Saturday saw Moon D'Orange land us a 6/1 winner and Erne River got us a place at 16/1. The ride on Moon D'Orange was up there for one of the rides of the season so far by Sean Bowen, who is without a doubt the best jockey in the UK, he got the fractions spot on.
Rizzel's tips
Eveque 10/1 EW – Sedgefield 3.40
Sunday's racing isn't the best quality of racing, but there are a couple of UK jumps meetings to get stuck into. My first fancy of the day is the 11-year-old Eveque who will try and win this race for the second time in a row.
This competitive 3m 2.5f chase is hard to pick a winner, as there's not one horse with outstanding claims, hence why the favourite is 3/1 and half the field is below double-figure odds. My selection is 10/1, and I think that is still good value given he won this race last year off a couple of pounds lower, but knowing he handles the surface, stays the trip, and has likely been targetted this race is enough for me to put a few quid each way on the old lad.
His sole win came in this race last year, so I don't think it's a huge coincidence that he has only been on the racetrack once this season, which was likely a run out for fitness in a bid to do the back-to-back today. He doesn't go well on his first run of the season, so the below par effort isn't concerning, and if he has been primed for today's race he comes into this with a decent shout. He won this race last year by 8.5L, winning with ease in the end. Today's race looks tougher, but that's due to Catch Catchfire being unexposed and Felton Bellevue making the long trip up to Sedgefield. The others in the race have form connected to each other with the likes of Old Page and Zwicky, the pair were first and second when they met recently and Zwicky should've won if he didn't climb through the final fence, so having Old Page as 3/1 favourite seems a bit odd.
Record High 9/2 – Fontwell 3.50
Given the way Sean Bowen is riding, I am more than happy to take a chance on the unexposed Record High to record his first win over fences in today's race at Fontwell.
The jockey booking of Sean Bowen on this Suzy Smith horse definitely catches the eye as Sean isn't a regular rider for Suzy, with the pair only combining seven times in the last five years, but given that Sean is going for jockey's title and is the best jockey around, it looks like a very positive booking, especially with Micheal Nolan who rides for the yard on a regular basis being at today's meeting but isn't on board this horse.
Record High was trying this type of distance for the first time last time out on Boxing Day, and was ridden with restraint for the majority of the race. He was well-fancied in the market, and did run well for the first time at a staying trip, but didn't find much towards the back end of the race, finishing 3rd/6, only 5L behind the winner. With that experience under his belt and an even longer trip to tackle, I think there could be more progress on the way and he looks a good option against the more exposed staying chasers in this lineup.
Looking at how the market is moving, it looks like a drift is on the cards for Record High, so it might be best to get on him in the morning when you can get B.O.G and likely a bigger price.
