There is a valuable card at Kelso on Saturday and Andrew Asquith has found two horses that look interesting at the prices.
Weekend View betting tips: Saturday March 2
1pt e.w. Rewired in the 2.50 Kelso at 14/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4 - Bet365, Betvictor, Coral)
1pt win Cannock Park in the 2.17 Kelso at 12/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
There are two ‘Premier Raceday’ fixtures at Kelso and Newbury this coming weekend which sees the former course host a very valuable card, featuring the Grade 2 Premier Novices’ Hurdle and Listed Premier Chase which support the feature race on the card, the bet365 Morebattle Hurdle, which is worth over £60,000 to the winner.
The ground at Kelso at the time of writing is currently good to soft and, with a mild forecast in the offing (though temperatures may drop below freezing overnight on Friday) and not much rain around, it is hard to see the ground getting much softer than the current description.
Kelso’s hurdles course is essentially sharp in character and with the ground likely to be on the quick side, this year’s edition of the Morebattle Hurdle may turn into a test of speed. Given the prize money on offer, it is no surprise that 26 horses were left in on Monday, and we may therefore get a maximum field of 18 on Saturday with that in mind (for all several have other options).
Under Control heads the ante-post market following her eye-catching effort behind Ashroe Diamond in the Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle at Doncaster last time and she was withdrawn from the Betfair Hurdle a couple of weeks ago after the ground was deemed too testing. Conditions won’t be a problem for her this weekend and, given she has several entries at the Cheltenham Festival, connections will seemingly be eying up the £100,000 bonus of which comes with winning the Morebattle and any race at Cheltenham.
She is a worthy favourite and you can see why Black Hawk Eagle is prominent in the betting, too, given he has made a positive start for Kerry Lee and remains with scope for better from his current mark of 122 based on the pick of his efforts on the Flat.
However, I’m going to look further down the ante-post list, and the horse who interests me at the current prices is REWIRED at his current 14/1.
He reached a fairly useful level of form on the Flat when trained by David Menuisier and he has taken especially well to this discipline since making the switch towards the end of 2021. He has won five times in this sphere and is yet to finish out of the first four, but he has looked a much improved model so far this season, winning both of his starts with something to spare at Doncaster and Taunton.
Rewired easily cast a last-time-out winner to the side at Doncaster on his return and he was particularly impressive off a career-high mark at Taunton last time in a race which very much placed the emphasis on speed.
He took quite a keen hold as there was no gallop on in the early stages of that race and his jockey Luke Scott – who knows him well – wasn’t afraid to send him on after jumping the fourth flight as a result. Rewired always looked in control from there, impressing with some electric and accurate leaps and he displayed a smart turn of pace to open up in the straight, standing off the second-last and more or less putting the race to bed.
The handicapper has raised him another 7 lb in the weights, but he is clearly thriving at present, and conditions on Saturday will be right up his street. This will likely be the biggest field he has contested so far, but he has plenty of experience now, and a more patient ride in a truly-run race may well suit him better. In my view the demands of the Morebattle will play to his strengths and he is a horse I want to keep on side for the time being.
The aforementioned Premier Novices’ Hurdle is another race which has an interesting outlook and I’m keen to get involved in.
The Nicky Henderson-trained Jango Baie has been put in at quite a short price for this and he does have an attractive profile having won a Grade 1 (carries a penalty here) on just his second start. He had some of those entered in behind him on that occasion, but he was a little disappointing in the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon earlier this month. He may have bumped into one that day, but on the figures he was below par, making heavy weather of it from some way out - his run at Aintree in bottomless conditions may have taken quite a bit out of him - and he isn't a horse I would want to be taking a short price about on the back of that performance.
The one I like at his current odds is CANNOCK PARK, who I put up when covering Matt Brocklebank’s Value Bet column when he finished third to Jango Baie in the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree over Christmas.
He is a horse who I’m a big fan of and he ran another cracker in defeat at Aintree, taking his form up another notch and he lost little in defeat that day, given another positive ride but having nothing left to give in the closing stages upped markedly in grade.
The ground is set to be much faster at Kelso on Saturday and, though he won his bumper on ground Timeform described as soft, and made a winning start over hurdles at Cheltenham on heavy ground, looking at his pedigree he may well improve for a switch to a sound surface. He is by Cannock Chase, a very smart performer for Sir Michael Stoute who was best on good or faster ground and won the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine, while his dam was also a winner on the Flat on good-to-firm ground.
Cannock Park won his only start in points and will have no problem with this slightly longer trip, while this track should also play to his strengths. I can see him zipping round here and this race has apparently been on his agenda for a while. Connections were interested in the Morebattle, but he would have needed one more run over hurdles to qualify for that race, and ultimately they were mindful of not being too hard on him this season.
Admittedly, on a strict line through his Aintree run, he will have his work cut out to turn around the form with Jango Baie (if he runs) on these revised terms, but under much different conditions and with freshness on his side, it isn’t out of the question, especially after Jango Baie's run at Huntingdon. Another positive ride at this track in conditions which may place the emphasis more on speed could potentially see him hard to peg back and I’m happy to get involved at the double-figure odds available.
Preview posted at 1523 GMT on 27/02/24
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