Kempton tips for Tuesday: Put More Buck’s on Altior and Special Tiara
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Coral horse racing experts give their Kempton tips for December 27, with Altior bets and More Buck’s odds among those fancied to score on Desert Orchid Chase day.
Altior bets impossible to oppose in Wayward Lad
The Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase is the first of back-to-back Grade 2s at Kempton on Bank Holiday Tuesday, and Altior is a red-hot favourite in that race for handler Nicky Henderson.
A winner of seven successive races, including five in his novice hurdle campaign, connections decided to send this six-year-old chasing this season and so far that decision is one made to devastating effect.
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle victor Altior, a course and distance winner at this meeting 12 months ago, made his seasonal reappearance and bow over fences at this venue where he absolutely smashed the handy Black Corton by 63 lengths in a 2m 2f contest.
In spite of a slight error at the ninth, it was one of the most taking chase debuts of recent times and Altior followed up with a six-length success in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown.
That was a drop back in trip by a couple of furlongs just to prove that 2m over fences is absolutely no problem for Henderson’s hotly fancied horse. Altior bets are irrepressible here.
Marracudja a punt for the forecast
Just four horses dare to oppose Altior, and of those Marracudja can bounce back from a disappointing display last time out and chase him home for Paul Nicholls.
This five-year-old’s chasing career began with back-to-back victories, including at Cheltenham, before he was last of four behind Altior when previously in action, but an ease in grade should see him back in the frame.
Coral ambassador Dan Skelton saddles Stephanie Frances in this, who has a handy 7lb sex allowance, but this is a step up in quality of opposition for the mare.
Tiara a Special wager for second Desert Orchid success
Henry De Bromhead’s Special Tiara races off bottom weight in the Grade 2 Desert Orchid Chase (14:20), and can make that tell to regain the crown they never lost.
Winner of this race in 2014, off the same 11st on board in this renewal, the nine-year-old is given last year’s runner-up and 2013 victory Sire De Grugy a whopping 10lb.
The Moore family’s stable star comes into a third Desert Orchid Chase off the back of a narrow defeat by Un De Sceaux in the Tingle Creek at Sandown, but this will be Sire De Grugy’s fourth run of the campaign already.
Giving so much weight to Special Tiara, who was third of eight behind Queen Mother Champion Chase dark horse Fox Norton on seasonal reappearance in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham, is a huge ask.
It really does look as though Special Tiara has been laid up for the Desert Orchid, so side with De Bromhead and Noel Fehily over Gary and Jamie Moore here.
More Buck’s odds well worth taking
Kempton’s Winter Festival meeting is closed out by a class 2 handicap chase over 3m (15:30) and More Buck’s looks well-weighted to land the hat-trick for champion trainer Nicholls.
This six-year-old impressively made all in an amateur riders’ handicap over the trip at Sandown last time out, beating the once 136 rated Azure Fly by a half-a-length.
More Buck’s was following up on another class 3 success at Fontwell under Sean Bowen, who returns in the saddle. Some of his race rivals he steps to face here have plenty of questions to answer.
Out Sam is in poor form and fell last time out, as did Go Conquer; Buddy Bolero hasn’t been seen on a racecourse for 656 days and Opening Batsman saw his course and distance win happen almost four years ago.
Bally Longford, twice third for Colin Tizzard at Cheltenham this season, may pose some danger off 1lb higher than More Buck’s, but top weight Double Shuffle has a lot do. Siding with More Buck’s odds make sense, then.
Kempton tips for Tuesday, December 27
12:40 Master Blueyes
13:10 Nordic Nymph
13:45 Altior (NAP), Marracudja (forecast)
14:20 Special Tiara
14:55 Eddiemaurice (E/W)
15:30 More Buck’s (NB)
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