7th-Dec-2019

I think that Walk In The Mill has a good chance of repeating last year’s victory in the Becher Chase.

He was very good in winning the race last year, he jumped the spruce fences well and he stayed on strongly to win nicely, probably with more in hand than the four-and-a-half-length winning margin.  He meets runner-up Vieux Lion Rouge on 5lb worse terms today, but Vieux Lion Rouge just kept on for second place after Walk In The Mill had gone and won his race.  David Pipe’s horse might struggle to reverse placings on just 5lb better terms.

The handicapper raised Walk In The Mill by 7lb for that win, and his next two runs were over hurdles, presumably with a view to retaining his handicap rating of 144 for the Grand National.  He ran a big race in the Grand National too, again obviously over the spruce fences, to finish fourth behind Tiger Roll on ground that should have been faster than ideal for him.

The handicapper dropped him by 2lb for that run for some reason, and he dropped him by another 1lb after his seasonal debut in the Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton.  He was pulled up in the end that day, but he ran well for a long way.  That run should have brought him forward nicely for today.

He gets to compete today off a handicap rating of 141, which is just 4lb higher than the mark off which he won last year’s race, and that gives him a big chance.  He loves these fences, he goes well on soft ground, and the addition of cheekpieces could elicit further improvement.  Also, the fact that trainer Robert Walford had a winner at Sandown yesterday after a quiet spell is no harm.

WALK IN THE MILL WON (ADV 9/1, SP 8/1)