Cheltenham Saturday

2:05 888Sport Is Made To Play Handicap Chase 3m 1f

It’s easy enough to see why The Hollow Ginge has been put in short here, as he is 10lb lower in the weights than when just touched off in this race last year.

He’s been a hard horse to catch right in recent times, though, and his form has a regressive look. If there is a time to catch him, it’s first time out, but I’m not sure he’s a horse I’d want on side these days.

The Wolf is 7lb better off with Captain Cattistock for a defeat by three-parts of a length at Musselburgh in February, but the winner is both a more reliable proposition over fences and had a bit more in hand than the winning margin that day having been in front long enough.

He was held on to until after the last at this course on his only subsequent run, and was an impressive winner. He looked better than ever there, and he seems to get on very well with Liam Harrison, who keeps the ride.

2:40 Masterson Holdings Hurdle 2m 87yds

The Masterson Holdings Hurdle is easy to view as a rematch between Pied Piper and Knight Salute after their controversial battle at Aintree in April.

On that form there is nothing to choose between them, but Pied Piper finished well ahead of Knight Salute in the Triumph Hurdle, having been impressive when winning the Finesse here on Trials Day. Those runs came on the New Course, and Knight Salute had won the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle on this course last December, so may be better suited by this tighter track.

That’s a possibility, but I can’t really see the Old Course posing Pied Piper any problems, and he remains with scope to progress having made his debut over hurdles less than 10 months ago.

3:15 888Sport Handicap Chase 1m 7f 199yds

Class act in this contest is Editeur Du Gite, and he is capable of defying top-weight if ready to go, but that’s the rub – he’s yet to win after a break, and would have been second at best when unseating on his return at Ascot last year.

Gary Moore’s tend to improve for a run, but he has had five winners this month returning from a break, suggesting that fitness is unlikely to be an issue.

He’s respected, but he might just struggle to concede 12lb to the progressive Clear The Runway.

Laura Morgan’s charge has a record of 1212111 over fences, and that should really be an unbeaten record, as his two defeats have been narrow ones in races where he was travelling best prior to a late mistake.

His best performance came on easy ground at Worcester last time, where his jumping was pretty assured in the closing stages, and he beat a good yardstick in Elios D’Or (winner since) by a resounding 10 lengths.

That effort is backed up by the clock, and if he handles Cheltenham, he’s handicapped to win again. The rain which fell on Friday morning is probably a help to a few of the runners, but certainly for the selection.

3:50 Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 208yds

If pressed for the likeliest winner of this contest, I’d be inclined to row in with Panic Attack, who was a good fourth in the race 12 months ago, and has improved notably since.

She took the eye when winning a listed contest here in April, and ran even better when second to Romeo Brown in the Pertemps Long Distance Handicap on the Swinton Hurdle card at Haydock in May.

Panic Attack returns to Cheltenham just 4lb higher than she was a year ago, and she is surely going to progress further given her profile.

She needs to win a race or two if she’s going to be high enough in the handicap for the final of this next March, and it’s best to get such a win early, and she will be fully primed for this.

At much bigger odds, I intend to give another chance to Skandiburg, for all Charlotte Fuller’s gelding failed to fire on his return at Uttoxeter. Perhaps he was rusty there, and this course-and-distance winner was a fine second off this mark at Warwick on his final outing last term.

On that basis he cannot be a 50/1 chance, and his dismissal by the compilers is essentially a snub to Fuller, who trains just a couple of horses.

Having met Mrs Fuller (her talented daughter Page is sidelined after suffering a mini-stroke during a race last month), I can assure you she’s not doing this simply for giggles and she’s had two wins from just eight runs this season.

She has done a fair job managing Skandiburg’s handicap mark, and his only disappointment was last time, which was most likely just a sighter for this.

Doncaster Saturday

3:00 Carlsberg Marstons Doncaster Stakes (Listed) 6f 2yds

The big question here is whether the drop to six furlongs will prove the key to Aesop’s Fables and I believe it will.

He was a disappointing favourite on testing ground in the National Stakes at the Curragh last month, but I thought he handled the ground fine, and was beaten by the trip, which is hardly surprising as his sire No Nay Never is proving more of an influence for speed.

Aesop’s Fables is comfortably ahead on the ratings, and while he was just a fair fourth in the Dewhurst last time, this is both a significant step back in class as well as trip.

I’d be surprised if he failed to take advantage of an excellent opportunity.

3:35 Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes (Group 1) 1m

Aidan O’Brien once again saddles a short-priced favourite here, but I didn’t think the chances of Auguste Rodin were so clear-cut.

He was undoubtedly impressive in the Champion Juvenile at Leopardstown, but runner-up Caroline Street didn’t do much for the form when unplaced favourite for the Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh next time.

The favourite could easily show himself better than that form given he wasn’t at all hard pressed to win, but at the prices, I prefer the claims of Epictetus, who needs to prove himself on the ground, but who had a host of winners behind when winning a Newmarket maiden on his debut, and was simply found out by inexperience when beaten by Silver Knott in the Autumn Stakes there last time.

He’s a colt with lots of potential, and he seems sure to progress again from Newmarket.

4:10 vertem.co.uk Handicap 5f 3yds

It’s last-chance-saloon time for Came From The Dark here after he was unplaced in listed company after a break at Ascot last time.

I was with him there, but should have taken more account of his absence prior to that, and he probably needed the outing, being quite a big, gross sort.

The ground has certainly come in his favour, and he looks well weighted with Saffie Osborne claiming 3lb; the question is whether soundness issues which affected him after a couple of his race last year have blunted his speed. That’s possible, but I’ve been told that he’s not taken a lame step this year, so I’ve got to keep the faith.

This race will tell us what ability remains, but if he’s the horse he was last summer, he’ll take a hell of a lot of stopping of a de-facto mark of 99.

Recommended

Captain Cattistock 2:05 Cheltenham – 2pts win @ 6/1 (general)

Panic Attack 3:50 Cheltenham – 1pt e/w @ 17/2 (Hills 6/1 places – 8/1 general)

Skandiburg 3:50 Cheltenham – 0.5pts e/w @ 50/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes – ¼ odds 4 places)

Came From The Dark 4:10 Doncaster – 1pt win @ 13/2 (Ladbrokes, 6/1 general)