Monday Racing: Lingfield Beats The Weather

The 10/1 with BetVictor for Might Bite to go one better in next year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup was never going to last and Friday’s runner up is now 8/1 for the 2019 renewal behind Native River and RSA Chase winner Presenting Percy who are 6/1 joint favourites.

I hope we see Might Bite at Aintree in the Bowl next month where he would take all the beating, but the winner Native River has been put away for next season despite having only had two starts this term.

Lingfield

They go at Lingfield on the all-weather this afternoon and the hope is that Megan Nicholls can get Cliffs Of Dover (3.25) settled as well as she did when scoring over C&D from a 7lbs lower mark last time. The horse is a near top-class hurdler who has been waiting for decent ground over obstacles for Paul Nicholls and he should get a decent tow into the race with Akavit, a confirmed front-runner, in the field.

The 10f Novice Stakes is a good contest with Caspar The Cub making a very encouraging debut when second at Wolverhampton on debut – belying his odds of 33/1. He is entitled to come on for the experience but Sportswriter (3.55) was inconvenienced by the slow early gallop when second at Newcastle last time and can go one better for Charlie Appleby and William Buick.

Saeed bin Suroor’s Beautiful Memory has won his last couple of starts at Chelmsford the last time under today’s talented 5lb claimer, but the form of his latest success was let down when the runner up (Legal History) disappointed at Wolverhampton last time.

Solid Man (4.55) steps up in trip to ten furlongs for the first time for David Simcock in his first-time blinkers and was staying on well – despite pulling hard – over a mile at Newcastle last time. The selection is well drawn in three, has a good apprentice booked and must go close.

Tips:

Cliffs Of Dover

Sportswriter

Solid Man