Great Yorkshire Chase Tips: Last Chance Saloon At Doncaster

A raft of old boys are set to clash once again on Town Moor on Saturday in Great Yorkshire Chase, and a case can be made for plenty. Billy Grimshaw is giving a horse that flopped for him last time he was selected one last hoorah and makes the case here...

Try as we might, as humans we just cannot avoid recency bias. Yesterday I was doubting myself when backing and tipping Velvet Elvis to win the Thyestes having thought a lot of the horse earlier in his career, tipping him up for more races than I care to mention and subsequently watching him disappoint. I gave him the nod once again at Gowran Park and was finally rewarded with a superb run off the front end to claim second at 25/1, and as such my confidence in the method of sticking to my guns has risen. With that in mind, despite the horse failing to finish last time I put him up here at Doncaster, I am rowing in behind ERNE RIVER  once more.

The case I made him for in the bet365 Handicap Chase revolved around his liking for this track and obviously his record is now worse than it was prior to that unseat of his jockey, but he was running with a bit of enthusiasm at least before his mishap. His record read PU, PU, PU, UR, which will put most off one suspects even at the big price he can be backed at for this race, but he did at least complete his prep run here over hurdles last time out and there were plenty of signs of life in the old boy with a fourth placed finish, but only six lengths away from the victor.

It is again a risky play but he has won valuable handicap chases around here before with over a stone more on his back and with the glimmers of hope in that hurdles prep, I'm willing to support him again one last time win only in here. If you are looking for a solid bet then you can't look past favourite Forward Plan, who never seems to finish outside of the frame in this sort of race and is a horse you can set your watch by. I wouldn't be surprised to see him usurped as favourite by The Changing Man, who brings with him more risk and more upside, but in a match bet I'd be with the more solid proposition.

I do also think the winner of the aforementioned race in which Erne River tipped up and Forward Plan picked up minor honours Charlie Uberalles is a smidgen overpriced in here too on the back of that effort, as although the winning distance from another who reopposes in here Docpickedme was only a neck I always felt he had the second covered. There is a weight swing with both the first and second for Forward Plan in here, however, and with him being so consistent I could see him perhaps reversing form with both.

Frero Banbou is a horse many in racing seem to just never be able to get right and appropriately when the masses deserted him from a betting point of vie, he duly got his head in front up at Newcastle with an uncharacteristically gritty display. He has since been beaten as 11/4 favourite and while his win in the North East came when the Venetia Williams yard were popping out winners left, right and centre, their form seems to have tailed off now and that would concern me if wanting to back him.

There are plenty more in with a shot, unsurprisingly with the shortest priced runner at 11/2, and while Erne River is my favourite bet on an outsider I as toying with going in double handed and backing Bowtogreatness who could be the pace angle. He was last seen fading behind Chantry House at Cheltenham but I believe Doncaster is the sort of track that'll suit him and if he can get into a rhythm, he could be tough to reel in. It's a trappy enough affair though so I'll stick to just the one bet on Nick Kent's old rogue Erne River.