By The Timeform and Sporting Life racing experts combine to provide their best bets for Saturday’s action.
CLEAR ANGEL – 5.15 Ripon (Graeme North)
CLEAR ANGEL shaped very well when fourth to Look Back Smiling on his reappearance in the Spring Mile and can go three places better in the 5.15 at Ripon. The form of that race has been advertised since and may well get a further boost if either Look Back Smiling or Thunder Roar win the 2.05 at Leicester, which augurs well for Clear Angel who may well have won himself or at the very least pushed the winner close with anything like a clear run that day so makes plenty of appeal off the same mark here.
LET LIFE HAPPEN – 7.10 Doncaster (David Ord)
A well-bred daughter of Siyouni, LET LIFE HAPPEN appeals as the sort to take a big step forward at four and she can begin the process by making a winning handicap debut from a mark of 84. Unraced at two, she progressed with racing last season and signed off with a win in a Kempton maiden that is working out well. In very good hands, she makes plenty of appeal.
LARIO – 1.50 Sandown (Matt Brocklebank)
Trainer Harry Derham has had a fantastic first full season with a licence and his horses continue to run consistently well – he’s had eight winners, three seconds and five thirds from just 26 starters so far this month – and he’s got a couple of live chances in the opener at Sandown. Derham has won four novices’ handicap hurdles (from 15 runners) since the start of September and it looks significant that he’s fitting a first-time tongue to LARIO. The trainer does really well with this piece of equipment (6-13 at 46.15% strike-rate) and the horse looks nicely treated off 125 on the back of a good third to the reopposing Secret Squirrel at Taunton last time. He won on good ground in Germany and seems likely to benefit from what promises to be a strongly-run race this weekend.
THUNDER ROAR – 2.05 Leicester (Ben Linfoot)
Likely favourite Al Mubhir usually needs a run and he’s 7lb higher than when winning this contest last year, so he’s worth taking on with THUNDER ROAR. A confirmed mud lover, he’ll go through this ground well and he found a bit of trouble in the run when beaten half a length by the reopposing Look Back Smiling in the Spring Mile last time out, form advertised by the third home Arthur’s Realm on Thursday. He can reverse that form off these terms and strike while the ground is still in his favour.
THE SMILING WOLF – 3.20 Haydock (David Johnson)
Shelbourne looks likely to be quite a short-priced favourite on the back of his reappearance win, but that came over 6f and he might just be vulnerable in the closing stages back up in trip. Jack Channon has his team in good form and THE SMILING WOLF looks the one who could take advantage. He won a nursery at Ffos Las last year in testing ground and shaped best behind Speeding Bullet on his final start last year in a similar event at Newmarket when last seen, forcing a strong pace and looking in control until worn down in the final strides. Given the small field, this ought to be run more to suit and he’s up to defying a small rise in the weights.
LE MILOS – 3.35 Sandown (Andrew Asquith)
LE MILOS improved markedly in that sphere upon joining Dan Skelton, notably winning the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury on just his second start for the yard, and he was far from disgraced in a Listed event and Grand National on his next two starts. He has been campaigned over hurdles so far this season, and in that time his chase mark has fallen to 149, which leaves him just 3lb higher than for his win at Newbury. Skelton is a dab hand when it comes to preparing one for a big pot and Le Milos is handicapped to strike back over fences.
MINELLA COCOONER – Sandown 3.35 (Billy Nash)
Danny Mullins has enjoyed some notable successes for his uncle Willie this season and I think there is a good chance that he can add another significant prize to his haul courtesy of MINELLA COCOONER, in a race those of us of a certain vintage still refer to as the Whitbread. He appeared to relish the step up to this sort of trip when a very good third in the Irish Grand National last time and holds his stable companion, Nick Rockett, on that form. A son of Flemensfirth, it is well worth noting that his best hurdles form came on ground that Timeform described as good to soft and even a repeat of his last form should put him bang there again.
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