Interesting shout. But do you think he will beat Lieutenant Henderson’s Pym again??? On a strict interpretation of their Kempton form Pym (7 lbs better off for a 2 length beating) is certainly weighted to turn the tables. The latter has obviously had his problems, because it would never have been the intention, at the commencement of the term, for the old boy not to make his seasonal bow until the end of February or have a 2nd campaign in bumpers, but he’s always been highly thought of and made his racecourse bow in the Ayr bumper the Lieutenant loves and has now won 4 times since the legendary Sprinter Sacre won the heat in ’10. That was Pym’s first run for 10 months and he should come on bundles for it. I doubt I’ll be wagering in the heat though as am pretty clueless re which one will have improved the most since Kempton. But I guess the winner will be the one who has improved the most from either this pair or one of the other countless unexposed individuals set to line up. Quite eye-catching though that neither the Lieutenant nor Mr Nicholls have won any of the last 10 renewals of this heat. Nor has any favourite obliged in this time. This race though won’t be the ‘be all and end all’ for either animal and I note that both figure prominently in the market for next terms ‘Supreme’ – Danny 25/1 and Pym 33’s.
Onto the original question and I’m tempted to say Santini (Sefton Novices Hurdle). Love this horse and I think he will be a revelation when sent over the big ‘uns and would at this point in time be my pick re the 2020 CGC (now that’s long range tipping!). However, he’s plenty short enough at 2/1 and you never really know how animals will come out of the Cheltenham Festival after just a few weeks off. My advice though will be the Lieutenant’s Kilcrea Vale, each-way at 25/1, in Friday’s ‘Topham’. He’s on a very attractive perch of 135 (peak of 142 over fences and 147 over hurdles) and if in the right frame of mind should go very well off a comparative feather weight. Many have questioned his attitude over the years (although in fairness he has still run some respectable races this term earning £22k in the process) but these fences could spark him into life and rejuvenate the old boy – alternatively he could take one look at them and holler, ‘Not on your nelly, Squire’ but 25/1 is a risk worth taking, methinks.
