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McGrath From Clune put in a very disappointing performance at Hereford, and it caught me by surprise.
Obviously, not every ride that Sean Bowen picks up for the smaller yards is going to result in a win. It normally suggests a big run is on the cards, but the market weakness and the eventual result was very poor.
The horse was settled in second spot for the majority of the race, but then went from being second to being pulled up in a matter of two furlongs down the back straight. Hopefully, there's not an injury to the horse, and it was an off day for him, but the market weakness makes it a little less confusing.
River Voyage 7/2 (1pt) – Chepstow 3.50
During the Cheltenham Festival, I watched the In The Know podcast by The Racing Post. Tom Segal, who is a very respected tipster in the racing world, mentioned how he doesn't think ground means as much as we all think. I'm not totally sold on that, but I think River Voyage might be fine on today's quicker ground after winning on heavy ground last time out.
He was a winner over hurdles on a similar surface, so there's optimism that he'll be fine on the ground at Chepstow on Thursday. The main selling point for River Voyage is the marathon trip, which should suit based on his running style.
Last time out at Ffos Las, he had no right to win as he did. He must've traded much higher in running, but he stayed on extremely well over three miles on testing ground, which makes him a solid bet over this new trip. It's not a guarantee that he'll stay the trip, but the visual test from last time out suggests giving him a try.
Gold Emery was on my list, as the form of his last run was boosted by Planned Paradise, who won yesterday. Planned Paradise won easily at Bangor against Gold Emery, and the third-placed horse was poor on his next run, so it made me think Gold Emery was flattered to look as good as he did.
Get Up Mush 5/2 (1pt) – Warwick 4.30
I am trying to stay clear of horses who are out of form, and backing them on instinct or older pieces of form, but I can't get away from thinking this has been the plan for Get Up Mush for a while.
We all know Dan Skelton is very good at plotting horses for good prize pots, and it seems like this could be another. This race is for £20k to the winner, which goes a long way to him winning his first trainer's title, and Get Up Mush is on a very good handicap mark.
He won at this course in good style on his last run of 2024, but was absent up until Boxing Day 2025. His runs this year have been poor, hence why his handicap mark has dropped from 122 to 110, but he hasn't been fancied in the market for any of this season's runs. Harry is back in the saddle for this race, and because it's at a track he's won at and on good ground, I thought it was worth taking the chance.
GambleAware