Tag: David Pipe

Taunton Wednesday Preview

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The pick of the National Hunt action comes from Taunton on Wednesday with a six-race card starting at 1.40.

The first race is a three-mile maiden hurdle restricted to five-year-olds and upwards so it is no surprise to see some real chasing types set to line up. The Chuckmeister won a point-to-point in Ireland and has now joined the Paul Nicholls stable. He is related to an old favourite of mine in Moorcroft Boy, a gallant winner of the Scottish National. He may not reach those heights but he jumps and stays and can get the better of Local Show who has shown decent form in similar events.

Vago Collonges will be a popular fancy to score for the same stable in the following novices’ hurdle at 2.10. He would be a certainty if able to reproduce his 2013 Champion Bumper form at Aintree but he has proved to be very frustrating since. Nicholls is applying the hood for the first time on Wednesday but I am sticking with the hat-trick seeking Rock The Kasbah.

He represents the Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson team and looks a very straight-forward ride. He tracked the leaders last time before picking them up in the home straight and winning nicely.

The handicap chase at 2.40 brings together a couple of horses that arguably should have won last time out but for their jumping. Pinkneys Pride loomed up on the outside full of running at Wincanton and looked unfortunate to knuckle on landing. He had raced very keenly and got close to a couple of fences but he was entitled to after a lengthy lay-off.

The danger is Alan King’s Money For Nothing who ploughed through the second-last here behind Un Ajou in December. He was slow at the last three fences and it didn’t look the greatest race in the world so I’m siding with the top weight, Pinkneys Pride.

David Pipe can land the handicap hurdle at 3.10 with the grey Bladoun. I don’t like backing horses that have been clobbered by the handicapper and this one is up 13lbs. However, Tom Scudamore had practically pulled him up before the line and he was higher in the handicap a couple of seasons ago. You could make a case for several of the others but I am most fearful of Mr Fitzroy who produced a 25-1 shock at Lingfield and is only up 5lbs.

The Chuckmeister 1.40 @2-1 Betfair

Rock The Kasbah 2.10 @4-5 Betfair

Pinkneys Pride 2.40 @5-2 Coral

Bladoun 3.10 @15-8 Paddy Power

Cheltenham New Year’s Day Preview

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Punters won’t want to be nursing too much of a hangover with Cheltenham getting under way at 12.10 on New Year’s Day. There is some top quality National Hunt action to greet 2015 and there could be plenty of festival clues throughout the card.

There are some decent staying novice hurdlers in the opener and I see no reason to desert Brother Tedd after two easy victories for Philip Hobbs. The market suggests that Different Gravey and Zeroeshadesofgrey will fight out the finish but I am surprised to see Brother Tedd as big as 11-2. Assuming all eight stand their ground, he looks a rock solid each-way bet at those odds.

The second race will take some sorting out and the Aintree race won by Oscar Time may hold the key. Alfie Spinner would probably come out on top on the bare form but I liked the way that Our Father travelled into the race before lack of fitness told in the closing stages. The grey was a top novice a couple of seasons ago and David Pipe knows how to get them ready for competitive races like this.

Ptit Zig was very impressive at Ascot and can beat Champagne West in the Dipper Novices’ Chase at 1.20. He looks a classy recruit to fences and was thought good enough to contest the Champion Hurdle last season. The only slight concern is that it is his first sight of the Cheltenham fences but he should have too much speed for the Philip Hobbs runner.

The big handicap chase of the day at 1.55 looks wide open. I studied the form for this race in some detail before concluding that Splash Of Ginge could be the value bet. I was disappointed to see the bookies chalk him up as favourite but it is fatal to change your mind. The best odds guarantee will come in useful if he goes bigger than 6-1 on the day.

Knight Of Noir is the selection in the handicap hurdle at 2.30 after his promising first run of the season. He travelled well throughout but was just out-sprinted from the last by Morito Du Berlais. That horse has gone on to run well in top handicaps since so Knight Of Noir should go well despite a 5lbs weights rise.

Finally, I am siding with Rock On Ruby in the two and a half-mile hurdle over the Henderson duo of Vaniteux and Beat That. I am a great admirer of Beat That but this trip looks short of his best and it may be significant that Geraghty prefers Vaniteux. Rock On Ruby loves it here and always looked in control last time out.

Brother Tedd 12.10 @11-2 Skybet

Our Father 12.45 @7-1 Paddy Power

Ptit Zig 1.20 @11-8 William Hill

Splash Of Ginge 1.55 @6-1 William Hill

Knight Of Noir 2.30 @5-1 Ladbrokes

Rock On Ruby 3.05 @3-1 Coral

Cheltenham Saturday Preview

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It is Paddy Power Gold Cup day at Cheltenham on Saturday and the going remains soft after a dry opening day.

The big race is due off at 2.30 with Oscar Whisky and Johns Spirit heading the weights. Philip Hobbs was in good form with a double on Friday but Colour Squadron was diverted from this race only to be beaten by his stable companion in the novice chase. Present View won well at the festival in March and had a nice prep race over hurdles, although connections could have done without the nasty scare when he received a cut at the last flight. Fortunately no damage was done and trainer Jamie Snowdon is optimistic that there is more improvement to come.

The card opens at 12.40 with a tricky novices’ handicap. John Ferguson’s Parlour Game was a good winner on Friday and he will be looking to Chesterfield to continue the good work. Like his stable mate, he is a former Godolphin runner. There are plenty of disappointing types in this race so I am going to take a chance on Irish raider Diamond Dame who is certainly in great form at present.

All eyes will be on Kings Palace for his chasing debut in the 1.15. David Pipe’s six-year-old looked like being one of the bankers of the festival meeting but ran at least a stone below his best and eventually fell. He has had plenty of time to get over that experience and is capable of beating his four rivals if anywhere near his early form of last season.

The Murphy’s Group Handicap Chase at 1.50 features several walking wounded including Sam Winner, Cape Tribulation and The Package. Preference is for the latter who has run some great races here over the years and is capable of winning after a lengthy absence.

The Grand National winner Pineau De Re reappears over hurdles in the 3.00 but will be hard pressed to concede 4lbs to Vivaldi Collonges. He looked likely to score here last time out but was just beaten by In The Rough after a protracted dual. They finished well clear of the third and the Nicholls’ horse can go one better here.

Nicky Henderson’s Hargam makes his hurdling debut in the Triumph Hurdle Trial at 3.35 and is expected to run well. He was a high class performer on the level in France but faces a useful sort in Golden Doyen. He was beaten on the nod at Chepstow in a decent race and his experience may just give him the edge.

Diamond Dame 12.40 @14-1 Bet365

Kings Palace 1.15 @6-4 888Sport

The Package 1.50 @8-1 Ladbrokes

Present View 2.30 @13-2 Coral

Vivaldi Collonges 3.00 @6-1 Ladbrokes

Golden Doyen 3.35 @5-2 Paddy Power

Betfred Bowl Preview

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Few people enjoyed the Cheltenham Festival as much as David Pipe this year as he saddled three winners. The shock victory of Western Warhorse was followed by victories for Dynaste (Ryanair) and Ballynagour (Byrne Group Plate).

Most form pundits reckoned Pipe’s best chances of a festival winner lay with his novice hurdlers but hopefully they will have other days. The show moves on to Aintree this week and Dynaste is ready to step back up in distance for the Betfred Bowl. Normally this might be a concern for a Ryanair winner but not in this case.

Had the King George VI Chase gone to plan, Dynaste would almost certainly have lined up for the Cheltenham Gold Cup this year. He had finished in front of Silviniaco Conti and Bobs Worth in the Betfair Chase at Haydock and is already a three-mile winner at Liverpool. To my eyes, he looked flat out for much of the way at Cheltenham over two and a half miles and will be much more at home over the longer trip.

Last year, Dynaste made amends for his defeat at the festival by winning the Mildmay decisively. The forecast is varied but the going should not be any worse than good to soft and that will suit the grey. Silviniaco Conti didn’t do a lot wrong in the Gold Cup but had to settle for fourth place in a scrambling finish. He ran at this fixture last year and put in a lifeless performance and I’d be a bit cautious again this season.

You do get the occasional shock result at this meeting with the hard race at Cheltenham taking its toll on some of the leading fancies. I don’t think that will apply to the main protagonists here as they have had a very light campaign. The 5-2 about Dynaste looks worth a bet.

Our ante-post book for the Grand National on Saturday suffered a minor setback with Godsmejudge pulled out by Alan King. I feared the worst when he was pulled up on his last start but he may be back in time for the Scottish equivalent. I wouldn’t mind a bit of rain for any of our remaining wagers, although the 25-1 about Teaforthree looks the most eye-catching. I’m still quite keen on Big Shu, although he would definitely appreciate some rain by the weekend.

Dynaste (Betfred Bowl) at 5-2 Skybet, Bet Victor

Neptune Novices’ Hurdle Preview

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With Cheltenham now only three weeks away, it is worth scouring the Internet for some great value prices. If you have a Sportsbet account, they are advertising some fantastic prices for the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle.

The horse that is a relatively short priced favourite in the UK is Ireland’s Faugheen who is unbeaten after five races. His most recent success came in a Grade 3 at Limerick in December over three miles. Connections are confident that he is quick enough to win over two but are favouring the Neptune at present. Sportsbet have him priced at 10-1 so now is the time to move in if you fancy him strongly.

The Tullow Tank is another Irish raider with top class form and looks likely to run here in preference to the Supreme following his second place behind Vautour. The Willie Mullins-trained winner looks very smart and Ruby Walsh was able to dictate the pace and quicken all the way up the finishing straight. It was no disgrace to finish a staying on second and Cheltenham should provide The Tullow Tank with a sufficient test.

Mullins has several options for this race with Briar Hill and Rathvinden standing out at present. Briar Hill won the Champion Bumper last season but has failed to capture the imagination this season. He has continued winning but without impressing and I could see him being saved for the three-mile Albert Bartlett.

Rathvinden was closing on Deputy Dan when  falling at Warwick and then ran a great race behind Red Sherlock at Cheltenham. The winner kept finding extra and looks a typical Pipe horse that just keeps on going. Sportsbet are showing 20-1 about Red Sherlock and you won’t even get half of that over in the UK.

Pipe also has Saturday’s easy Ascot winner Un Temps Pour Tout in the race. He was only second to Zamdy Man on his hurdling debut and you could tell connections were a little shell-shocked that he was beaten. He put matters straight with an easy win at the weekend and the extra half-mile may have been the key to him. Pipe is going to enter him in handicaps but I cannot see him taking that route unless the handicapper is unusually kind. If you fancy him, take the 25-1 with Sportsbet.

Neptune Novices’ Hurdle (Cheltenham)

Faugheen at 10-1 Sportsbet

Red Sherlock at 20-1 Sportsbet

Un Temps Pour Tout at 25-1 Sportsbet

Albert Bartlett Ante-Post Preview

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I don’t often consider betting this early on the Cheltenham festival unless it is for a long range tilt at the Gold Cup or the Champion Hurdle. However, one horse stuck out like a sore thumb at Cheltenham last week and has festival winner written all over him.

That was Kings Palace in the stayers’ novice hurdle who cemented his position as favourite for the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle with a devastating display. It wasn’t just the fact that he won by 14 lengths, it was the ease with which he destroyed some decent novices.

He was settled in front by Tom Scudamore and produced some superb leaps. The further he went, the better he went and you could see the distress signals coming out from those attempting to keep in touch. Only the 25-1 outsider Masters Hill made any kind of fist of staying with him but he looked a spent force turning for home.

Milan Bound could never get close enough to mount any kind of challenge whilst Saint Roque eventually fell through exhaustion. The third horse was over 30 lengths adrift at the line with Scudamore taking a long look behind for imaginary dangers.

The five-year-old is a son of King’s Theatre and this was only the sixth time he has appeared on the racecourse. The form was in the book for all to see having beaten Creepy and Monbeg Dude on his previous outing by 18 lengths and more at Newbury. Creepy came out and won a Grade 2 event whilst Monbeg Dude won a valuable three-mile chase to advertise his Grand National claims.

Trainer David Pipe already sees Kings Palace as a future chaser but will definitely aim him at the Albert Bartlett. He will also be given an entry in the two and a half mile novice race at the festival but that is just to keep their options open.

Of course the price is everything and 5-1 may not seem that attractive with three months to wait. I don’t mind taking a chance on his health and fitness as I can see him starting odds-on if the rest of the season goes his way. I would imagine that he’d have one more outing before the festival and it will take something exceptional to threaten his place at the head of the market.

Kings Palace (Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle) 5-1 Ladbrokes