When a horse is backed into 1/2 from 2/1, it's painful to see it get beaten.
Shadowfax Of Rohan got beaten, and at this point, I had to laugh it off. There was a 25p Rule 4, as his closest rival in the market was a non-runner, so effectively this was as good as a tap-in. That might sound harsh on the eventual winner, as he had won on his last two starts, but the form wasn't crazy.
The horse in the bumper was dreadful, coming off the bridle and eventually being pulled up.
Ki Woo 5/1 (1pt) – Haydock 2.45
It's a rarity that Haydock is expected to have good ground during the jumps season. It seems like all year round, Haydock attracts all of the UK's rain, as it's nearly always bottomless, even during the flat season.
With the ground being as dry as it is, it gives Ki Woo a chance to show what he is really capable of. He has flopped on either side of his solid runner-up position at Doncaster, but having soft/heavy ground was never going to suit this good ground lover.
At Doncaster, he didn't jump very well, but he was a two-race novice at the time, so he was expected to make some mistakes. I also don't think he was given a great ride from the rear. Craig Nichol looked confident when he was gaining ground on the leader, but the winner had an easy time on the front and had plenty up his sleeve.
For this race, it's a four-furlong step up in trip. We don't know whether he'll stay the trip, but I think he's worth a try. He wasn't stopping at Doncaster, even though he wasn't gaining ground on the winner; the pair were staying on strongly.
I think a few in this race will want the ground to be slightly softer. Also, I think Wal Buck will be flattered by his easy success at Kelso on heavy ground. Many horses underperformed in that race due to the ground, and he handled it best.
Bataillon 7/2 (1pt) – Wincanton 3.40
Apart from Bataillon, there are no other horses that are in form. Therefore, I think it's quite an easy pick for this race.
I've had my fingers burnt on many occasions trying to make a case for an out-of-form horse on a regular weekday meeting, and it rarely works. I tipped up Bataillon for his chasing debut at Catterick, and he was in trouble a long way from home. On the back of that performance, I didn't want to go near him again until he won on his next start and then finished second the time after.
He ran well to win over the longer trip on his run after Catterick, and he ran well on his final start on ground which looked far too testing for him. With the quicker ground returning at Wincanton, I think he is a no-brainer for this race, especially running from the bottom of the weights.
GambleAware