Newsboy's horseracing tips for Saturday including Cheltenham Festival Trials Day
THE REAL WHACKER is fancied to book his Cheltenham Festival ticket by landing the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase (1.50) at the home of National Hunt racing today.
The eight-year-old put his trainer Paddy Neville’s name in lights when landing the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase by a short head from Gerri Colombe at the fixture last year.
My selection suffered his first defeat over Cheltenham’s fences - he was 3-3 there as a novice chaser - when pulled up in the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November.
But The Real Whacker struck into himself during that race and there was much more to like about his fourth to Hewick in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
Sam Twiston-Davies’ mount finished 10 lengths behind the winner but was staying on all the way to the line.
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The sterner test of stamina back at his favourite venue should see The Real Whacker show his true colours - and secure his place in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Paisley Park gets the vote to make history with a fourth success in the McCoy Contractors Cleeve Hurdle (3.35) at Cheltenham this afternoon.
Emma Lavelle’s staying legend has won the Grade 2 three-miler three times, an achievement on a par with Lady Rebecca’s hat-trick of victories between 1999 and 2001.
He’s now 12 years old but Paisley Park is still capable of mixing it with the best grinders around.
At the start of December, he failed by a head to concede 6lb to Dashel Drasher in the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury.
And two days before Christmas he agonisingly went under by a short head to Crambo when bidding to capture the top-level Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot for a fourth time.
A reproduction of either effort today will make Tom Bellamy’s mount very hard to beat.
It’s hard to see past JONBON in the Grade 1 My Pension Expert Clarence House Chase (2.25), rescheduled from the royal racecourse’s frozen fixture last Saturday.
The Cheltenham Festival has been the scene of Jonbon’s only two career defeats and the absence of El Fabiolo, due to run at Ascot but now bound for next weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival, clears his path to a sixth Grade 1 triumph.
Despite her nine-month absence from the racecourse, LOSSIEMOUTH should pick up where she left off by beating four opponents for the Grade 2 Unibet Hurdle (3.00).
Willie Mullins’ mare lifted Cheltenham’s Triumph Hurdle and the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown in the spring to establish herself as the top juvenile over timber, and Paul Townend’s mount still has plenty more to offer.
The Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase (1.15) looks open, but GA LAW returns to two and a half miles after failing to get home in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury eight weeks ago and is capable of giving a good account.
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At Doncaster, FORWARD PLAN can continue his upward curve in the SBK Great Yorkshire Handicap Chase (3.15).
A three-time scorer last season, including two wins over fences, the Anthony Honeyball-saddled eight-year-old was back in business over course and distance last time out with a length-and-a-half beating of Mister Coffey.
There is a 4lb rise in the weights to deal with here, but Forward Plan has had just seven attempts over the larger obstacles and isn’t done with yet.
Lossiemouth’s stablemate GALA MARCEAU is preferred to another Mullins runner, Ashroe Diamond, in the Grade 2 SBK Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle (2.05), while
DESTROYTHEEVIDENCE is expected to go well in the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett River Don Novices' Hurdle (2.40).
SATURDAY SELECTIONS
DONCASTER
11.50 TRAPRAIN LAW
12.20 WODHOOH
12.55 WOLF PRINCE
1.30 JERIKO DU REPONET
2.05 GALA MARCEAU
2.40 DESTROYTHEEVIDENCE
3.15 FORWARD PLAN
3.50 DONNY BOY
CHELTENHAM
12.05 BURDETT ROAD
12.40 BLOW YOUR WAD
1.15 GA LAW (NB)
1.50 THE REAL WHACKER
2.25 JONBON
3.00 LOSSIEMOUTH
3.35 PAISLEY PARK (NAP)
4.10 JOHNNYWHO
UTTOXETER
12.48 CLASSIC. MAESTRO
1.23 ROCCOS INSPIRATION
1.58 MARSH WREN
2.33 KNOWWHENTOHOLDEM
3.08 GOOD FRIDAY FAIRY
3.43 SPORTING ACE
4.18 CALL ME ARTHUR
FAIRYHOUSE
1.05 TEESCOMPONENTSYESS
1.40 BALDUR’S GATE
2.15 JADE DE GRUGY
2.50 SHOOT THE BLUES
3.25 MIDNIGHT VOICES
3.58 DUFFYS GETAWAY
4.28 ARGENTO BOY
NEWCASTLE
4.15 IT’S A LOVE THING
4.45 WHERE’S THE CRUMPET
5.15 GUSTAV GRAVES
5.45 LIKEASHADOW
6.15 NOVARRO
6.45 ANOTHER ANGEL
7.15 THE CALTONIAN
KEMPTON PARK
4.55 DESERT DOCTOR
5.30 SILENT AGE
6.00 NOTABLE SPEECH
6.30 REVOLUTIONISE
7.00 HABOOBA
7.30 ONEFORTHEGUTTER
8.00 HEERATHETRACK
8.30 TAMARIS
DOUBLE: PAISLEY PARK and GA LAW
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