Timeform UK SmartPlays: Saturday January 28

Timeform UK SmartPlays / Timeform / 28 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Bless The Wings (yellow cap) was unlucky not to finish closer to Our Mick last time.

"...with a 3 lb rise for that latest outing by no means insurmountable, Bless The Wings is strongly fancied to go very close."

With a German raider winning a bumper at Fontwell yesterday, Timeform's SmartPlays have an international flavour today with an Irish-bred, a French-bred and another reared in Deutschland making up the three best bets of the day...

Timeform sponsor a competitive two-mile-five-furlong handicap chase for novices at Cheltenham this afternoon in which Bless The Wings (13:30) makes plenty of appeal at current prices. Alan King's Exeter scorer would have finished closer to winner Our Mick (readily won a Grade 2 next outing) at Kempton last time but for a mistake three out and he remains capable of better having only had two starts over fences to date. King and Wayne Hutchinson are always a combination to have on side in such races and, with a 3 lb rise for that latest outing by no means insurmountable, Bless The Wings is strongly fancied to go very close.

Rooster Booster, Detroit City and, most recently, Featherbed Lane are probably the best hurdlers to carry the famous yellow and black silks of Terry Warner and the grey-loving owner could have another winner today in handicap debutant Big Easy in the 14:20 at Doncaster. Philip Hobbs' five-year-old was a three-time Flat winner at up to a mile and a half in France and has not been knocked about in a trio of novices, all of which came before Christmas. Having had a short break and now dipping his toe into handicap waters off a BHA rating of just 110 (officially rated 92 on the level), he can get the better of the formerly-quirky-but-hat-trick-seeking Corkage.

Doncaster's Sky Bet Chase has been won impressively by the likes of Big Fella Thanks and Simon in recent years, and Galaxy Rock (Timeform top rated) and Shakalakaboomboom have each already run to a figure that would win most running's of the race since the turn of the century. However, it could pay to side with Shalimar Fromentro (14:50), who shaped well close up for a long way over the Grand National fences in the Becher Chase (fell thirteenth) on his British return, having raced three times (first past the post prior to being demoted after impeding the runner-up on final occasion) at Auteuil in France. James Reveley has ridden the most winners at the course since 2007/8 and, with young horses having a good record in the race (since 1993, nine of the 16 winners have been aged eight or under), the six-year-old grey can score as he's not harshly handicapped on his 2010/11 novice form.

Timeform SmartPlays

Back Bless The Wings @ [8.0] in the 13:30 at Cheltenham
Back Big Easy @ [4.4] in the 14:20 at Doncaster
Back Shalimar Fromentro @ [9.6] in the 14:50 at Doncaster

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Timeform's Horses to Follow Extra Festival Trials edition is out now and features no less than five big-race previews and an interview with Nigel Twiston-Davies.