Great Yorkshire Chase Tips: Sail To Glory
One of the most competitive races of a packed Saturday comes at 15:15 at Doncaster; The Great Yorkshire Chase. At the time of writing we are 7/1 the field and there are more than a handful who look well handicapped and will have been trained for the minute for this race. We've previewed one of the big betting races of the day from Donny and given our idea of the best each-way bet...
Trying to pick the winner of this race is no mean feat even with a full field of twenty mercifully not filling the spots. The front end of the market don't make too much appeal to me, albeit Famous Bridge the favourite is a likeable sort and clearly tough as teak judging by his Tommy Whittle win on Haydock heavy last time out. The horse has form on all types of surfaces but I'm of the opinion he is a much better horse with cut in the ground and at a speed favouring track like Doncaster on good ground, plus with a four pound rise to contend with, he can be swerved.
Second favourite Forward Plan looks another who is simply too short to consider in a race of this depth, for all that he comes here off the back of a career best when winning last time out. That was over this course and distance in the bet365 Handicap and while on the face of it this would make him a big contender here, the race was run with fences omitted which obviously suits some horses more than others. He just denied Mister Coffey that day, who to me makes more appeal here to reverse the form. There is of course a risk low sun plays havoc with this race at Donny, but the forecast in South Yorkshire is cloudy so hopefully we see a true jumping test.
Mister Coffey has a weight swing with Forward Plan here and is, for the most part, a better jumper so he should be able to eat up the distance he was beaten. I do think he is a rock solid horse for placepots, but I cannot tip something each-way when instantly consigning half of the stake to the bin, which is what backing Mister Coffey to finish first feels like. He does finally et cheekpieces here and they could make all the difference, but the suspicion is he'll find one or two too good once more.
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Cap Du Nord has plenty in his favour, and if still available at the prices he was antepost for this race would be a no brainer of a bet. However, his price is tumbling literally as I type and while he looks tailormade for this test, the yard form - which has been poor all year in truth - would put me off. He finished second in this race last year off a 3lbs higher mark and the first two pulled a long way clear of the third, and maybe Christian Williams has been working back from this race, but as the potential favourite by the time you are reading this he is another I'll give a miss.
Emmet Mullins' Sweet Will is only seven and will be running with a featherweight of 10"2 in here. Anything that wily trainer sends over for this kind of big handicap must be respected, but again on price grounds I cannot tip something with such sparse form for a race of this magnitude. Perhaps he will bolt up and do the same in a Cheltenham handicap, but he will do so without my support.
Wheeling back to the aforementioned bet365 handicap in which Forward Plan beat Mister Coffey, back in sixth that day was SAIL AWAY for the Skelton team. This horse is lightly raced but when on song and getting his optimal conditions - which he'll hopefully get here on good ground - he is a real weapon from the front. I'd imagine his main pace rival will be Annual Invictus, but there is no better jumper in this field than Sail Away and he can claim the lead outright early doors before getting the rest of the field stretched out. Sail Away has in fact beaten Forward Plan, and did it convincingly over this trip and on this ground at Ayr last season, giving the favourite here a stone and an eleven length beating in a real jumping exhibition.
Granted, the second that day has obviously improved but I don't think he has improved to the level of a peak form Sail Away and while the horse is carefully minded, I don't think this is down to fragility it is more down to him wanting a very specific set of conditions. He gets them here and at 14/1 looks to have an outstanding chance of glory. Providing no fences are omitted I cannot see him out of the placings.
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