THE ANTEPOST ANGLE - MARES HURDLE & GAME SPIRIT CHASE

The Antepost Angle takes on a double this week – if both runners turn up on Saturday you could have a very handy ticket in your hand!

14:05 Warwick - Mares Listed Hurdle

This looks a great opportunity for GALA MARCEAU who was last seen chasing home Lossiemouth in the Grade One Mares Hurdle at the Punchestown festival. She takes a significant step down in class today and she could well be a cut above her rivals. Although she has yet to run this year, the Willie Mullins bandwagon has started to roll and she should win here to potentially book a place in the mares hurdle at Cheltenham. The Dan Skelton-trained West Balboa hasn’t shone this year and You Wear It Well looks to be regressing. Gala Marceau simply looks too big with William Hill at 4/5

15:00 Newbury - Game Spirit Chase

Arguably, no horse has created a bigger impression this year than SIR GINO. He was much talked about after that infamous public breakfast with the stars gallop at Newbury with a certain Constitution Hill and he proved he was in rude health easily winning the Fighting Fifth on his comeback run. That left the Henderson team with the dilemma of whether to stick to hurdles or to go over the larger obstacles and their decision to go chasing was justified by Sir Gino’s ruthless demolition of Ballyburn, who has subsequently franked the form in no uncertain terms. At the time of writing SIR GINO is a 8/13 chance and I forecast him to be perhaps as short as 1/3 on Saturday.

written by Daryl Lay