Wincanton – Badger Beers Silver Trophy

To state that Paul Nicholls likes to target the Badger Beers Silver Trophy Handicap Chase is an understatement – 10 winners since 1999 and multiple runners in every renewal suggests that it is an early season notch in the Ditcheat yearly planner.

The Nicholls camp has started the current jumps season in rip-roaring from as ever, and he throws three darts at the board in this year’s renewal tomorrow. Two-time winner of the race Present Man, the unexposed Danny Whizzbang, and the lowly-rated and to date slightly disappointing My Way. All three are clearly respected, but it is elsewhere that I am looking in terms of a bet.

Alan King has had just the three runners in this early season handicap in the last 10 years, and all three were outsiders. But this time around, King has a live chance in the shape of Potterman, who at 10/1 with William Hill is a great each-way bet to land the Badger Beers Silver Trophy ay 3.35 at Wincanton tomorrow. Both firms are top price, and are offering place terms for the first five home, which is a great offer also.

Potterman is a leggy, light-framed horse who wouldn’t take too much racing, and also has a marked preference for decent ground. Hence, he is rarely seen in the depths of winter, and through the summer of 2019 he progressed nicely to win three novice chases, and signed off with a cracking run in a valuable handicap chase behind Vinndication and others at Ascot.

After that sign of things to come, he has regained the progressive thread in the late summer of this year, winning a decent event at Market Rasen, in a good time and gaining a not insignificant triumph over the re-opposing El Presente. A short break ensued, before an even better run at Chepstow’s first serious meeting of the season, when chasing home the high-quality good ground chaser Secret Investor, with again a re-opposing rival, Some Chaos this time, in behind.

Potterman showed a slight inclination to shift right at his fences, and he will ultimately be much happier around the sharp turns of Wincanton tomorrow, and will get a lovely pace to track, as they always go quick in this race. His last two races were run in notably good times, and for all that he faces a host of interesting rivals, I believe Potterman is improving all the while.

At 10/1 with five places for each-way terms with William Hill, he looks incredibly likely to at least hit the frame, and provide a bit of stern opposition to the Nicholls’ bandwagon. Standing dish Present Man might be the pick of his trio, and elsewhere I could see Champagne Court running a big race, for all that he is yet to prove he stays the 3m trip. The hugely progressive four-year-old Kitty’s Light can also outrun his odds.