3:23 Wetherby – Gaelik Coast 3/1
A very ordinary renewal of the Bobby Renton which has been a great race down the years.
While it is a slightly trappy affair (as most of the card is), I do think Gaelik Coast is the most likely winner and he would be the favourite in my books.
He enjoyed a good novice campaign last term, winning twice and running some good races in defeat. While he did win over two miles on his chasing debut, he does seem to be at his best over an intermediate trip while Donald McCain has stated previously that he’s suited by better ground. With that in mind, conditions are definitely in his favour today.
Dropped a couple of pounds for his run at Aintree, I actually thought that was a decent effort considering the trip would have been on the short side and his jumping was quite sloppy; the latter I’m happy to forgive considering it was a very competitive eighteen runner handicap while his previous chase starts came in field sizes of no greater than six. 134 is a very workable mark and should not be beyond him, while connections are already pondering attempts at some big handicaps such as the Topham.
Of his rivals, the form of the Kirby yard makes it hard to trust Whoshotthesheriff while Lock’s Corner is a rogue sort. Yccs Portocervo might just be approaching his ceiling while Road Warrior is a danger if fully tuned up and if allowed to dominate from the front, but his ever increasing mark is forcing him to compete a better caliber of rival here.
As such, I am happy to take a chance on Gaelik Coast especially seeing as Donald McCain continues to be in great form.
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