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Yahoo Sport UK horse racing Lucky 15 – Monday’s top selections
Each day we will mark your card, providing a preview of the day’s racing and offering what the experts feel will be the value bets of the day.
Take a look at our Lucky 15 selections (four singles, six doubles, four trebles and a four-fold) for the British meetings on Monday, January 15, 2017.
TALK OF THE SOUTH (Plumpton 3.05) has been a largely consistent handicap hurdler, with his last win coming at this track off a mark of 102 last March. A string of runner-up efforts followed off higher marks and his 3l defeat by The Tourard Man at Warwick in May was a fine effort off of 115. He looked in need of the run when pulled up on his chasing debut on his return in a beginners’ chase at Fontwell in October and again when the same scenario happened at Uttoxeter in November in a handicap chase. However, Paul Henderson’s eight-year-old was only beaten a length on his final start at Warwick in early December By Brandon Hill and despite making a couple of novicey errors, he is getting better over the bigger obstacles and a mark of 115 is fair as he takes in six rivals in the extended 3m1½f handicap chase.
SPOILS OF WAR (Ayr 3.15) loves the mud and has been in decent form of late, finishing runner-up to Halcyon Days in a 1m7 ½ f handicap chase at Hexham in December, followed by a close-up third to Achill Road Boy in a 2m5½f handicap chase, staying on well. The Lucinda Russell-trained eight-year-old has shown fair improvement in all three starts over fences and given that he handled the trip last time, there is no reason to think he will not appreciate today’s extended 3m event, where he takes on 10 rivals in a competitive handicap chase off a fighting mark of 94. The ground will certainly be in his favour.
STEVE ROGERS (Wolverhampton 4.00) scored at Kempton last April over 2m but has not always found much in a battle. However, he has appeared to up his game in a couple of runs last year to warrant a second look in today’s 2m½f conditions stakes. There was plenty to like when runner-up to Intense Tango in a 12-runner all-weather Kempton handicap in November on his first start for three months. Latterly, the Roger Varian-trained six-year-old was a fair third to Winning Story at Newcastle last month and a similar level of form should put him in the mix at a reasonable price.
TRIPLE CHIEF (Plumpton 2.00) seems to like the West Sussex track, having scored on his first run here in February over hurdles last year and then when runner-up to Like Sully in a 2m1f novices’ handicap chase in March. His first two runs this season ere tame efforts, when beaten 20l over hurdles and 26 lengths in a novices’ handicap chase, both at Ludlow. However, Chris Down’s six-year-old looked back on is game at Wincanton last time and made steady progress to get within 3l of Guanciale in a handicap chase off a mark of 98. Back on a track he likes, with conditions in his favour, he should go well off the same mark in the 2m1f handicap chase.
OTHER SELECTIONS:
AYR: 1.10 Fairlee Grey, 1.40 Whizzzey Rascal, 2.10 Lochnell, 2.45 Mango Cap, 3.15 Spoils Of War (nb), 3.50 Fearless Tunes
PLUMPTON: 1.25 Work, 2.00 Triple Chief, 2.35 Newsworthy, 3.05 TALK OF THE SOUTH (NAP), 3.40 Bob Mahler, 4.10 Royal Etiquette
WOLVERHAMPTON: 1.50 Gentleman Giles, 2.20 Draw Swords, 2.55 Dutch Uncle, 3.25 Pivotman, 4.00 Steve Rogers, 4.30 Alinstante, 5.00 Chandresh, 5.30 Topsoil
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