4th-Dec-2021

I think that Edwardstone should be closer in the betting to Third Time Lucki for the Henry VIII Chase on Saturday than he is, and he is over-priced in my book at 7/2.

Alan King’s horse was a progressive hurdler last season.  An impressive winner of a handicap hurdle at Market Rasen in January, when he beat subsequent Aintree winner Rowland Ward into second place, he finished third in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury and he finished fifth in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, before he rounded off the season by finishing third in a handicap hurdle at Aintree, in the race in which last month’s Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle winner Dans Le Vent finished second. 

Brought down when travelled well at the fourth last fence in a novices’ contest at Warwick on his chasing debut four weeks ago, he made no mistake back at Warwick two weeks ago when he jumped well and ran out an impressive winner of another novices’ chase.

Third Time Lucki is a really nice chasing prospect who jumps his fences well, but the quality of the performance that he put up in winning at Cheltenham’s October meeting may have been over-rated and, actually, Edwardstone is rated higher over hurdles.  There shouldn’t be as much between them in the market as there is.

Old friend Stolen Silver comes into it, as do War Lord and Minella Drama, but Edwardstone is the bet.

EDWARDSTONE WON (ADV 7/2, SP 3/1)