3 minute read
Sam King returns with two selections at Plumpton on Monday…
Joe Tizzard is the leading trainer at Plumpton this season with five winners from just 12 runners (42%) and he looks to have every chance of enhancing that strike-rate with I Shut That D'Or in the weatherbysshop.co.uk Handicap Chase at 3.10.
The six-year-old made virtually every yard of the running to see off the subsequent scorer Theonlywayiswessex in a similar course and distance handicap chase last month. The runner-up has since been raised 10lb for his impressive next-time-out success, giving plenty of hope that Joe Tizzard's contender can be more than competitive off his 5lb higher mark.
Joe Tizzard's French-bred looked set to follow up that victory at Wincanton 25 days ago, but a sloppy leap at the last saw him pipped before the line and it's easy to argue he should be arriving on a hat-trick.
Sam Twiston-Davies will likely be able to dictate his own fractions out in front and it would be surprising if the pair weren't able to regain the winning thread this afternoon.
WIN - I Shut That D'Or
Odds – Evens
Earlier on the card, Lady Balko is understandably popular at the top of the market in the G.E.White & Sons Agricultural Buildings Handicap Chase (2.10). However, this might be a deeper race than it looks on paper and the David Pipe-trained mare could be worth taking on racing off 9lb higher than when winning over course and distance two weeks ago.
Tom Gretton's Sadler's Bay went straight into my notebook after his fairly eye-catching third-place finish over an inadequate trip on his return from 308 days off at Market Rasen late last month.
Stepping back up to 3m 1 ½ f looks like a major positive for the son of Black Sam Bellamy, who has a consistent record of 42233 since switching to fences.
The booking of Gavin Sheehan for the first time is by no means a negative and with further improvement plausible from the tongue-tie, he's selected to take advantage of a lowly bottom-weight of 10 stone 3lb.
WIN – Sadler's Bay
Odds – 3/1