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Daily Racing News: Back Pauling for the Taunton prize on Monday

Alan Dudman
13 March 2023
5:00 min read

Alan previews the race of the day at Taunton

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Alan Dudman is in the Daily Racing News chair for Monday and has news of market moves and a selection in the feature race at Taunton...

Four National Hunt cards for Monday
Pauling to take the Taunton feature
Alan Dudman is in the Daily Racing News chair on Monday with the latest news and form

The usual busy Monday on the eve of the Cheltenham Festival and good morning to everyone for a special week.

Plumpton's six race card will be a real old test in Sussex today with showers forecast on soft and heavy ground. Two of the races are each-way ones with eight and nine, and the best contest of the day is the 15:35 3m1f 0-125 Handicap Hurdle.

At Taunton, all seven races have double figures but rain is on the way too in the west country. From the seven races, the feature there is the 15:25 3m5f Handicap Chase. Good to soft ground was the reading this morning.

There are six races at Stratford on ground predicted as soft, good to soft in places with rain due. The feature in Bard country is the 15:15 2m1f Handicap Hurdle, although check the distances today.

It's a day for the future at Thurles with Beginners and Maiden events over fences, hurdles and for the Hunters, and it's likely to ride soft at Thurles with rain on the way on morning yielding ground.

At Wolverhampton there are seven, and three hold 11 runners.

Money Talk

Money Talk continues to highlight the Betfair Sportsbook big-money moves to keep you in the loop. This section shows market moves between 1:00 am and 9:00 am.

Which horses is the Betfair Sportsbook market suggesting to back?

13:50 Plumpton: Minella Majestic 33/1 into 14/1, and Hugueneau 33/1 into 14/1.
14:15 Taunton: Justshortofabubble 14/1 into 11/1.
16:35 Taunton: Urabamba 20/1 into 12/1, and Fanzio 25/1 into 16/1.
13:30 Stratford: Tiger Voice 40/1 into 18/1.
15:15 Stratford: Zambezi Fix 16/1 into 12/1.
16:25 Stratford: Native Moon 40/1 into 11/1.
13:20 Thurles: What An Ocean 22/1 into 16/1.

Which horses is the Betfair Sportsbook market suggesting to lay?

13:30 Stratford: Grandeur Dame 2.3811/8 out to 2.56/4.
14:40 Stratford: Icaque De L'Isle 2.47/5 out to 2.89/5.
13:40 Taunton: Despereaux 2.01/1 out to 2.1011/10.

Mark your card

The Betfair Sportsbook is paying extra places today!

Six Extra Place Specials on the Sportsbook today for each-way players. Three are at Taunton opening with the 14:15 3m Handicap Hurdle and Wavecrest for Evan Williams was extremely weak in the betting this morning from 12/1 out to 20/1.

The Taunton 16:00 2m Handicap Hurdle with 10 runners, and a very short price fav with the Paul Nicholls' Killaloan at 6/5.

The third Sportsbook Extra Place Special at Taunton is the 17:05 2m3f Handicap Hurdle and Neil Mullholland's Celtic Fortune was a mover this morning from 14s into 9s.

Thurles have one Extra Place Special with the 15:05 2m Handicap Hurdle.

Two at Wolves tonight include the 17:30 1m1f Handicap with 11 runners. Scott Dixon's Mudlahhim was a positive from 16/1 into 11/1 and is a previous course winner.

And the final Extra Place Special is the Wolverhampton 18:30 6f Handicap with Silks Graphite an interesting one on handicap debut from 10/1 into 17/2.

Stat Of The Day

James Tate is bang in form at the moment with four winners from his previous nine runners at 44%. His sole runner today is previous Lingfield winner Divine Rapture 11/4 for the Wolverhampton 19:00 1m Novices' Stakes.

He has a 45% place rate too at Dunstall Park.

No. 1 (5)

Divine Rapture

Trainer: James Tate
Jockey: Rossa Ryan
Age: 4
Weight: 9st 7lbs
OR: -

Back Divine Rapture in the 19:00 at Wolverhampton

10/3

Horses for courses

This section highlights horses that have won twice or more at today's tracks and could be in with a chance today.

16:35 Taunton: Court Royale 14/1 has won here twice (50%).
16:10 Plumpton: Ramore Will 15/4 has won here twice (33%).
16:45 Plumpton: Tara Iti 8/1 has won here twice (33%), and Inferno Sacree 16/5 had won here twice (67%).
15:05 Thurles: Port Rashid 5/1 has won here twice (100%).
16:15 Thurles: Pakens Rock 50/1 has won here twice (100%).

Weighted to go well

"Weighted to go well" highlights horses running that are more than 10lbs below their last winning handicap mark.

15:35 Plumpton: Flemcara 11/1 has won off a mark of 134 and today runs from a mark of 124.
13:30 Stratford: Tiger Voice 40/1 has won off a mark of 128 and today runs from a mark of 112.
14:40 Stratford: Native Robin 12/1 has won off a mark of 125 and today runs from 114.
16:00 Taunton: Mack The Man 15/2 has won off 127 and today runs from 114.
16:35 Taunton: Fanzio 16/1 has won off 130 and today runs from 103.

Furthest traveller

Monday's furthest traveller is once again a Keith Dalgleish runner, and it's the grand servant Chookie Dunedin 8/1 in the Wolverhampton 20:00 7f Handicap.

His journey from Scotland will be 271 miles and the 8yo was backed too this morning from 12/1.

No. 7 (5)

Chookie Dunedin

Trainer: Keith Dalgleish
Jockey: Billy Garritty
Age: 8
Weight: 8st 13lbs
OR: 65

Form Watch

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Lawney Hill has sent out one runner in the last month and it was a decent priced winner at Plumpton at 14/1. She has two entered at the Sussex track this afternoon with:

13:50 Plumpton: Hugueneau 20/1.
15:00 Plumpton: Everythingsontick 5/1.

Kayley Woollacott is 3-6 in the same period at 50% and a profit of +10.88 and three days ago had a 15L winner at Exeter. She has two runners too on Monday and both have been backed this morning on the Sportsbook.

16:10 Plumpton: Surdoue De Ballon 7/1.
16:35 Taunton: Urabamba 12/1.

It's not so good for Venetia Williams, and form seems to have deserted her at the wrong time. She is 0-20 in the last two weeks and had two short priced favourites at Sandown on Tuesday and Saturday beaten out of sight at 5/4 and 6/4. Will she come off the cold list today?

Emma Lavelle is also cold at the moment and is without a winner from her last 27 runners.

No such problems for trainer Kerry Lee at the moment with her 4-11 at 36% and a profit of +38.00 in the last two weeks. She has just one runner today and it's at Stratford with Greenrock Abbey at 7/4 in the opening Stratford 13:30 2m1f Handicap Chase.

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A couple of the Bernard Llewellyn runners have been backed today, in particular Tiger Voice from a massive 40/1 into 18/1. Tiger Voice runs in the 13:30 2m1f Handicap Chase and his Zambezi Fix was another positive this morning into 12/1 for the 15:15 2m Handicap Hurdle.

Kim Bailey is proving cold however, and the yard are without a winner from 40.

Ben Godfrey is one of the hot jockeys today for Taunton at 40% with 4-10 in the last fortnight, showing a profit of +8.88 and has two winners from his last three rides at 67%. His two mounts today are:

16:35 Taunton: Urabamba 20/1 into 12/1.
17:05 Taunton: Show On The Road 11/1.

Race of the day

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The Taunton 15:25 3m4f Handicap Chase is the race of the day in terms of class with 0-135 the grade.

Philip Hobbs trains the favourite Golden Sovereign, and the horse was quite strong this morning from 3/1 into 5/2 and was second in the Dick Hunt Trophy at Wincanton last time.

This will be the furthest he has gone in terms of trip and he is certainly off a decent mark, but my idea of fun is not backing a Hobbs' chaser over 21 fences - well not at that price anyway.

No. 5

Golden Sovereign (Ire)

Trainer: Philip Hobbs & Johnson White
Jockey: Micheal Nolan
Age: 9
Weight: 11st 9lbs
OR: 127

Bangers And Cash goes for in-form Ben Pauling, and 7yo is the stable's only runner on Monday. His win in the Lincolnshire National at Market Rasen over 3m4f on Boxing Day puts him in bang in the frame - especially at 4/1.

He ran no sort of race last time in a hot 0-145 at Uttoxeter, and was beaten far too early in the race for his true running.

Frenchy Du Large at 6/1 is the Venetia Williams' runner, but there has to be a question mark over the stable form at the moment, and is another unproven at a marathon distance. He clouted a fence late on too on his latest appearance.

No. 2

Frenchy Du Large (Fr)

Trainer: Venetia Williams
Jockey: Robert Dunne
Age: 8
Weight: 11st 12lbs
OR: 130

Premier Dtroice is Katy Price's runner, and was a 9/1 into 15/2 over this morning. He does hold some course form and was third in the Devon National recently.

I have no problems with his stamina, and could hit a place, but I fear he wants better ground and I worry about his jumping as he likes to take a few fences home with him.

No. 10

Premier D'troice (Fr)

Trainer: Katy Price
Jockey: Mr Gearoid Harney
Age: 9
Weight: 10st 6lbs
OR: 110

Big Race Verdict

Pauling's Bangers And Cash appeals the most here, and I can forgive his effort at Uttoxeter last time as the Lincolnshire National previously might have left its mark. He's had a break of a month and he has a bit of progression in him, especially with the way he travelled at Rasen.

I don't think he will mind a sharp track at all, and at 4/1, he looks the one to side with.

No. 1

Bangers And Cash (Ire)

Trainer: Ben Pauling
Jockey: Luca Morgan
Age: 7
Weight: 12st 0lbs
OR: 132

Back Bangers And Cash in the 15:25 at Taunton

4/1

Blackmore on Cheltenham Day 1

Betfair Ambassador Rachael Blackmore has a trio of chances on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival but all eyes will be on super mare Honeysuckle who will be having her final ever outing when she goes to post for a strong renewal of the Mares' Hurdle. Click here for Blackmore's preview.

Tony Calvin's Cheltenham Day 1 Festival picks

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Our big-price tipster has filed his Cheltenham Day One bets for Tuesday, with two bets in the Supreme Novices' and two bets for the Boodles. Click here for Tony's selections.

Paul Nicholls exclusive

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Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has outlined exclusively his Ditcheat team for the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and previews the chances for his Ultima and Boodles runners.

Click here for Nicholls' blog.

Timeform preview Wolverhampton on Monday

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Adam Houghton previews Monday's action with a look at the Wolverhampton evening card and he says of his NAP selection: "reacted well to a first-time hood and also clocked a fast closing sectional so he remains a horse to be positive about having been raised just 1 lb in the weights."

Click here for the NAP and NB picks.

Final Word

We're almost there, and a reminder there's a fabulous Cheltenham Festival offer of Bet £10 Get £10 and £2 free multi, and you can click here for more details.

The Monday before the Fez is a great day, and I was lucky enough many years ago to walk around the course for Timeform Radio with Dave Farrar - who used the chapter of our stroll around the turf for his book "The Perfect Punter".

The serenity was striking back then, it was so calm considering the madness that comes 24 hours later.

But I remember the Willie Mullins' string walking around the track, so peaceful and so content. He had some team then, and his numbers are even greater. It was a brilliant day as I saw Hurricane Fly.

Daryl Carter takes over the news column for Cheltenham and make it your first port of call tomorrow.

I am on duty for a wrap of the day from Tuesday through to Friday, so best of luck whatever you are backing this week. You can follow me on Twitter @DudmanAl.

The Betfair Sportsbook is offering you extra places on selected races, applying to both single and multiple bets. T&Cs apply.