The final week of February is upon us and Andrew Mount warms your Cheltenham Festival cockles with his Monday best bets.
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Posted: 3.10pm, Sunday, February 23rd
3.15 Plumpton – SOLE SOLUTION (2pt win – 3/1 William Hill)
This looks like a good race to tackle as Hititi (9-2 second favourite with William Hill at the time of writing) has a habit of finding one too good and also seems happiest on right-handed tracks. Good Look Charm (11-1) is also best right-handed (she’s just one from 13 in today’s direction) and is best when taking on her own sex. The obvious alternative is the Ventia Williams-trained SOLE SOLUTION, who impressed me when scoring at Hereford last month as he didn’t enjoy the sharp right-handed track, hanging and jumping out to his left. He followed up at Sandown despite racing right-handed again to take his career record to 116211 (4-6). The sixth-placed can be excused as he jumped abysmally on his seasonal/hurdles debut and the runner-up effort came at the hands of 1-2 favourite Sixmilebridge who is unbeaten since and was upped to a mark of 142 after comfortably landing a Grade 2 novices’ hurdle at Cheltenham on Trials Day. Sole Solution has gone up 5lb to 119 for his latest win (achieved in a very fast time according to Proform’s ratings) and could have plenty more to offer.
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3.47 Plumpton – JONGLEUR D’ETOILES (1pt win – 6/4 bet365)
The Neil Mulholland-trained JONGLEUR D’ETOILES trailed home 19 lengths back in third place when 9-4 favourite for a 3m handicap hurdle at Southwell on February 3rd but that was a useful effort in the circumstances, as he raced prominently in the ‘swamp’ on the inside rail throughout whereas the winner arrived late/wide. Runner-up Star Vantage, who also wasn’t best positioned in the early stages, was short-headed at Musselburgh last week and the winner, Edgewell, who I thought was potentially flattered by racing on the better ground, followed up at Fakenham despite clearly hating the track. Jongleur d’Etoiles arrived at Southwell on a hat-trick after soft-ground wins from off the pace at Wincanton and Catterick (where he beat Edegwell into second) and the return to more patient tactics can see him bounce back if the meeting survives an 8.30am inspection.
4.35 Ayr – GEGE VILLE (1pt win – 5/2 generally)
GEGE VILLE has obviously been challenging to train – he’s raced on just five occasions since making a winning debut in an Ayr bumper back in November 2021 – but December’s Haydock win on the back of a 588-day absence was a fine effort in the circumstances and he’s had 65 days to get over those exertions. That victory also confirmed his need for a flat track – his record on such now reads 121 (2-3) – and 3lb conditional ride Conor Rabbitt retains the ride. His jockey does well on last time out winners, scoring on 11 of the 36 qualifiers (30.6% strike-rate) for a profit of £14.75 to a £1 level stake at SP (expected winners = 6.40, A/E = 1.72).
5.00 Wolverhampton – VISIBILITY (1.5pt win – 20/1 bet365) & ANNEXATION (0.5pt win – 10/1 bet365)
Scott Dixon ended a long losing run when 9-1 shot King Of York scored easily at Southwell last Friday night and he went close with a 33-1 poke at the same venue 24 hours later. His VISIBILITY could only finish sixth of eight over 8.6f here last time but I like the return to amateur riders’ company under Freddie Tett, whose three previous rides on the veteran produced two wins (28-1 and 5-2) and a half-length second (9-2). The most recent win came over course and distance in October and he’s 4lb lower this evening.
ANNEXATION very much caught the eye when a 40-1 third of 11 in an amateur riders’ handicap at Lingfield on his debut for Tony Carroll last month and his subsequent five-length fourth of eight at the same venue is easily excused, as he started slowly and raced keenly in the rear when those who had the ‘box seat’ (prominent, just behind the leader and away from the inside rail) dominated. That was a useful effort in the circumstances and Sarah Bowen, on board for that stable debut third, returns to the saddle for this 9.4f amateur riders’ contest. He’s worth a saver in case they go too hard up front.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets
3.15 Plumpton – SOLE SOLUTION (2pt win – 3/1 William Hill)
3.47 Plumpton – JONGLEUR D’ETOILES (1pt win – 6/4 bet365)
4.35 Ayr – GEGE VILLE (1pt win – 5/2 generally)
5.00 Wolverhampton – VISIBILITY (1.5pt win – 20/1 bet365) & ANNEXATION (0.5pt win – 10/1 bet365)
Gege Ville
Andrew Mount’s tips for Monday, 24th February 2025
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