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Good to see you all again, and it’s also excellent to witness how quickly the Jumps season is livening up! On that note, we have no less than two Grade 2 races taking place on Friday at Sandown, with both certain to be exciting to watch.
We start off with the Grade 2 Winter Novices’ Hurdle and there is a very strong lineup here. There is one particular horse in the field that I believe sets a clear standard, and this could easily turn out to be a pivotal race when we look back at the end of the season.
Next up is the Grade 2 Esher Novices’ Chase. My selection here has the strongest form in the book, and does very little wrong. That’s not to say that his rivals don’t deserve to line up, but they do have a fair bit to prove, and with my pick on a huge upward curve, I think he will be seriously hard to beat. I’m hopeful that we have two Friday winners lined up, so don’t forget to pop back tomorrow for my weekend betting tips.
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We have a very exciting renewal of the Winter Novices Hurdle about to happen, with a very nice bunch of horses in this field. Jonjo O’Neill’s Bill Joyce immediately catches the eye. He was very impressive as a Bumper horse last season, and was highly touted for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in March. He was backed from 33/1 all the way into 7/1, but proved rather disappointing on the day. That said, he did make a smart start to his Hurdles career, winning from the front at Carlisle with the minimum of fuss, and looking like he had plenty left in the tank at the finish.
Quebecois is an interesting contender for the Paul Nicholls yard. He won on his Bumper debut, then finished a place behind Bill Joyce in the Champion Bumper, before going on to win on his Hurdles debut with ease. Although it was a fairly weak race that last day, he proved that he has a good engine, and it will be very interesting to see how he handles this sharp step up in grade.
I believe that
Kingston Pride
is the one to beat here though. He has bags of potential and a ton of speed on his side, which could easily be the defining factor that sees him get his head in front here. I suspect he will sit just off the pace, and use his speed to finish. Looking back at his Hurdles debut, his jumping still needed some work, but I’m sure Nicky Henderson will have sharpened him up in the interim.
I think that Kingston Pride is the best horse in this race and one that has a very bright future
ahead of him.
Next up we have the Grade 2 Esher Novices’ Chase. Welcome To Cartries has a big reputation to live up to, as Paul Nicholls has always maintained that this one was destined for fences. His Hurdles form isn’t exactly the strongest, but it’s more than possible he will improve this season over the bigger obstacles. Either way, he has had wind surgery since his last outing, and may need this first run to put him right. Ben Pauling’s Handstands is another contestant who is highly regarded by connections. He fell on his Chase debut, but I felt that he already looked well beaten at that point anyway, so he isn’t for me this time around.
In my opinion, this race is all about Olly Murphy’s runner, Resplendent Grey. He is a stunning son of Walk In The Park, and he has been really impressive this season. He won on his Chase debut, before running Hyland to half a length at the Cheltenham Paddy Power meeting last month. He is a strong traveller, he jumps very well, and does very little wrong. Resplendent Grey clearly has the best form on offer in this lineup, and he is my NAP bet of the day at Sandown.
13:58 Sandown - Kingston Pride
14:33 Sandown - Resplendent Grey (NAP)
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