Paul Jacobs’ Sunday Racing Tips
13:55 Navan – Sundial
14:30 Navan – Chemical Energy
14:55 Cheltenham – Hymac
15:30 Cheltenham – Fiercely Proud
*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.
13:55 Navan – Sundial
With the small fields, last week was a time to toe the line and try and forge some winners and not simply go for bigger prices merely for the sake of it. However, today is a different kettle of fish, and of my four picks, this race was the one that caught my eye. Top weight Anna Burnina must have solid claims, with Alex Harvey taking her mark down to 125.
The young man did nothing wrong with her at Cheltenham last month, and a repeat salvo makes her the one to beat. I did think of doing split stakes in this race with the enhanced placed terms, but in the end, even I had to cop out of a speculative bet on A Wave Of The Sea, who has come back with two horrendous runs over fences on his favoured ground at Kilbeggan. Jumping has never been his strong suit, so a return to timber may help, but I will look elsewhere with the Mark Walsh runner, SUNDIAL.
The son of Galileo hasn’t fulfilled his initial promise, but it remains early days for the five-year-old, and there was plenty to like about his late running. It has to be said that it is slightly controversial, nearest the finish second behind Slieve Carran at Punchestown over three miles. Even more contentious is that the handicapper has put him up 2 lbs for that run after being beaten seven and a half lengths!
Still, with plenty of pace elements in this field, he should be able to travel within his comfort zone throughout, and although short enough in the betting, the youngster is preferred to the four-year-old’s Club Manager and Duke Silver. The last named would have bolted up last time out at Wexford had he not blundered at the last and is worth at least two extra lengths on top of his figure there.
14:30 Navan – Chemical Energy
The Troytown is always a competitive and intriguing affair. Gordon Elliott reckons we will see American Mike take another step forward this season when conditions are in his favour. The Co Meath track has been very good to him with form figures of 12411, including ‘that’ success over Fact To File 12 months ago. Disappointing against that rival in the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival following a desperate round of jumping (just taken out of his comfort zone), he jumped better at the Punchestown Festival but was again ultimately found out in Grade One company.
This set-up will suit him better, and it is worth remembering that this will only be his sixth start over fences, and a mark of 145 looks viable. But as long as the ground stays good to yielding, I find it hard to leave out his stable mate, CHEMICAL ENERGY, who bounced back to form with a fine third in the Munster National, and he gets another chance to run off the same rating here.
He was going along in his own time in rear and making headway late on the second circuit when fighting with the 27th. He Ultimately pulled up in the Aintree National, but that was a cracking run on that soft ground. These are much more his conditions, and he is again firmly in the mix at a double-figure price.
14:55 Cheltenham – Hymac
Several connections with entries near the top of the handicap will be happy to see Welsh National runaway hero Nassalam declared, but not so much those near the foot of the weights.
If we get all and possibly a bit more of the forecast showers, I fancy that Monbeg Genius will make his mark and probably won’t run if we get no precipitation. He certainly had plenty in his favour in the Ultima at the Festival. But he was always in jumping distress territory following several early niggly mistakes, including having a grass sandwich after the fourth.
After that, he was never at the races (he lost a foreshoe and struck into his left foreleg). He had previously run well in the 2023 Ultima behind Corach Rambler when he barely touched a twig, so given plenty of time off to recover from those setbacks, a mark of 144 looks very fair if he is ready to roll.
Ballygrifincottage made stealthy headway at the top of the stretch before a lack of a run told behind Neon Moon and is closely matched up with Abuffalosoldider on the line through the same horse. The last named shaped up nicely for this with a staying on second at Exeter, and he has twice run well at the Prestbury Park track, albeit over hurdles, staying on strongly up the hill on both occasions. He is a player and probably the biggest danger to fellow lightweight and my selection, HYMAC.
This track holds no terrors for the eight-year-old tip, and he looks like a strong stayer, as judged by his success here in the spring. A nice comeback win at Newton Abbot over shorter and on the horrible ground should have teed him nicely for this, and a career-best is in the offing.
15:30 Cheltenham – Fiercely Proud
The word from the Fergal O’Brien camp is that Dysart Enos is bouncing, and the weather gods have been kind to her. I was also gutted she had to be withdrawn from the Cheltenham Festival the night before having bagged 12/1 on her, and in hindsight, the way that race was slowly run, her turn of foot would surely have taken her close to winning. Her mark of 131 could easily be excavated here, but this set-up is way different from the ones she has been experiencing and against better and more seasoned campaigners as well, and I am happy to let her win at the price, which I think could subside to around 5/2.
Burdett Road ran into Sir Gino on his final start over hurdles but has shown he remains on the upgrade with some good performances on the flat, notably winning off 100 at Newmarket (racing prominently) and then not disgraced when put into the deep end behind the brilliant Kyprios in the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day. He also has room to improve off 133, while it is also early days over timber for Under Control and the four-year-old’s Royal Way and Toll Stone.
But in pursuing a ‘value play’, I have decided to come down on the side of the Ben Pauling runner, FIERCELY PROUD. He looked in need of the run last time out at Ascot. He was coming to the end of his rope between the third and second last hurdles when push came to shove, and tiredness got the better of him at the penultimate flight. As long as he is none the worse for that fall, he gets another chance to run off 129 on ground that holds no terrors for him.
Paul Jacobs’ Sunday Racing Tips
13:55 Navan – Sundial
14:30 Navan – Chemical Energy
14:55 Cheltenham – Hymac
15:30 Cheltenham – Fiercely Proud
*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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