A competitive race in which the top 3 in the market look very solid.

 

Capodanno is the one they'll all have to beat from the mullins yard, eye-catching upped to this trip last time and hard to find any reason not to back it even as a favourite. Pure Genius the second favourite currently is a real danger but may just find the Going a bit on the fast side and Floueur is very consistent but not obviously well handicapped because of that consistency, an excellent 3rd at Cheltenham may also have just taken the edge off.

 

Of the remainder, Lynwood Gold is an ex Flat horse who showed stamina to stay 3 miles last time, if it turned out to be a tactical race that Flat speed could be a very handy asset. Carrolls Cottage is clearly progressive up 7lbs and up in trip but did win a 3 mile P2P and has every chance off this mark. A win for either Lynwood Gold in a tactical affair or the improving Carrolls Cottage would not be a surprise.

 

I've got to nail my colours somewhere though and will have a crafty each way banker on CAPODANNO and also have a Tracker bet on a couple more and there is a shrapnel horse lurking at big Odds with some compelling back form.

 

I tipped RAGNAR LODBROK last time and it finished a decent 6th staying on in a big field. They will know now that it gets the trip and ride it accordingly. Jack Kennedy gets the ride for Denise Foster and I really like the profile of the horse in the context of the race and will be disappointed if it's not paying us some place money at least. ANYTHING WILL DO was going well enough before being bought down at Cheltenham to suggest it would have been right in contention. It's been steadily improving all winter, especially considering the yard hit a flat spot around Christmas and New Year time it has a Course win to it's name and i think time for this one to start delivering.

 

The shrapnel horse has to be YOUNG TED. Runner up in this in 2019 off a mark of 125, subsequently won over this Course and Distance off a mark of 128, lightly raced since and a bit forgotten, if it's fit and healthy enough to run to anything like that form has to have a sporting chance at big odds.