Coral Gold Cup & Early Season Takeaways
Coral Gold Cup
The couple at the top of the market, Myretown and Resplendent Grey, have obvious chances based on their wins the last time we’ve seen them. However, the former got his own way out in front in the Ultima and despite him evidently improving, this is a very different race. The latter stays all day and I’d rather him out of the pair, but his price is realistically gone now.
If Haiti Couleurs was to run here I’d be all over him, but it looks as though he’s going to the Betfair Chase. So that opens the door in my view. But if he does run, I will be backing him.
At the current prices I think Lowry’s Bar is definitely worth an interest. He’s a horse that I think hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, given he has won 6 of his 11 races and only had 2 goes at 3 miles.
Finishing runner-up to Jagwar on his chasing debut, that form worked out extremely well, with that horse winning a further couple of races last season. Lowry’s Bar won his next 2 before finishing second to Jingko Blue, who is a promising horse in his own right. He clattered through the third last fence that day and, to be honest, it shows the engine he has that he managed to stick on as well as he did following a mistake like that.
Lowry’s Bar went to Kempton next time but ran no race at all, so that can be written off. I feel he’s a horse that we still haven’t seen the best of yet and at the 25/1 mark, I think you could be sitting on a lot worse tickets for the Coral Gold Cup.
Recommended Bet
Back Lowry’s Bar @ 25/1
Early Season Takeaways
It still doesn’t really feel like the jump season has really got going yet with loads of big guns still to come out. But there have been a few horses I’ve been impressed with who I expect to make a mark in bigger races throughout the season.
Sam Thomas could have a very fun year with both Lump Sum and Steel Ally as novice chasers. They both won their first chase starts with a lot of ease and for a first go over the larger obstacles, I was impressed with how clean they jumped, particularly when they got in tight. Horses that can lift their legs quickly and not touch the twigs when they get in tight are signs of good chasers, as it reduces the mistakes they make. Both of these horses did that well and I can see them both taking high rank this season.
If Kateira is campaigned in the way I think she should be, then I can see her picking up more prizes. I don’t think she stays 3 miles, so I hope Dan Skelton keeps her away from that trip this campaign. She beat Golden Ace at Wetherby and I have a feeling that performance will get downplayed because that rival scoped dirty afterwards and evidently didn’t run her race. But that doesn’t change my view on Kateira and I think she’s one to pay close attention to in races between two and two and a half miles.
The best novice hurdler I’ve seen this season is without a doubt Sober Glory. He’s won all 4 starts so far and his hurdling debut couldn’t have gone any better and he couldn’t have made it look any easier. His jumping was faultless and he absolutely slammed the field. This is a proper horse and I’ll be backing him wherever he turns up next.
Lastly, I have to mention Diva Luna. She hosed up in a Listed race on her chasing debut at Bangor. Her jumping was lethal and even though the race did fall apart a little, she couldn’t have done it any easier. I can see her being one of the best mares novice chasers this season so any races where she’s kept to her own sex, I’d be keen to back her. Whether she’s good enough to beat the geldings I’m not sure, but I’d give her a chance at Grade 3 or even Grade 2 level against them.
Alex Peperell
