Alan Dudman Antepost Tips: Accord to Lord it over rivals at Wincanton on Saturday

• Friday and Saturday races previewed including Haldon Gold Cup

• Each-way play for November Handicap on Saturday

• Alan Dudman previews the up and coming ITV races

Ground might scare off a few for Haldon Gold Cup

The idea of winter ground seems more and more remote as we head into a busy few days for the jumpers and ITV4 are taking in the Haldon Gold Cup on Friday from Exeter supported by three other races on the card, but there's still no sign of any rain.

Big players Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls have between then five of the 10 entries at the start of the week but it's JPR One for Joe Tizzard that holds the ace in terms of the betting with the chaser at 9/43.25 at the summit of the Sportsbook to get his season up and running.

Last season he ran five times, but none of those were on ground with any "good" in the description, and that's cause to jettison him.

Libberty Hunter is next in the betting, and once again, there's a paucity of any good ground form, and we saw with The Real Whacker in last week's Charlie Hall, it was very much his day with the going in his favour.

I actually prefer Scarface, the other Tizzard representative, as this could well cut up with the conditions and at least we know he's a good ground hombre.

He's fit too, following his reappearance at Cheltenham at the October meeting and Tizzard would have been fairly satisfied with that pipe opener with a fifth over 2m - a trip too short for him.

The seven-year-old won the Sussex Champion Chase last term on similar sort of ground and while he made a couple of mistakes and was far from fluent, he travelled well enough to not cause too much of a problem with the reduction from 2m3f to around 2m2f for Friday.

The ground is key though and the 12/113.00 could well be half that if the field is decimated.

Wincanton with four races on ITV4 this Saturday

We're dealing with good ground again for Wincanton in the west country for their big day on Saturday with four on ITV and priced up on the Sportsbook, although one of the races I can swerve in the shape of the Elite Hurdle - which is likely to see a small field.

The Badger Beer Handicap Chase 3m1f and 16 entries, and all eyes from a handicapping and weight point of view will be on whether Al Dancer runs - he is in to run off 154 and top weight and Anthony Honeyball seems a trainer intent on having a runner as he accounts for five of the entries.

Copperhead looks a pretty obvious one at 11/26.50 and another for Joe Tizzard whose form reached dizzying heights at Aintree last month with a 14L win - his second already of the campaign as he'd previously scored at Chepstow.

He won the Silver Buck Chase at Wincanton five years ago (five!) on good ground over C&D, and the veteran is a likely runner to keep onside. Freddie Gingell has also been booked nice and early and he can take off some weight off the hardy veteran.

Indeed, the race has a feel of a veterans' one and my slight preference here is for Lord Accord, as his trainer Neil Mulholland has started off the season quickly, likewise the horse who already has two wins under the belt heading into the weekend.

I don't see a problem with the ground as his recent wide margin wins at Sedgefield and and recently Wincanton over 3m1f have both been on good and he's a dead straightforward horse to predict as he usually jumps well out in front, likes to lead and dominate and stays further as his recent win at Sedgefield was over the 3m3f trip there.

He was second to the popular Frodon in the 2022 race and he has a decent mark too from 128 - and I like his chances with the ground very much in his favour.

Mares in action for a potential big field

One of the deeper races in terms of numbers on the Wincanton card for Saturday could well be the Richard Barber Memorial Mares Handicap Hurdle over 2m6f at 13:45 with 17 declared and it sees 9/25.50 the field on the Sportsbook at this stage.

There's a chance for an each-way bet.

Pretending fully deserves to be the favourite as she's fit and well and winning following her success at Uttoxeter last month for Lucy Wadham and she's a mare that is putting it all together.

Like Lord Accord, she's a front-runner with good ground form and she has two good pieces of form both at Cheltenham's April meeting in successive years.

Wadham has won with three of her last six runners and has already had a dart at a Grade 3 in her career. The each-way angle looks tempting but I am going to stick with Pretending as I see the distance on the ground really suiting her.

Unexposed Haggas runner too big at 14s for November Handicap

One final swing of the Flat bat for Saturday takes us to the November Handicap that rounds off the Doncaster TV action, and they seem to have snatched and snaffled all of the winter ground, and it's a race normally associated with a tough and testing terrain.

We've got four places to play with at this early stage on the Sportsbook and Master Builder at 7/18.00 is one that will stay well and served us up a column winner (dare I say even a runner!) when winning over 1m6f at Haydock earlier in the season.

I was surprised to see the price of La Yakel for William Haggas at 14/115.00 as a lightly-raced handicapper whose campaign has been far from arduous. Indeed, one of the angles for these end of season pots as to look to shy away from those that have been on the go for the entire season.

The nagging doubt is with a dry forecast - and while the description was soft on Tuesday morning, no rain is in sight for the week ahead and six days will seem like an eternity.

He looked the part winning at Hamilton in the Lanark Silver Bell Handicap off a mark of 99 in August - notably on testing ground over the 1m4f there, and Hamilton's hill and climb takes a bit of getting. He travelled nicely on the inside and when he made his move away from the rail (and he could have been at a disadvantage in that position), he really did grind it out and produced the best 10f time and sectional.

We need soft, or any in the description but his light season is such a massive plus and the 14s is too big for me for a horse with his profile, and Haggas last won the race in 2013 with Conduct, so he's due a winner.

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