That’s Cheltenham over for another year and what a dramatic final day! I cannot remember another day like it. The Gold Cup was a thriller with victory just going to Lord Windermere over On His Own and the enigmatic The Giant Bolster.
The down side was the horrific injuries to Ruby Walsh and Daryl Jacob and the tragic death of Raya Star. Last Instalment was retired immediately after the Gold Cup and we can only hope that he has not incurred any lasting damage to his fragile legs.
In terms of betting, Betcirca followers finished 50 points up on the week to a level stake thanks to that fantastic Wednesday. The bookies fought back on the closing day, as they usually do! Hopefully Kings Palace is OK after his tumble and apparently Triolo D’Alene had a breathing problem in the Gold Cup.
It is difficult to revert to the usual Saturday cards after such high drama but Uttoxeter have put on a good card to keep us entertained. The feature race is the Midlands National and we need not look any further than the Eider Chase winner Wyck Hill. A big-money purchase for JP McManus last year, he failed to live up to his billing and skipped the Grand National. He came back with a bang at Newcastle last time and can make up for lost time on Saturday.
David Bridgwater must be overjoyed at the fantastic effort from The Giant Bolster to get into the frame for the third successive year in the Gold Cup. He has always held Wyck Hill in similarly high regard and the weights have fallen perfectly for him on Saturday.
Harry Topper has compressed the weights for half of the field leaving Wyck Hill with just 10st 6lb and at a considerable advantage with those below him. He looks great value at 10-1.
The handicap hurdle at 2.15 looks like a great opportunity for Songsmith. The six-year-old made a remarkable comeback after a lengthy absence to finish second to Nicky Henderson’s Full Shift at Kempton. He was a 40-1 shot that day and won’t be anything like that here but he makes plenty of appeal.
The winner did nothing to boost the form with a poor run at Cheltenham on Friday but he has always looked more of a chaser in the making.
Wyck Hill at 10-1 BetVictor
Songsmith at 6-1 Paddy Power
