JackpotRod

Another brutal affair, but a chance taken on Rubaud, who could give Harry Cobden a decent front-running spin. Drying ground is a must, and there is a bit of rain in the offing, but hopefully it might not get in too much. He’s acquitted himself well over hurdles this season in competitive events, and it’s a somewhat surprising return to chasing subsequently, at which he’s acquitted himself well enough. Albeit he might not have a great deal of room for manoeuvre off this mark. He needs to better his chase efforts, and his sole effort here, but he just has a touch of the “why’s” about him. Perhaps I’ll be asking myself that having backed him for this after the race, but I just feel the pace setup and potential class of him can see him involved for each-way purposes.

Majborough could just prove to be the worthy favourite, but his blundering effort here last year is hard to wipe from the memory. With him, L'Eau Du Sud and Il Etait Temps taking up a fair chunk of the market, it’s interesting to see a number of runners hold their ground in the biggest field since 2017. Of those, it was Saint Segal that I thought looked interesting given the shape of the race and his preference for this surface, being 4/8 on it. He’s got bundles to find on ratings, but it’s not unheard of for horses in the mid- to high-150s to win this. His desire to go forward could see him take this on if De Bromhead decides to be a bit more patient on Quilixios, although if the latter does take it on it could lead to this being run quicker than is comfortable for a few and put jumping under pressure early. With an ability to get further, if this horse can stay in it, hopefully he’ll be doing good enough work late on to justify the fact that I think he should be shorter than his current odds.

You’re chancing whether he takes to this discipline, but Pied Piper has the required back class to be effective if they go the traditional crawl here. Beaten 10L by Favori De Champdou at Leopardstown, he gets a fair 11 lb swing in the weights. Whilst he has to prove his want for this trip, which is far from ideal, this ground should enable him to pick up if they do go the required slow pace. That’s far from guaranteed here, with plenty wanting to take this on. A deep look into his pedigree suggests a potential ability to stay this longer trip, and his low racing weight can only serve to aim him to that end. I think at the odds he is worth a small chance to hit the frame. It’s notable that he did finish a close-up 2nd, saddling a big weight here in October. 131232 here is just exemplary.

Another trappy puzzle, but a chance taken on Chart Topper, who has cantered into many of his recent races, and no more so than last time when he fell late on when looking like playing a hand in the finish. He pulled up at Cheltenham prior to that on his only other start this season when seemingly something was amiss, but that effort last time suggests a horse that should be a bit ahead of the handicapper. The reduced trip can help him, as can the ground, which looks in his favour. He’s got a kinder racing weight than he’s used to, which can hopefully see him go well up the hill. Before falling last time, his mid-race sectionals were among the fastest in the field, and he didn’t look like he was stopping. With a fair pace angle involved here there should be no hiding place, and I think overall that should suit this horse, and hopefully the cheek pieces can help him to find a late kick.

Looks to have plenty in his favour, but in particular ground that isn’t bottomless. Rated just 1 lb inferior to the best of these, he sits at a double-figure price having had a fairly consistent season so far that has seen him beat Affordale Fury before following up by finishing close behind the same horse over 3 miles. Held by Kaid d’Authie last time over shorter, he was 10 L third heading to the second last but made decent late headway. That came off a significant break, so he’s entitled to take a big step forward from that too. Danny Gilligan knows him well, so I don’t mind that Kennedy is elsewhere, and he was always going to choose Romeo Coolio anyway. A full brother to a 3 m 3 f winner (also on good ground), so this extra distance at a stiff track could prove to be his bag.

Looks a wide-open Turners Novice Hurdle, and ripe for something at a big price to get involved. To that end, there are plenty of them, and I’m going out there with Free Spirit, who went well enough on debut for Willie Mullins and is pitched right in here. He was caught a bit for toe and lost touch with Sober before sticking to the task, and wasn’t beaten all that far at all by that 7/1 shot. He travelled quite nicely into the race, and should appreciate a longer trip and a slower, more consistent gallop here. On pedigree, he will appreciate plenty further in time, and whilst this may come way too early for him, he hails from a sire line that Mullins does very well with. At 80/1, I don’t mind having a go where I can’t land on anything else with any real confidence.