Shadowfax Of Rohan didn't win with the level of authority that I thought he would, but he got the job done, and that's all that matters.
He was backed in a small amount, jumped well, and the better jumping was the reason why he managed to get the victory. The runner-up was a huge danger, but didn't jump the final two fences with the same level of accuracy.
Wicked Thoughts was strange. Harry Cobden never looked 100% happy with his horse, and he finished third. The winner did it very well, and I believed he was the main threat to my selection.
McGrath From Clune 5/1 (1pt) – Hereford 3.00
I gave a chance to The Brickey Ranger a couple of runs back, as he was punted from big odds on his chasing debut, but he didn't see the trip out (2m 4f). He has since moved trainers and enjoyed the drop back to two miles, so he has to be respected off a low weight and is now running over a distance which suits his running style.
The one who caught my attention was McGrath From Clune, who gets Sean Bowen in the saddle for the first time. Sean has a good record for Tom Gretton this season, with 3 wins and a further 2 placed efforts from eight rides. This horse is not a prolific winner, but has been running well over the winter, if you can discount his last two starts.
He won at Hereford in November on good ground, then backed it up with a solid effort at Newcastle 11 days later. He was in the middle of running a big race at Taunton until he made a mistake and unseated his rider. The Tauntone effort produced an RPR of 90, which was a +11 rating to his handicap mark that day, so it was a huge effort.
Last time out, he was unsatisfactory in a small field event, but he's been given a break and with good ground being a huge positive for him, I think another big performance is on the cards.
Sean Bowen in the saddle is an obvious plus; he gets horses to win when they have no right to. Combining this with the strong strike rate for the yard, I think he makes the current price of McGrath From Clune far too big, and he is a very attractive bet for Wednesday's racing.
GambleAware