SATURDAY brings the first Grade One of the season in Haydock’s Betfair Chase (3.00pm), which offers a first clue to this campaign’s Cheltenham Gold Cup hopefuls.
Grey Dawning was second in this race last season, when run down at the finish by the ever-game Royale Pagaille in typically testing Haydock conditions.
While the ground shouldn’t be as bad this time around, the long home straight at the Merseyside track often finds out horses that have the slightest of stamina concerns.
So it proved with Grey Dawning, who looked the most likely winner until producing a tired leap at the last and emptying out on the run in.
The decision to miss the Gold Cup and instead head for the less gruelling Aintree Bowl perhaps underlines the fact that there are questions over his stamina, so while the Skelton team are flying at the moment and are likely to have him spot on for this return, I’d rather look elsewhere.
There has been talk about HAITI COULEURS making into a real Gold Cup contender this season and Rebecca Curtis’ eight-year-old will probably need to win this if he is to live up to that billing.
Last season, he showed he has exceptional reserves of stamina when winning the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and then the Irish Grand National, both over trips in excess of this one, and I can see him outstaying Grey Dawning here.
Having had a pipe opener over hurdles at Newbury, where he stayed on well to win, we know that he arrives in good form and should be ready to raise his level now with that run under his belt.
This looks a two-horse race, with the ground probably not going to be testing enough for Royale Pagaille, and Handstands not a certain stayer at this trip.
With that in mind, Haiti Couleurs looks a very fair price at around 7/2 against favourite Grey Dawning.
Earlier on Haydock’s card, the Betfair Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle (2.25pm) is a race worth taking an ante-post position on.
I’m keen to take on likely favourite Ma Shantou given the indifferent form of the Emma Lavelle yard at the moment and would rather look further down the market for something at a decent price.
One yard that couldn’t be going much better at present is Joe Tizzard’s, having saddled three winners from three runners at Cheltenham’s November Meeting last week.
His lightly raced contender HARTINGTON is of definite interest, after a taking reappearance at Carlisle where he looked as though he would benefit from this step up to three miles.
He had three lengths to make up on the runner-up jumping the last, but relished the stiff finish at the Cumbrian track, and I have the feeling there could be more to come.
Soft ground is a positive for him, he will get in here with a very light weight, and I think he could be well-handicapped, so a price of 12/1 is well worth snapping up.
Another to add to the mix in what is a tough race is David Pipe’s PHANTOMOFTHEPOINTS who ran third in this last year behind Shoot First.
The Pipe yard tend to do well with their Haydock runners and it’s interesting he’s being brought back here once again on his seasonal return.
While he is five pounds higher in the weights than last year, he looks well capable of running another excellent race and is worth each-way interest at 20/1.
POINTERS SATURDAY
Hartington e/w 2.25pm Haydock
Phantomofthepoints e/w 2.25pm Haydock
Haiti Couleurs 3.00pm Haydock