Selections for Sunday 14th of January
2.05 Kempton
2 points Win Pic DOrhy (11/8 Bet365 or 5/4 Generally)
Pic DOrhy looks the right favourite in this race. Main rival Paint The Dream is better going left handed at the likes of Newbury. Pic DOrhy has course and distance form having won here last season as a Novice Chaser, beating Millers Bank who turned that form around next time when winning a Grade One at the Aintree festival. Pic DOrhy has won both starts this year at Newton Abbot and Huntingdon, both on good ground. He does have some old form on soft ground and I feel he is the likely winner.
2.40 Kempton
1 point each way Outlaw Peter (13/2 Skybet, 7 places or else 7/1 Paddy power/ 888 Sports/ Betfair, 6 places)
Outlaw Peter was second on heavy ground in his Irish Bumper to the ill fated Three Stripe Life when trained by Shark Hanlon. He seems to have benefited from a wind operation over the summer and has won two of his three starts this season finishing second on the other occasion. He has course form having won here in May before a break. After his win in Exeter I’d imagine this race was very much on the radar and his mark was protected. He’ll be fine with the distance and Paul Nicholls is confident he will step up to three miles and be a better chaser next season. A mark of 130 might just underestimate him on handicap debut.
1 point each way West Balboa (11/1 Skybet, 7 places or else 11/1 Paddy power/ 888 Sports/ Betfair/ Unibet/ Betway, 6 places)
West Balboa is another unexposed type having form figures of 122 under rules and a second in an Irish P2P over 3 miles. She won on debut for the Skeltons at Warwick beating Queens River by 17 lengths. She then finished second in the Grade One Challow Hurdle here at Newbury behind Stage Star. She was second to the race fit Coquelicot on her seasonal reappearance and should step forward from that effort. She is very much unexposed and open to further improvement off a mark of 130.
2.25 Warwick
2 points each way Grey Dawning (7/2 Bet365/ William Hill/ Betfred/ Ladbrokes, 3 places)
Grey Dawning is taking a step up into Graded company and is entitled to go well in this He has won four of his five starts so far finishing second in the other one. He was a two time Bumper winner on soft and Heavy ground, beating Sporting Ace by 4 ½ lengths and Saint Patric by 5 ½ lengths under a penalty. He was second on this season’s debut at Aintree behind Man At Work but regained winning ways at Exeter in a Novice Hurdle. He was strongly supported in his first handicap at Kempton over Christmas and duly obliged even after wandering under pressure at the finish. He should relish the softer conditions today and could be a nice horse going forward.
3.00 Warwick
1 point each way Notachance (9/1 Skybet, 5 places or else 17/2 Paddy power, 5 places)
Notachance knows his way around Warwick and won this race two years ago off 9lbs higher. That was on soft ground and he would be the first multiple winner of this race if he were to win today. Recent form isn’t inspiring but he showed enough on seasonal reappearance when fourth of twelve at Bangor to show there is still ability there. If jockey Tom Cannon can get him into a nice early rhythm he could have a big each way shout off a mark of 130.
1 point each way Guetapan Collonges (11/2 Skybet/ Paddy power, 5 places)
Guetapan Collonges comes in here as the unexposed type at the foot of the weights and if his jumping holds up he could be very dangerous off a mark of just 126. Charlie Longsdon has his string in good form and the step up in trip should be to this horse’s liking. He won twice last season, once on Heavy ground over 2m5 ½ f at Wetherby and on good/ Soft over 3m at Market Rasen. There are some questions over his jumping but he tends to over jump his fences sometimes but I feel he has improved in that department with experience and is entitled to go close here under such a low weight.
3.35 Warwick
1 point each way Ronald Pump (11/2 Bet365, 3 places or else 9/2 Skybet, 3 places)
I am taking a chance on this being the day for Ronald Pump to get his head in front over hurdles. Underfoot conditions will be to his liking and even at the age of ten has form to entitle him to go close in this. He has drifted out to 7/1 this morning which is a bit of a worry but with Skybet paying three places he is still a value each way bet. He was second in the Stayers Hurdle back in 2020 and had shown glimpses of form at a high level, up to this season for old trainer Matthew Smith. He was a well beaten third at Clonmel on his seasonal reappearance last time but finds himself well handicapped off a mark of 145 in a race that has plenty of question marks about most of these runners.
**Date & Time of next Selections Friday 20th of January at 9pm..