UNIBET VETERAN’S HANDICAP CHASE
Saturday 3rd January, 3:00pm
Copperhead @ 7/2
Eldorado Allen @ 4/1
Sam Brown @ 5/1
Fortescue @ 11/2
Empire Steel @ 7/1
Ask Me Early @ 15/2
view odds
*prices correct at time of writing.
THE RACE
The BHA receives plenty of mainly deserved stick, but when it comes to the Veterans’ Chase Series culminating in the £100,000 Final at Sandown (3-00) it has few detractors. Not only do the qualifiers and the final – switched last year to Warwick because of a freeze-up – provide valuable opportunities for senior equine citizens (10+), but they also allow fans to enjoy some of their favourites for that little bit longer than they might otherwise have anticipated.
THE MARKET
Copperhead shows up in fine form having finished first or second in his last five races (on good or good to soft), results which mean that the Joe Tizzard-trained eleven-year-old’s weight–level has jumped up by nineteen pounds since May.
Laudable as that obviously is, actually most of the winners of this race arrived with things not exactly going brilliantly. Team Tizzard also saddles a proper old favourite in Eldorado Allen off the back of two good runs this season.
Sam Brown may have just turned thirteen but that that is certainly thirteen years young, as demonstrated by a close third in the Charlie Hall before then understandably never getting in a blow in the exalted heights of the old Hennessy. He won last year off six pounds lower, though jockey Chad Bament claims ten to ease things somewhat; despite concerns that the twenty–one-year-old Cornishman has never won a Rules race over fences (from ten mounts), he has point-to-point experience aplenty including nine successes.
Fortescue hasn’t got his head in front for ages, however handicap adjustments would indicate it could be much closer with Copperhead than the fourteen lengths between them at Aintree in October.
Empire Steel shaped okay when third in pretty good company at Haydock. Up and down Ask Me Early impressed in a veterans’ race at Exeter four runs ago on heavy going.
Remastered is in the mix based on form prior to last time; Smarty Wild and one-time Cheltenham Festival winner Chambard are from stables that are ‘flying’ but, most recently, were both pulled up, if that matters – especially in the former’s case as he was back from a very long absence.
THE WINNER
Nothing would be a complete shock, and I suspect that Smarty Wild will go well at an each-way price, but it’s Sam Brown for me – you?
CORN’S QUARTET
Elsewhere at Sandown, inevitably Venetia Williams has more chances, particularly Hunter Legend (1-50) which has a quick turnaround after an authoritative success at Leicester last weekend.
In the handicap hurdle (3-35) almost everything has an encouraging last-time-out race under their belt, and the fifth-place of Spirits Bay at Cheltenham in December was particularly taking.
At Wincanton, a tremendous handicap hurdle (2-05) includes Our Dylan, an easy winner at Exeter, and the allowance claimed by the jockey, the leading point-to-point rider but a five-pound claimer under Rules, offsets most of the horse’s latest weight–rise. At 2-40, although Tom Lacey is yet to really hit his giant stride, Nocte Volatus stands out on form.
For all your horse racing bets, visit our dedicated horse racing betting page.
