Alan King runs Good Man Pat in the 13:55 at Cheltenham and he has a lot going for him in the feature handicap of the day the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup.
It’s been good-to-soft ground at Cheltenham all week, but it is likely to be significantly softer than that come race time with heavy rain forecast for the course and Good Man Pat’s three wins have come on soft (twice) and heavy ground.
He’s on an attractive mark on 136 having ran reasonably well off 139, 138 and 137 in his last three starts, while his most recent run over 3m strongly suggests the drop back down to this intermediate trip will be ideal.
And don’t forget, Betfair Sportsbook are offering a free bet of up to £25 for every winner at 3/1 or over during ITV racing on Saturday (free bet matching original stake, max £25).
It’s the first of those runs that has me thinking he can go well in this race as although ultimately pulled-up (at the Cheltenham Festival), the early part of the run was encouraging.
He has won over 3m so does have that stamina and on likely soft ground that will be a massive plus. Even going back four runs ago he finished third in a Grade 2 novice over 2m4f at Kempton and in that race he finished one-and-three-quarter lengths ahead of Secret Investor, who rivals here, off level weights. The fact he gets a stone off that rival suggests he’s very well handicapped.
The King team have only had four runners in this race in the last ten years which resulted in two places which suggests the trainer wouldn’t be running this horse in this race if he didn’t think he’d go close. With 16 runners declared, Good Man Pat rates a good each way bet at 9/1 on the Betfair Sportsbook.
Henderson runner to Lord over rivals
In the big Champion Hurdle trial, the International Hurdle at 15.05 , Nicky Henderson’s Call Me Lord is not only weighted to take all the beating (7lb clear on adjusted ratings) but he’s also set to relish both the likely soft ground and the drop back in trip.
On soft or heavy his record reads three wins and three places from seven runs, while his runs over further strongly suggest he needs the drop down in trip on this ground to be seen at his best as he hasn’t quite been getting home over those extended trips.
The Henderson team have had ten runners in this race in the last ten years resulting in three wins and three places so he clearly knows how to win the race. He has likely favourite Pentland Hills in the race too but I’m not convinced he’ll appreciate the likely soft ground.
At 5/1 in the Betfair Sportsbook and with eight runners assured he rates a good each way bet to utilise that good cruising pace on this ground and stay on up the hill to get at least a place
