Well, my first bet of the season at the home of jumps racing couldn’t have gone much better, with Wreckless Eric getting the job done in the final race yesterday, confirming the suspicions that odds of 15/2 were generous.
| Cheltenham - 14:55 |
Thanksforthehelp |
6/1 |
Now for the last Nap of the week, and we’re back at Cheltenham on Saturday. Once again, we’re focusing on one of the handicap hurdles.
Ahead of the 14:55, I like the look of Thanksforthehelp, who thanks to a relatively short-priced Dan Skelton runner, is available at bigger odds than he may otherwise be. By no means a huge price at 6/1, the David Pipe runner could easily be shorter if you ask me.
Don’t rush to judge him based on that last effort
Last time out, the mount of Jack Tudor returned to racecourse action after 237 days off, running over two miles and four furlongs at Uttoxeter just under a month ago.
Sure, he never got involved in that comeback race, though for my money, I’m relatively confident that connections never intended him to go close. I’d argue that he was running for two reasons; one, to blow the cobwebs away after time off, which is something he’s typically needed, and two, to obtain a more lenient handicap mark, which is exactly what he’s got after the assessor relented a further 4 lbs.
The gelding is now just 1 lb higher than when sauntering clear in the ultra competitive Pertemps qualifier at Chepstow last February, which is not something to ignore. He showed that he has the class to win a race of this ilk that day, so now going back up in trip, I really wouldn’t be surprised if he got involved here, especially as he lurks at the foot of the weights.
Let’s face it, we’re talking about a horse that is still lightly raced and given that he’s in David Pipe’s hands, likely has a handicap of this nature in him. Given his mark, I'd say that success will probably come sooner rather than later.
For my money, the well handicapped seven-year-old, running for a trainer who has twice won this race before, with his usual cheek pieces back on, ticks enough boxes to be a little more stingily priced than he is at the time of writing, leaving me to conclude that 6/1 is worth taking.
Based on a £10 level-stakes example, the Nap of the Day (after 63 Naps) has a running P/L of +£115.00 (since switching to being published here (10/09/2024) rather than on the ‘Nap of the Day' page).
For those interested, here’s a monthly profit and loss breakdown (again based on a £10 level-stakes example):
September 2024 = +£34.00
October 2024 = +£6.00
