Stratford 3.25
By Irish Racing (MG)
Stratford 3.25 a Handicap Chase over 2 miles 3 1/2 Furlongs and 13 declared
Fitness is key here with a number on seasonal debut and very few of them have convincing evidence of running well fresh. Timoteo and Bennys King rightly head the market and logic dictates it's hard to take them on but at the prices they aren't great value unless you want to play a small reverse forecast.
Looking for the value points out the likes of TOWN PARKS and KINGS ODYSSEY - the former has good 3 mile P2P form, likes soft has run as well as anything fresh and warrants a Tracker bet, as does Kings Odyssey who ran at the Chaletenham Festival has also run OK fresh to a point again trip and ground no problem.
Like most though I don't see them being "bottomed out" if and when they need to take a blow and they surely have bigger long term targets.
So, lets see if fortune favours the brave and turn to "the rag" AINTREE MY DREAM who is race fit, has Course and Distance winning form, is running off a nice mark and more than capable in this grade. On any other day later in the season would not win this but if everything else is around 95% and has longer term ambitions, this one can sneak a place at excessive Odds.
TIP - AINTREE MY DREAM @ 33/1 - Trackers - KINGS ODYSSEY @12/1 / TOWN PARKS @ 12/1
(Paddy Power enhanc to 4th - well worth using them given price of horse each way)