March begins with the penultimate pre-Cheltenham weekend of racing. Andrew Mount seeks to make it a profitable start to the month with his top tips for Saturday.
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Posted: 5:50pm, Friday, February 28th
1.45 Kelso – EL ELEFANTE (1pt win – 10/1 bet365, Ladbrokes)
The most likely scenario in this 2m7.5f Listed chase is that King George flop Grey Dawning will bounce back and win easily. However, he’s priced accordingly, and I’d rather taken a punt on the Lucinda Russell-trained EL ELEFANTE, in the hope that 1) she’s allowed to dominate, 2) Grey Dawning’s gruelling second in the Betfair Chase has left a mark, and 3)Iroko’s so used to being a non-jigger that he’s forgotten how to pass rivals! The key to El Elefante is a small field and if we only consider her bumper outings or runs in fields of seven or fewer runners when tackling hurdles/fences, her record becomes 1115141311 (7-10). She won her sole course outing by a comfortable two-length margin and should give us a good run for our money at a value price.
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3.30 Kelso – CRACKING RHAPSODY (1pt e/w – 12/1 William Hill, betVictor) & OLD GREGORIAN (0.5pt e/w – 25/1 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes)
CRACKING RHAPSODY was too green to do himself justice when a 28-1 sixth in a bumper here on his racecourse debut but his subsequent course runs – all over hurdles – have returned form figures of 2111 (3-4), with the defeat excusable as he was unsuited to the very small field (four ran). In-form Ewan Whillan’s six-year-old won this race by four and a half lengths last year and though 13lb higher this time around, he’s only 5lb higher than when scoring by four lengths over track and trip on his penultimate start. He could only finish tenth of 14 at Windsor last time but the track didn’t suit and he was less than ten lengths behind the winner, Secret Squirrel.
OLD GREGORIAN chased home Cracking Rhapsody over course and distance on his penultimate start and his subsequent three-and-a-half-length sixth in the Scottish County Hurdle was worthy of an upgrade, as the race was not run to suit his patient style. The right-handed track wasn’t ideal either – his record that way round reads 6523P66 (0-7) – and he’s best judged on left-handed figures of 1P112 (3-5), including a course win.
4.15 Newbury – SOLAR SYSTEM (1pt win – 7/1 generally)
SOLAR SYSTEM doesn’t seem entirely at home over the fixed-brush style hurdles at Southwell but his handicap hurdle record at other tracks reads 313111 (4-6). The Hobbs & White-trained six-year-old only scored by a short head at Haydock on January 18th but that success impressed me as he was the only winner on the card to come from off the pace. The detective agency training team do well here and he’s worth a bet, despite the nagging concern that this race could be steadily run.
6.45 Newcastle – MADE ALL (1pt win – 10/1 888sport, 9/1 William Hill)
The form of King Of Speed’s 8.6f Wolverhampton win over Conquest Of Power on February 10 is working out well, with the runner-up landing both subsequent outings (10-11 and 7-2), third-placed Mariner returning to Wolverhampton to score at odds of 7-2 just eight days later and the fourth, Marioento, winning at 5-2 on his next start. Antony Brittain’s MADE ALL attempted to make it five from five for subsequent runners from that race when lining up in the 7f Best Racing Odds Guaranteed At BetMGM Handicap at Southwell last Friday and was well backed the night before racing, shortening from 25-1 into 8-1 with one firm and 16-1 into 3-1 with another. The four-year-old had drifted out to 11-1 by post time and had to settle for fifth place after struggling to dominate in a race featuring other pace angles. Stall 1 was no help either and his five-length defeat was a useful effort in the circumstances. Today’s draw and pace setup might not be 100% ideal but I’m hoping he’s tucked in to get cover behind likely pace angle Lumenbourg (drawn nearby in stall 4).
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets
1.45 Kelso – EL ELEFANTE (1pt win – 10/1 bet365, Ladbrokes)
3.30 Kelso – CRACKING RHAPSODY (1pt e/w – 12/1 William Hill, betVictor) & OLD GREGORIAN (0.5pt e/w – 25/1 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes)
4.15 Newbury – SOLAR SYSTEM (1pt win – 7/1 generally)
6.45 Newcastle – MADE ALL (1pt win – 10/1 888sport, 9/1 William Hill)
Andrew Mount’s tips for Saturday, 1st March 2025
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