Horseracing Tips / Paul Jacobs / 03 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Brondesbury previews the final (honest) big race of the Flat season

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Kings Destiny's ([11.0]) run behind Opinion Poll at Ascot looks one of the best pieces of form on show here, but a mark of 100 leaves him with little room to manoeuvre and two better value wagers could come in the form of Hillview Boy ([17.0) and Siberian Tiger ([17.0])."

The two prerequisite factors to have on your side when trying to unravel the conundrum which is the November Handicap on Saturday are firstly, a horse that acts on the prevailing going, almost certain to be soft. And secondly, one that arrives at Town Moor a relatively fresh horse with some improvement left in the locker.

The current favourite, Emirates Champion, fulfils both those criteria with only three career runs under his belt and with an action and breeding background that suggests the current state of the terrain will not prove a problem.

He readily dismissed a fair set of handicappers at Ayr last time out on good ground and has quite rightly been hiked up to a mark of 96 for that wide margin victory, up by a full 11lbs.

The one concern I have with this three-year-old is that on breeding he is no certainty to stay, but he could very well be head and shoulders above this lot and in my view his current trading position of around [7.5] on Betfair is by and large warranted.

But as always in a race this competitive there are several better priced individuals we could ride into town with.

Charm School has always looked a horse crying out for a much stiffer test of stamina than he has been given.

On every run bar one this season, John Gosden's charge has been finishing to some effect, but only when the race has been done and dusted, from the Lincoln through to the John Smith's Heritage Handicap at Newbury.

In fact the only time he has troubled the judge came when he won a relatively moderate affair at Kempton over 11 furlongs.

He acts especially well on soft ground and has cracking course form at Doncaster. A handicap mark of 98 is no gimme, but under the current conditions he looks sure to run his race and odds of 12 looks spot on.

Kings Destiny's ([11.0]) run behind Opinion Poll at Ascot looks one of the best pieces of form on show here, but a mark of 100 leaves him with little room to manoeuvre and two better value wagers could come in the form of Hillview Boy ([17.0) and Siberian Tiger ([17.0]).

The former probably needed a stiffer test of stamina over course and distance last time out when keeping on well behind the progressive Hunterview, while Siberian Tiger will relish bottomless conditions and looks like a typical Tony Martin back end sting.

Finally, the make and shape of the race will be determined by Tastahil off a top mark of 111. Were the St Simon Stakes runner-up to run here I suspect the odds of both Charm School and King's Destiny would look even more attractive as the Barry Hills' charge would somewhat concertina the weights.

Tags: Charm School, Doncaster, Emirates Champion, Hillview Boy, Kings Destiny, November Handicap, Siberian Tiger, Tastahil