Coral Trophy Tips: Honeyball Holds The Aces

The big race of the day at Kempton comes at 15:37 as the £150,000 Coral Trophy takes centre stage. Trainer Anthony Honeyball has the top two in the market and while other rivals must be respected, Billy Grimshaw is struggling to see past the pair. Here our editor previews the handicap chase...

It is rare to see a trainer have such a strong hand in a race of this nature and not be named WP Mullins, NJ Henderson of PF NIcholls, but that is what we are faced with in the Coral Trophy of 2024 with Anthony Honeyball looking to have the race at his mercy. That may be a stretch, with Ben Pauling in hot form and Bowtogreatness possessing arguably the best single piece of form in here behind Midnighr River at Aintree last season. However, I would be lukewarm on his chances were the ground to deteriorate further, or even stay soft/heavy as it is now. 

Sam Brown is taking a marked step down in grade after his flop in the Denman Chase, but at his age and with top weight on bad ground I can give him a swerve. He is the easiest Honeyball representative to dismiss at any rate, as Blackjack Magic heads the market at the time of writing and has outstanding claims. I do think there is a strong case for putting the two more fancied Honeyball runners in a reverse forecast. The favourite's claims are staring us right in the face, with his Badger Beers win at Wincanton on seasonal debut underlining his credentials as a handicapper going places. He then went to Sandown and although the form reads that he only managed fifth, watch the race back and before his shuddering penultimate flight mistake it is hard to make a case that anything was travelling sweeter than him.

The application of blinkers should be a positive and he must be ahead of his mark if that Sandown run is anything to go by, so with a clear round of jumping I can't see him out of the three. The main rival and the one I'll be siding with however resides just a few yards away most of the time and is the Honeyball second string, FORWARD PLAN. He has smart three pound claimer Ben Godfrey in the plate assisting him by taking off a further three pounds from his decent looking mark, and off the back of two brilliant Doncaster runs (one win, one second), he looks to my eye the form pick in here.

There are others with claims, and I do respect the Henderson representative in Tweed Skirt with Nico on board. She is a hardy sort and is still only seven, but does not lack for experience. She won over this course and distance in good style back in December and while she has since run and finished a decent third in a Mares' Hurdle at Doncaster, this is much more like the sort of test she relishes. Giving weight to the Honeyball pair may not be an easy task, however.

Al Dancer has a chance on his best form, and although he is inconsistent the booking of five pound claimer Dylan Johnston tells us that Sam Thomas thinks he has his charge in rude health. The Thomas stable of course scooped this pot last season and so this year's runner warrants respect, however there are a few more progressive looking and well handicapped horses in here. Il Ridoto could be one of them, and somehow he is still only seven despite seemingly running well in Cheltenham handicap chases since the turn of the millennium. I'd not be particularly keen on him on soft over three miles and with 11st9 to carry, for all he does have the wizard Harry Cobden in the plate. 

Flegmatik is the last horse worthy of a mention after a fine win over this C&D six weeks ago, which ended a long losing run. He is what he is at this stage of his career, a real trier but limited and with a rise in the weights and a tougher set of opponents here he is another I'd struggle to fancy. If Honeybal doesn't have the winner I'll be surprised, and if it's not Forward Plan I'll be disappointed.