Catterick & Fontwell – Wednesday 9th March

I would rarely say that we were very unlucky not to pick up a winner, but it was a horrid watch on Everyday Champagne yesterday at Newcastle. Having been well backed in the morning, he traveled into the race as the best horse and a few clumsy jumps at crucial stages halted his momentum before running on again for third. He probably won’t be missed in the market next time out, but he is certainly a horse to keep in the tracker, as he will be winning races off his current mark. 

However, the racing today doesn’t hold perhaps the same gravitas, and I have struggled to find value selections. As a result, I have found two selections at probably shorter prices than I would usually be putting out, but it includes one from Catterick and one from Fontwell, both in novice hurdles. 

The first race we will be looking at is the 2.50 from Catterick, which is a novice hurdles for mares only over 2 miles. I am not pulling up any trees with this selection, but I am a big fan of Sweet Auburn in this race for connections that have had a superb season. Both Donald McCain and Brian Hughes have been gold dust to follow around these sorts of tracks and this mare looks like she has a lot in her favor coming into this contest having already won a bumper this season. 

Her two efforts since, when trying to compete off a penalty in a bumper have been perhaps a shade disappointing, but that is a tough task and this looks a lot more achievable on this occasion. She is coming up against two mares that have hurdling experience and bring solid levels of form with 105 ratings each, but both Betty Baloo and Billams Legacy are beginning to look a shade exposed, and I would be disappointed if Sweet Auburn couldn’t seriously put it up to them. At a best price of 7/4 with Bet365, she looks a bet to me. 

The 3.15 race at Fontwell also looks like a competitive novice affair over 2m1f and it is quite hard to split a few of these horses at the top of the betting, who have all run good races on their previous starts. I would have thought the winner will come from the first three in the betting, and I am going to be siding with Make My Day for the connections of Gary Moore and Steve Packham. This well touted flat performer has adjusted to life over hurdles pretty well thus far and was a good second to an exciting stablemate last time out over 2m3f. 

I got the impression that there was still improvement to come from him based off that effort and he should be better off this time around over a slightly shorter trip and with that vital experience standing to him in this contest. Considering he was a winner over 1m5f off a mark of 90 on the flat, he has perhaps a little bit more room to improve than some of his rivals in this race, and the ground conditions should be right up his street also. At a price of 3/1 with Bet365, he looks to have a great chance.