Unfortunately, I am for the entire afternoon on Saturday, so I won't be able to leave a recap of the runners.
House Of Habsburg 9/4 (1pt) – Warwick 4.48
I've mentioned on numerous occasions that I try to stay clear of the Christian Williams yard. They are all about landing gambles, but when they have a horse at the bottom of the handicap and start winning with them, they don't really have a reason to put the handbrake on.
As a result, I am going to give them a chance with House Of Habsburg. This horse has turned his form around since transitioning to chasing. He has managed to win twice over fences from three attempts, with the only defeat resulting in him finishing as a runner-up to Jupiter Des Bordes, who is in today's race.
Considering House Of Habsburg was defeated by the horse I've just mentioned, many will want to believe that he will likely finish behind that horse again. Evidently, I don't share that same opinion. House Of Habsburg was making his chase debut in that race, so with the experience he has gained from his last two runs, there's every reason to believe he has progressed and can put the defeat behind him.
It seems that this race has been in the back of Christian Williams' mind since sending House Of Habsburg over fences. That might sound ridiculous as this race is only worth £9.5k to the winner, but Christian is one of the best at laying a plan out and executing it. This horse has run over the Warwick fences on two occasions, so he is well accustomed to the track. This is a bit of a unique track in the way that the fences come quite quickly down the backstraight, so knowing he handles this venue is a huge plus.
The obvious question mark is whether he can handle the hike in grade, and whether he stays the trip. I think he has every chance to showcase he can handle the better horses, as he is still only 105-rated and is running off a very low weight. As for the stamina issues, he won over 3m 2f last time out, and was strong at the line, beating a horse who was second on his last start, and has since won.
Of the others, I was interested in Unanswered Prayers, who might appreciate the drop in class and a falling handicap mark. However, the yard is severely out of form, and I've had my fingers burnt going down that route.
GambleAware