Stu Williams looks ahead to the weekend's action with Theatre Guide featuring among his selections at Newbury and Doncaster.
Recommended bets
1pt win Blackjack Kentucky in 1.50 Doncaster at 7/2
1pt win Theatre Guide in 2.05 Newbury at 11/2*
1pt win Destrier in 2.25 Doncaster at 5/1
1pt win Bennys King in 3.15 Newbury at 7/1*
2pt win Master Tommytucker in 4.25 Newbury at SP*
* Newbury was abandoned on Saturday morning
Paul Nicholls has sent out 18 winners winners from 46 runners (last two weeks) prior to racing on Friday and the master of Ditcheat has a number of fine chances up and down the country on Saturday.
The champion trainer will have runners at Doncaster, Newbury and Kelso in a bid to quench his unrelenting thirst for winners, and there's a very good chance he can secure an across the card treble - or potentially even more.
Blackjack Kentucky finally came good at Chepstow last month and the manner of his eased-down, four-and-a-half-length success suggested that he may finally be ready to fulfil his early potential.
Nicholls’ seven-year-old defeated Jamie Snowden’s hat-trick scoring novice hurdler Thomas Macdonagh between the flags, and he displayed plenty of promise when placing third in a decent novice hurdle at Exeter last April. He again showed ability when chasing home the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle-bound The Big Breakaway and subsequent Veterans' Chase Final winner Jepeck in two starts at Chepstow prior to Christmas, and he didn’t fluff his lines when justifying favouritism at the same venue in January.
Form of that nature makes a mark of 130 look potentially lenient and the progressive gelding has plenty form on soft and heavy ground - which is obviously advantageous given the recent weather.
Like many, I'm a big fan of these veterans' chases and I'm most certainly sucker for a romantic result. Therefore I will be supporting the popular Theatre Guide at Newbury.
Jean Bishop's evergreen teenager was second in this race 12 months ago - when bumping into Newbury specialist Carole's Destrier - off a 1lb lower mark and he demonstrated that both his ability and enthusiasm remain intact when finishing third, beaten a shade over a neck, in the Final at Sandown in January.
Theatre Guide boasts plenty of good form at the Berkshire track and he will handle the testing conditions. There is sufficient reason to believe that he can mount a serious challenge once more.
The presence of Virgilio means that he will carry just 11-1 and Jonjo O'Neill jr will take over in the saddle.
Destrier was just half a length behind Dolos when placing third in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter in November and Dan Skelton's charge can master that rival on 4lb better terms.
The Voix Du Nord gelding was third in Grade 1 company at Aintree last spring and he remains open to improvement after just five outings in this sphere. The form of his two victories as a novice look solid and he does have a heavy ground success to his name. He ticks many boxes.
The promising seven-year-old does have to overcome a disappointing effort at Cheltenham when finishing sixth of eight runners as the 5/4 favourite. However, he would have finished much closer but for an error, and resultant stumble, at the penultimate fence. It probably wasn't quite as bad as the bare form may suggest.
Bennys King boasts a progressive profile this season and he was particularly impressive when bolting up at Newbury in November. Dan Skelton's charge will line up off a 15lbs higher mark this weekend. However, he was only narrowly touched off in a competitive Ascot handicap last time out and he won't be inconvenienced by any further rainfall.
The lightly-raced nine-year-old made a significant mistake at Ascot before rallying well and ultimately being denied by a thoroughly progressive rival, who received 5lbs, who had won both of his previous starts.
Bennys King contested the Grade 3 Rowland Meyrick Chase in between those two efforts and he ran a wholly respectable race to place fifth. However, he seems very well suited to middle distance trips and he could take plenty of pegging back if Harry Skelton elects to go forward from the outset.
Master Tommytucker boasts form-figures of F1FF over fences following yet another premature departure at Kempton last Saturday. However, those seemingly uninspiring letters fail to tell the full story as Nicholls’ lightly raced nine-year-old is actually a very good jumper on the whole.
Indeed, Master Tommytucker jumps the majority of his obstacles quickly and accurately. However, he clearly has tendency to lose his concentration, which must be incredibly frustrating for connections given how well his tends to travel through his races.
Interestingly, both of his Kempton falls came at the fourth last fence and I am hopeful that a change of scenery will bring with it a change of luck.
The clearly talented bay, who was sent off a 5/2 chance for the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase in December, defeated last Saturday’s Pendil Novice Chase victor Who Dares Wins on his solitary completed start over fences and it would come as no real surprise should he bolt up in these calmer waters.
Master Tommytucker will likely jump off handy and attempt to make the running once more, and it's fair to say that his biggest dangers may lie ahead of him rather than behind.
Posted at 1600 GMT on 28/02/20
