4th-Nov-2017

If Cue Card and Coneygree run up to their best today, they will finish first and second, well clear of everything else.  However, they are 11 and 10 years old respectively, Cue Card is surely on the decline now after 30 chases, and Coneygree is a fragile horse who will surely come on for this, his first run since April.

Bristol De Mai is over-priced against them in my book.  Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse is top class when he puts it all together, as he did in the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock last January, when he won as easily as he liked off a mark of 154.  That was one of the handicap performances of the season last year.

He ran flat next time in the Denman Chase at Newbury behind Native River, probably as a consequence of his Haydock exertions, but he didn’t run badly in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, he wasn’t far behind the leaders when he made a bad mistake at the last.

He should come into today’s race fresh and well and ready to go again.  He is only six years old, so he still has scope to progress as a staying chaser.  The ground probably won’t be as soft today as it was for the Peter Marsh at Haydock, but they had 4mm of rain overnight, they are calling it soft, and that should be close to ideal for Bristol De Mai.

Nigel Twiston-Davies has won this race with Tipping Tim and Young Hustler and with Ollie Magern twice, so it would not be surprising if he had Bristol De Mai primed for today.  His horses are in good form, which is always a positive.

Old friend Blaklion, Bristol De Mai’s stable companion, was also tempting, but I do think that Blaklion will have bigger fish to fry this year – a return to Aintree for starters – and I am happy to leave him alone today.

BRISTOL DE MAI WON (ADV 9/1, SP 6/1)