De Baune
6.00 Kempton – Porfin

    *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.

      2.15 Musselburgh – Shadows In The Sky

      This looks a wide open low grade staying handicap chase (for those rated up to 100), but there are a couple of runners that we possibly haven’t seen the best of to date. Get With It is a fairly lightly raced nine-year-old (two from 15 over the larger obstacles), but on more than one occasion he has ruined his chance by running way too freely through the early part of his races, travelling well into those contests mid race, but then bottoming out at the sharp end. If he manages to relax better he is definitely a huge player off this mark.

      He could be the biggest danger to Chris ‘Rambo’ Grant’s runner Shadows In The Sky, who I get the distinct impression is way better than his current handicap rating of 96. I put him in my tracker following his strong running performance over this course and distance when he got to within two and a half lengths of Deep Charm. Some slow early jumps cost him last time out when he was pulled up at Catterick, but that run is worth forgiving now that he returns to the Edinburgh track and the drying ground is also a huge plus.

      2.35 Punchestown – Queen Jane

      It is good to see Any Second Now back in action, albeit off a mark of 144 which looks unplayable for the old boy seeing he has been beaten an aggregate of 81 lengths on his first two starts this season and the hunter chase arena would probably been more his cup of tea. One day Frontal Assault will put it all together, but that may well be the 12th of never and even the 7lbs claim of Carl Millar may not be enough to cajole him back to the winner’s enclosure.

      So the nod goes to the mare Queen Jane, who has always looked as if a thorough test of stamina may well be her port of call. Her second to Brides Hill was a fine effort seeing as they pulled miles clear of the third and she was not stopping at the finish that day and this more sedate gallop over a lot further should enable her to get into a nice rhythm here. I just prefer the mare over My Immortal who shapes as if he needs this kind of test and Stormy Judge who was a real eye catcher in the Thyestes Chase when he came from some way back through the final half a mile.

            4.10 Punchestown – Jeriko De Baune

            Ballycashin was a well backed beaten favourite last time out, with that support coming from out of the blue, but I reckon that he needs to go back in trip, rather than up. Rusheen had been knocking on the door prior to winning at Fairyhouse last time out, but this is a slightly better race and he had nothing in hand that day so I have instead turned to the progressive five-year-old Jeriko De Baune.

            A strong staying winner over three miles last time out, a mark of 104 means he will probably need a career best to land this, but he has found his level now and granted a decent gallop he is likely to prove too strong in the closing stages for the likes of Buachaillbocht and the interesting Jack Du Large. The last named is by far the least exposed in the field of 12 here. On his first three starts his jumping was less than fluent and he was never put into his races, but his second to Now Is The Hour (won at Haydock on Saturday) was a clear step up on all of those runs and if the son of Kapgarde takes another similar step forward then he too is a huge player here.

            6.00 Kempton – Porfin

            I love having the occasional tilt at these class six handicaps on the all-weather and this second division of this particular contest fits the bill very nicely. There is plenty of pace on in this race with no less than six pressers set to line up, several of which just can’t seem to race in a relaxed matter and I am hoping that will set the race up for the experienced campaigning pick Porfin.

            Now a six-year-old, seems to have been around for a lot longer, a record of 5-49 on the all-weather and placed on a further 14 occasions is a fair one for this bay gelding, but the key factor for him is that he needs a pace in a race. That kind of contradicts the majority of his runs as he has more often than not raced prominently, but I take the alternative view.

            Very lightly raced over the past eight weeks or so he again raced too freely last time out and I am pre supposing/guessing that Grace McEntee will employ different tactics this time around as most of his best runs have come when he has got some cover even though he made all when he last landed a gold medal back in August 2023. Of course connections may well persevere by running up with the pace; I hope not!

            Paul Jacobs’ Sunday Racing Tips

            2.15 Musselburgh – Shadows In The Sky
            2.35 Punchestown – Queen Jane
            4.10 Punchestown – Jeriko De Baune
            6.00 Kempton – Porfin

              *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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