Wetherby sees the return of Coneygree and Lil Rockerfeller
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Interesting day’s racing in West Yorkshire
The National Hunt season is back in full flow now with another great day of Jumps’ racing live on ITV.
Saturday’s action comes from Wetherby and Ascot with seven races being televised.
There’s a handful of really interesting renewals. Plus we see the return of two major stars at the West Yorkshire track.
The Coral News Team give their best bet and take a look at the key stories.
Bet of the Day
The Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby is the feature race of the day. The Grade 2 renewal sees the return of the spectacular Coneygree.
The former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner has been in-and-out of action with injury over the last 18 months or so.
Mark Bradstock’s 10-year-old has seemingly now overcome his troubles and could be back to his best.
It’s a highly competitive field here with the likes of Bristol De Mai, Blak Lion, and Cue Card all involved.
Coneygree currently leads the betting. And with the ground due to be good-to-soft, that may well aid his cause.
Yes, he’s fragile, but if he gets it right, he’s an unstoppable horse. For sentimental reasons added to gut instinct, Coral’s Bet of the Day is Coneygree.
All eyes on Lil Rockerfeller
Neil King’s Lil Rockerfeller is a fairly short favourite to win the West Yorkshire hurdle.
But despite his obvious talent, the Coral News Team reckons he can be taken on.
The six-year-old was third here last year and King believes he’s much better 12 months on.
However, he’ll have Ptit Zig breathing down his neck in this renewal at much more enticing odds.
Paul Nicholls’ eight-year-old has plenty of pedigree and much more experience at Grade 1 level.
Having gone up against the likes of Yanworth, Un De Sceaux, Vautour, and Thistlecrack in recent seasons, a crack at Lil Rockerfeller will suit him.
Considering this is a drop back to Grade 2, the quality in the field narrows. Ptit Zig is definitely worth a bet.
Dark Flame worth each-way bet
Lastly, it’s off to Ascot for a decent-looking renewal of the Sodexo Gold Cup.
You could take your pick from a number of horses but the fancy here has to be Dark Flame.
The eight-year-old performed brilliantly at Sandown on his seasonal debut a year ago. And he also has a decent record at the course with a win and two places.
Connections have stated they’ve been targeting this renewal since the summer so we’re happy to give him the nod.
A trip up to 3m could also aid him so an each-way bet is worth a tenner of your money.
ITV Racing Tips:
1:50 Ascot – Cobra De Mai
2:05 Wetherby – Miss Night Owl
2:25 Ascot – Marracudja
2:40 Wetherby – Ptit Zig
3:00 Ascot – Jenkins
3:15 Wetherby – Coneygree
3:35 Ascot – Dark Flame
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
