Bless The Wings Should Go Close in the Cross Country Chase
2.10 Cheltenham
Bellshill has run twice at Cheltenham and both times he has run bad races, but he appeals at 11.0 on Betfair in a wide open race. Whisper is a tough, proven group one horse over hurdles and isn’t far behind that level over fences. He has won his two chases, both here at Cheltenham; he currently trades around 8.0 on Betfair.
Acapella Bourgeois is a dangerous horse but I don’t think he’ll get such an easy time in the lead as he has in his races in Ireland. I don’t think the ground will be a problem for this front-runner and if they let him dominate early he could run them in to the ground; he currently trades around 8.0 on Betfair.
4.10 Cheltenham
Bless The Wings tried to give Cantlow 10lbs over course and distance in December but finished a respectable second and now meets him off level weights this time around. With Gordon Elliott’s horses running out of their skin on the first day it could pay to side with his runner here at 14/1 who was runner-up to Josies Orders in this race last year. In four runs over Cheltenham’s cross country course he has finished no worse than fourth and looks a solid eachway bet.
4.50 Cheltenham
A really interesting runner in this 4-year-old handicap hurdle is Candy Burg who finished last of 5 behind Defi Du Seuil on his British debut for Venetia Williams.
In France, he was a winner on the flat and over hurdles on good ground; his form on softer ground was way below what he achieved on a quicker surface. He made his French hurdles debut behind today’s race favourite, Divin Bere at Lyon Parilly, finishing way behind in eighth. He would have gone close to winning his next race had his jockey not lost his irons when challenging for the lead but made no mistake winning next time out at Marseille by an easy 10 lengths. He gets in right at the bottom of the weights on just 10-9 and with the quick ground suiting; he looks a great bet at really big odds of 40/1 and has been matched as big as 100 on Betfair.
He’s taken well to leading in his races, having led on his British debut until the last, and he could be a good in-running back-to-lay as well as a decent priced outsider.
