It was a bit of a graveyard for favourites on Thursday, especially at Newbury where plenty of the early favourites were beaten after trading much shorter in running.
Destroytheevidence looked a bit quirkey under Tom Bellamy and his jumping wasn't as assured as last time out. The winner jumped better all the way round and that was the key to his victory.
Saint Sam was backed in by half a point into 6/4F from 2/1 and was given a positive ride by Paul Townend. His jumping was scruffy in patches, but economical enough to get from one side to the other without losing too much momentum. The ride is what won him the race, or maybe the lack of respect the jockeys in behind gave Saint Sam as the lead he nicked before turning for home definitely won him the race.
Cairnzy's Tips
Jack Black SP – Exeter 12:40
I've scracthed my head at this contest for sometime now, having narrowed the most likely winner down to two horses.
I've decided to oppose the in-form horse, Skyjack Hijack, who is aiming for a fifth consecutive success. Skyjack Hijack was recently tipped up on the thread by Rizz, and followed up next time out to win once more. While Skyjack Hijack brings a solid fitness advantage to the table, he must also carry top weight in this contest, which could hinder his chances of extending his winning streak.
Notably, all of Skyjack Hijack's previous four wins have come over 3 miles or longer, so this shorter distance represents a drop in trip for the Candlish-trained runner. However, Skyjack Hijack's tendency to race prominently, combined with his proven stamina over further distances, suggests the drop in trip should pose no significant issue.
The horse I'm taking him on with is the Skelton-trained Jack Black who surprisingly is marked up as favourite for this contest despite Skyjack Hijack bringing the most solid recent form to the contest. Jack Black comes with his risks, in particular the fitness side of things, having not raced since last February. Another risk attached to my selection would be the trip given Jack Black has only raced as far as the slightly extended 2m, although I think the step up in trip is exactly what this horse needs and if he arrives fit and ready to go then he should relish the extra distance. The Skeltons have enjoyed not a bad start to the jump season so far, so the layoff from the track doesn't raise too many eye brows for me. The horse may need the run, however I'll take the risk he is ready to go which the Skeletons are known for doing with their string of horses.
I actually thought the form of some of Jack Blacks recent runs from the start of the year read quite well. He wasn't beaten far into third by the Jonjo Oneil trained Bill Joyce, who returned to the track with a comfortable victory at Carlisle last week. My selection also finished third behind two decent sorts in East India Express and Making Headway, both of which are similarly rated to Skyjack Hijack.
99% of the time, myself and Rizz advise the price the night before, however, in this instance, I will be advising SP. I have a feeling the market will flip and the Candlish runner will be backed into favourite. The price of 9/4 is available at the time of writing for those who like to take the early price.
Rizzel's Tips
Scarface 11/1 – Exeter 2.25
It could be very foolish of me to go for the second string horse from the Joe Tizzard yard as I do strongly believe in jockey bookings etc, but I do think Brendan Powell was always going to ride JPR One even if he knew that horse wasn't primed for today's race, as it ensures that he keeps the ride further down the line.
For me, though Scarface was really bad in the jumping department last time out for me when I tipped him up at Cheltenham, I do think he has his conditions more than any other horse in this race today, and that's why I am more than happy to give me another chance in this race that the Tizzard's have done well in over the years.
Is Scarface the best horse in this race? not at all, but he doesn't have to be for the Haldon Gold Cup as it is a Grade 2 handicap, which allows him to run off a low(ish) weight and take full advantage of the drying conditions. Exeter is less of a jumping task than Cheltenham, and though he might not have handled the track, he might have also been rusty as it was his first run in over 190 days, and I think he is worth chancing again.
Etalon probably would've been my pick if the ground was on the soft side as I think he has set a good level of form from his novice runs last year, but with the ground being good, and with nearly every horse wanting softer conditions other than Scarface, it looked a no-brainer for me to go with the horse I tipped up last time out, especially with that fitness edge and with Cobden doing the steering.
In December 2020 we sadly 
Tea clipper 3-35 Exeter 13-8 top 3 finish 🏇 NAP @william HILLS