It’ hosts the final of the Challenger series and the first six races on the card are each worth £50,000. Consequently they are competitive events !
As I mentioned last Saturday you need to tread carefully at this time of the year: the ground will be quick and it's impossible to know what form some of the horses will be in.
Certainly a few of the results at the Cheltenham midweek meeting with difficult to fathom - though unsurprisingly the market managed to work out most of them !
Haydock
1:30
Martila is the one that interests me most in this.
She ran well on her most recent outing when fifth at Kelso.
That was in a better race than tomorrow's and she was only beaten 5 lengths.
Prior to that run, she had won over the same course and rather surprisingly gets to race tomorrow from a mark 1lb lower.
The step up in trip is an unknown - though it may unlock some improvement.
At a price of 10/1 this evening, back against her own sex, she is worth a small interest…
Selection: Martila at 10/1
2:05
With 16 runners this race will take a bit of figuring out !
That said I quite like the look of Casa Tall.
He was last seen competing in the Martin Pipe hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Ultimately he finish well beaten in that contest - however he was still travelling strongly rounding the home turn and just seemed to run out of gas in the final couple of furlongs.
He drops back half a mile in trip tomorrow and has also been dropped 2lb by the handicapper.
Obviously tomorrow's race is not as strong and whilst there are 3 or 4 possible dangers Casa Tall looks like a reasonable bet at 8/1.
Selection: Casa Tall at 8/1
2:40
It confuses things a little that Alan King runs two in the race, but I'm sure that Salmanazar is capable of winning a race of this nature.
Certainly he ran well enough last time when third at Newbury in a similar contest.
He's been dropped a pound in the ratings for that run and there is no reason why he shouldn't run well again tomorrow.
A price of 8/1 in an 8 horse race with no stand-out contender, makes him a ‘value’ bet.
Selection: Salmanazar at 8/1
3:15
The fair bit of guesswork required but I can't resist getting involved with Sunnytahliateigan again…
I tipped him earlier in the season when he was a disappointing 3rd of 6 at Doncaster.
That was on the back of a really promising seasonal debut run at Cheltenham, when he also finished third - but in a much more competitive race.
If he can recapture that form, then he must be capable of going close tomorrow.
In truth, I don't know what's gone wrong the last twice (he’s also disappointed at Warwick) but the fact has been off the course for over 100 days suggests he may have had an issue.
If he's back in the form he showed at Cheltenham, then he could prove tough to beat tomorrow from a mark 4lb lower.
There is a slight question mark over the trip - but hopefully that won’t prove issue.
Of his rivals, then Skidoosh is the one I fear most back on his favoured quick ground.
Selection: Sunnytahliateigan at 10/1
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