Cairnzy can feel a little hard done by as Water Of Leith was a very close second at Newcastle. However, his Dundalk tip was a winner, and Rubelite ran well in defeat, but the odds-on favourite was far too strong at Southwell.
Rizzel's tips
Lonesome Boatman 6/4 – Clonmel 12.55
This maiden Hunters Chase won't be a race that many will normally want to have a bet on as it is full of amateur jockeys, which can often throw up some wacky results due to the riders' inexperience. However, with that said, I thought Lonesome Boatman was the standout horse coming into this race based on his Punchestown third earlier that Spring, and if he is in anywhere near that form, he should be a tough nut to crack.
It's hard to weigh up PTP form as you don't know how strong certain horses are, but Lonesome Boatman was third behind Winged Leader on his seasonal reappearance in his PTP race, with Rocky's Howya in second. The winner was a very good horse for the Christie stable in these types of races, and given he was 2nd in the 2022 Cheltenham Festival Hunters Chase behind Billaway when not getting home, plus he is 27/36 in PTP races, that form looks solid. I think the drop back in trip to 2m 6f could be what Lonesome Boatman needs as he didn't quite get home when finishing behind It's On The Line at Punchestown, so with less to travel in today's race and against a much weaker field, Sean Joseph Allen's nine-year-old has a very solid chance.
Knight Of Allen 11/10 – Hereford 2.48
We won't be getting amazing odds on Knight Of Allen for this Class 3 contest at Hereford, but if the ground doesn't dry up too much, he should be too good for this field on a teasing handicap mark.
I stuck this lad up a couple of times last year during his juvenile season, including on debut when he was taken out after jumping the first at Cheltenham. I then stuck him up at Aintree in a Listed race on heavy ground where he ran a nice race to finish second behind Liari who has become a solid handicapper, reaching a peak of 134 after landing a second Listed race. I think soft ground is what this horse needs, so the dry weather hasn't come at the right time for him, but it is still soft for the most part at Hereford and it will be riding fairly tacky, so I think we should be fine on that front.
The form of his recent third at Haydock behind Steel Ally rates as very good form in my opinion. That was a very deep handicap for the grade and competitive as you'd expect in a 26k pot, but he acquitted himself nicely and a repeat of that form will make him tough to beat.
In December 2020 we sadly 
