GG tipster Andrew Mount reveals his list of eyecatchers from the past week’s action.
Find out which runners he wants to keep onside below, alongside bet365‘s new customer offer of £50 in Free Bets when you deposit and bet £10.
ASH TREE MEADOW (second, 2m novices’ chase, Cheltenham, Friday, October 21st)
ASH TREE MEADOW jumped out to his right on the left-handed track and the 2-1 favourite had to settle for a half-length second behind Straw Fan Jack. He has won left-handed over hurdles (at Navan) and fences (Killarney) but both came in weak races and he can go one better when returned to a right-handed track.
CORRIGEEN ROCK (won, 2m1f handicap chase, Kelso, Saturday, October 22nd)
CORRIGEEN ROCK had been noted as jumping out to his left at right-handed Kempton, Perth, Musselburgh and Sandown last season and Lucinda Russell finally consented to run him left-handed again for the first time in almost a year. The five-year-old gained a hard-fought win from Gladiatorial and can go on from here. He’s now two from two at Kelso.
ELHAM VALLEY (11th, 2m conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle, Cheltenham, Friday, October 21st)
ELHAM VALLEY was on the heels of the leaders and looking like he might get into place contention when a bad mistake at the second last flight but paid to his chances (his rider lost an iron and couldn’t recover in time). Fergal O’Brien’s five-year-old was very well backed and is worth another chance, preferably in a small field, as all five of his wins (Flat and jumps) have come in single-figure line-ups.
HOCKWORTHY FLYER (7th, 2m4f handicap hurdle, Sligo, Friday, October 21st)
With showers throughout the meeting on ground described as yielding to soft the inside of the track became badly cut up, giving wide runners a big advantage in the later races. The first six home in the 2m4f 80-95 handicap hurdle came from midfield or further back with HOCKWORTHY FLYER best of the prominent racers in seventh. She’s now 0-12 but was placed at Clonmel on her penultimate start and has shown enough to win a small race.
NAXOS (won, 7f novice stakes, Newcastle, Tuesday, October 18th)
George Boughey’s NAXOS, the 7-2 third favourite, made an impressive winning debut in a restricted novice contest at Newcastle last week. He missed the break and veered left on leaving the stalls and didn’t get as much cover as ideal in the early stages. However, he cruised up to challenge two furlongs out and won by three lengths from 20-1 shot El Montejean, with 11-8 favourite Beyond Reproach back in third. The son of 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior looks a lovely prospect for 2023.
NOT AVAILAVBLE (fourth, 2m handicap chase, Worcester, Wednesday, October 19th)
Trainer Matt Sheppard describes NOT AVAILABLE as ‘a slow two-mile chaser’, which might explain why he sometimes fails to go the pace on tracks with easy fences such as Worcester where the frontrunners can get away from him. His three visits here have resulted in three defeats by a combined margin of 77 lengths and I’m happy to forgive this 33-length fourth of seven. Last season he took advantage of his rivals’ jumping errors to record small-field wins at Newbury and Ludlow, two tracks that claim a higher percentage of fallers than Worcester. He can be given another chance when switching venues.
RIAAN (fifth, 3m1.5f maiden hurdle, Sligo, Friday, October 21st)
Gordon Elliott’s RIAAN, the 6-4 second favourite, raced in the ‘swamp’ on the inside rail and trailed home 16 lengths back in fifth place. This is easily excused, and the market could overreact next time.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets – Tuesday, 25th October
GG Top tipster Andrew Mount struck with a winner on Sunday, and looks for more at the start of the week. Back his selections with Sky Bet‘s new customer offer of £20 in Free Bets when you deposit and bet £10. Posted: 5.30pm October 24th (Odds correct at time of writing) NEWCASTLE 8.30EPEIUS – 1pt…
Mon 24 Oct 2022ROLLY BOWLEY BOY (sixth, 3m1.5f maiden hurdle, Sligo, Friday, October 21st)
ROLLY BOWLEY BOY was backed late from 10-1 into 15-2 for this maiden hurdle but he made the running in the deep stuff on the inside rail and had no answer to those who raced wide on the better ground. His 21-length sixth wasn’t a bad effort in the circumstances and he can be supported each-way next time. He showed promise at Navan last month, finishing a 501- fourth of 16 in a first-time hood before his 16-1 third at Galway on October 4th.
STRAW FAN JACK (won, 2m novices’ chase, Cheltenham, Friday, October 21st)
The Sheila Lewis-trained STRAW FAN JACK tracked the pace on the inside, jumped well, and showed a willing attitude to deny ASH TREE MEADOW. He was assisted by the runner-up jumping out to his right, but it was still a pleasing effort. He clearly loves this time of year and his record over obstacles in October now reads 12211 (3-5), with both defeats by a head (10-1 and 8-1).
THUNDER GAP (second, 1m2f handicap, Newcastle, Monday, October 24th)
THUNDER GAP went into my tracker after his 40-1 fourth in a 1m Pontefract maiden back in October 2020, one of the funniest races I’ve ever seen as most of the field didn’t want to damage their future handicap marks by getting too close to 1-4 favourite Hydros. He only had the one run in 2021 and then went missing for 502 days prior to his comeback last-of-ten effort in a 1m handicap at Southwell last month. He attracted plenty of support that day, but the run was clearly needed. There was some 40-1 around in the morning before the 1m2f Class 6 handicap at Newcastle on Monday but that soon went and he started at just 14-1, running a blinder to finish second. Patient tactics are the most effective on the round course here, but Billy Garritty sat in second place before taking up the running just over two furlongs out (about two furlongs too early). He was worn down by 9-4 favourite Wolf Of Oxshott, leaving the impression that he might have prevailed under a more patient ride.