Today's Selections

Today features one of the highlights of the early season jumps calendar with the Haldon Gold Cup meeting at Exeter. Its a difficult meeting for me though as it features a large number of my horses to follow together with one entry which is of significant personal interest. The following horses from my to follow list hold entries today; Atlantic Roller, Salmanazar, The Potting Shed, Look For Love, Landscape, Billy Twyford, Regal Presence, Menorah, Theatre Guide and Hinterland.

Obviously I cant back them all, so here are today's selections;

1:50 Exeter - The Potting Shed (10/1) - 1pt e/w - This horse was the subject of a major gamble which went astray in a PTP race earlier in the year. The horse was smashed in the betting as stable money flooded in for him and news of the plot began to spread amongst the racing community. Unfortunately the horse went down by a length to a resolute winner and the yards money ended up in the pockets of the bookies. Since then, the horse has changed hands and according to recent reports has been working immaculately at home with some of the yards leading lights. Mrs Lavelle has really hit form in the last few days and having one this race in the past with Court in Motion, it's clearly a race she targets with her top recruits. I don't doubt for a second that the likes of Atlantic Roller and Salmanazar will be competitive but its rare that this shrewd trainer is so vocal about one of her horses ability and I just have a feeling the this horse could be a very smart individual.


2:20 Exeter - Look For Love (14/1) - 1pt e/w - Everything is telling me to back Billy Twyford in this race as McCoy has a stunning strike rate for Henderson in recent times and the horse has the profile of a progressive individual. However for one reason or another I've sided with Look For Love and I just hope I don't end up with egg on my face come the end of the race.


2:50 Exeter - Menorah (3/1) -3pt win - Although I have a strong affection for Cue Card, personally I feel that Menorah is the value bet in the race. Hobbs has a solid record in the Haldon and top weights usually perform with credit. The horse himself usually comes to hand early in the season and will have no problem with the conditions as he has a stunning strike rate on ground described as good to soft. He also does well on undulating courses and unlike Cue Card has experience going right handed. I know for a fact that Hobbs has always seen this race as Menorah's intended target since the end of last season and I expect him to be fully wound up as his performance today will decide his path this season in terms of big race entries. For me its one of those races which you could decide on the toss of a coin but when you consider the difference in price, Menorah is the obvious pick.