12th-Nov-2022

I am backing Ga Law now for tomorrow’s Paddy Power Gold Cup.

There are lots of positives about Jamie Snowden’s horse.  For starters, he has really good back form.  He won his first three chases as a novice at the start of the 2020/21 season, landing the Grade 2 Rising Stars Novice Chase at Wincanton in the third of those three, when he had an admittedly below-bar Grand Sancy behind him in third and last place.  Then he ran a big race in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Chase at Sandown over an inadequate two miles, finishing third behind Allmankind and Hitman.

On his final run that season, he finished second behind Tamaroc Du Mathan in the Pendil Chase, when he had Coole Cody 12 lengths behind him in third.

He was off the track for over 600 days after that, but his return in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree last month was seriously promising.  He made a mistake at the final fence in the back straight that day, just as the pace was increasing, and he came under a ride after that.  But there was a lot to like about the manner in which he kept on over the last three fences to take third place, just a length and a half behind Riders Onthe Storm and Hitman.

The handicapper left him on his mark of 142 after that, which was fair.  He is still only six, and he has raced just six times over fences in his life, so he has lots of scope for progression now.  Also, he should come on for that run at Aintree, his first since February 2021. 

He doesn’t have form at Cheltenham, which is a little bit of a worry, all his good runs have been at flat tracks.  But he goes well on goodish ground and, with the other positives, it is worthwhile taking a chance on the track at the price.

French Dynamite is a really interesting contender, but he has been priced up defensively and I can see him drifting tomorrow.  Stolen Silver was tempting, we know that he loves Cheltenham, but he just doesn’t have the scope for progression that Ga Law has.  

GA LAW WON (ADVISED 6/1, SP 5/1)