Cheltenham’s Showcase meeting reaches its second day on Saturday, with a competitive seven-race card at Prestbury Park, while the British Flat season bows out at Group 1 level at Doncaster, where Aidan O’Brien saddles three of the seven runners in the Futurity Trophy.
Joe Napier has four selections from Town Moor and Cheltenham to combine for our Saturday Lucky 15.
1.30 Doncaster – Giant Sequoia
With Ryan Moore and Wayne Lordan elsewhere, GIANT SEQUOIA is probably the Ballydoyle third string here, but Dylan Browne McMonagle is an excellent call-up in the circumstances. His name also suggested the son of Frankel is no back number in here. He also carried some regard throughout this juvenile season, being the stable’s number one for the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh after back-to-back successes, including in Group 2 company. He was well-beaten that day but had previously given the impression of a stayer, so the step up to 1m should work wonders. Similarly, there is plenty of hope that he will relish soft ground in his pedigree.
2.20 Cheltenham – Ace Of Spades
Seaniecon likely entered a fair number of notebooks at Punchestown, but his previous form would suggest a rating of 127 is no small ask to defy in against experienced rivals here. One of those is ACE OF SPADES, a Cheltenham winner who was not far behind the very useful Ma Shantou in a course and distance handicap on New Year’s Day. He subsequently won at Huntingdon before finding the Pertemps Final at the Festival, and a hot Aintree handicap, too tough at the end of the season. The seven-year-old has a very progressive profile to date though and with plenty in this handicap out of the weights, should be one of those in the shake-up. He goes well fresh too.
2.55 Cheltenham – Diamond Dealer
Though Harry Skelton is aboard Here Comes Georgie, a stable debutant, Tristan Durrell struck up a good partnership with DIAMOND DEALER last season. It may well be that Dan Skelton wished to keep the pair together regardless of Harry’s usual preference and the seven-year-old definitely boasts as many claims on form, and more on stamina, than his new stablemate. He won three of his five races last season, most recently winning gamely at Kelso over 2m 5½f in a novices’ handicap. He has been given just a 3lb rise, but has stayed 3m in the past. Soft going may not be ideal, but that is also the case for many of his rivals and he was beaten just a short head on slow ground in February. He should bounce out prominently and prove a tough nut to crack.
3.30 Cheltenham – Indian River
Lord Byron was the best of these as a juvenile, while North Shore already looks likely to improve for having joined the Skeltons. However, INDIAN RIVER ran a massive race in a Grade 1 at Aintree and with Lord Byron having blotted his copybook on return, may be the answer. The selection was eight lengths ahead of North Shore, and 12 ahead of One Horse Town, in the Triumph Hurdle, before threatening to cause a huge upset in the equivalent at Aintree where third to Mange Tout and Selma De Vary. He only faded out of things late that day and his run on return was promising at Market Rasen when just feeling the pinch late on against his elders. His trainer has struck with 11 of his 28 National Hunt runners so far and Indian River has potential to be the yard’s stable star over jumps.
