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I WAS one away from glory last weekend with the trebles and fourfold and as fate would have it was the shortest priced selection that scuppered it. Thankfully we returned a nice profit from the treble and also recouped a bit from Espoir De Guye hitting the frame.
This Saturday's racing unfortunately has been hit by the postponement of Cheltenham but thankfully the two that I was most keen on both run at Doncaster. Have a listen to the Gambla Racing podcast where we preview both races:
2.40pm Doncaster
This is a competitive novice hurdle and will serve as a good trial for the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival in March. I have quite a strong fancy for CASTLE ROBIN at the current prices for a number of reasons. Firstly, he is 11lb better off at the weights with Emir Sacree from their run in December when Castle Robin only lost narrowly. Emir is now the joint favourite yet Castle Robin can be backed at 11-1 which doesn't seem logical. Castle Robin has run once since then, in the Lanzarote at Kempton where he ran well finishing 6th of 20 runners only tiring in the last few furlongs. I suspect that is because they went a bit too fast in front and he made a mistake at one of his hurdles four from home. If Paul O'Brien can tuck him in behind the leaders and bring him into the race a bit later I can see him outrunning his double figure odds.
3.15pm Doncaster
The reasoning in this race is fairly simple. I'm not entirely convinced by any of the shorter priced runners and if old YORKHILL is back to anything near his best (which his win last time out suggested he might be) then he would have a really strong chance here. I'm willing to take a chance at a lovely big price that he can confirm that his return to form wasn't just a fluke. He also had an entry in the Cotswold Chase until it was abandoned which would suggest that connections think he does retain his old ability.
It's less than 50 days until the greatest show on turf; The Cheltenham Festival. Voice of Value has taken a look at the four Champion Races across two posts and they're well worth a read if you fancy an ante-post punt.
- Cheltenham Ante-Post – Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase & Stayers Hurdle Previews
- Cheltenham Festival: Gold Cup Ante-post Tips
2:40 Doncaster- fern hill 10/1