LAST year’s BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury was one of the most remarkable races of last season.

Booster Bob out the back for most of the race, a detached last jumping the first fence, still a detached last jumping the last fence in the back straight, and not in the picture, literally, jumping the cross fence.

Then Sean Bowen conjured that run out of him, and an 879/1 shot was on his way to victory. No sooner had Vincenzo mastered Saint Segal than he himself was run-down on the run-in by Olly Murphy’s horse.

Vincenzo is back for more today. He is 8lb higher in the handicap than he was 12 months ago, but he has earned his new mark of 142. Second in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham’s November meeting, he was second again in the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham’s December meeting, and he was good in winning a handicap chase at Ascot last time off a mark of 140.

A 2lb hike was not harsh, and he still has the scope for further progression. He is a player, but he is short, and there is a small chance that today’s ground will be a little faster than he ideally wants it.

Blow Your Wad is also a player. Winner of the Grade 2 Pendil Chase at Kempton two seasons ago as a novice when he was with Tom Lacey, he wasn’t beaten far into third place in the Sodexo Live! Gold Cup at Ascot in November on his debut this season off a mark of 142.

Well beaten in the Silver Cup back over the same course and distance just before Christmas, he shaped nicely on his first run for Gary and Josh Moore last time when he finished third in the Ascot Chase. He was never really competitive with Jonbon and Pic D’Orhy that day, but he got the better of the 152-rated Edwardstone for third place behind them, off level weights.

A literal reading of that form obviously makes him a well-handicapped horse on a mark of 144, and Freddie Mitchell takes off 3lb, which he couldn’t do at Ascot, in a Grade 1 race. And the Walk In The Park gelding could come forward for that, his first run since December and his first run for his new yard.

But he has been priced up accordingly, and there was a sense that he was ridden to pick up as many pieces as he could at Ascot, and he picked up plenty, almost £20,000 for third, after Edwardstone had tried to go with the two protagonists.

Attractive proposition

Koukeo is a more attractive betting proposition at a bigger price. Rated just 109 over hurdles, the O’Neills’ horse was impressive in winning a novices’ handicap chase at Windsor on New Year’s Day off his hurdles mark of 109 on his chasing bow, and he stepped up on that significantly when he just wore down Escapeandevade in a handicap chase at Haydock next time off a mark of 117.

There was a lot to like about that performance. The runner-up is a bit of a Haydock specialist who went into the race on an upward trajectory, and he jumped well, in a prominent position from early. Koukeo was in behind and in traffic along the inside for much of the race, and his jumping wasn’t as fluent as his main rival’s was.

In the end, he did well to stay on as well as he did, coming from about two and a half lengths behind the leader jumping the final fence to get up and win by just over a length, the first two clear of Kykorock, who also went into the race on an upward curve, having won his previous two.

He needed every yard of that strongly-run two-mile race to get up and lead close home, so it was no surprise that two miles on good to soft ground at Musselburgh last time looked to be too sharp for him, for all that he stuck to his task well to finish third behind Pure Carbon.

A winner over two miles and five and a half furlongs over hurdles, the Kapgarde gelding should appreciate the step up to two and a half miles today, his first time to run over the intermediate trip over fences. He is up in grade today obviously, but, a six-year-old who has raced just three times over fences, he has the potential to progress beyond today’s handicap rating of 123, especially now that he is stepping up in trip.

Grimthorpe Chase

Earlier in the day, New Order could go well in the Virgin Bet Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster. Charlie Longsdon’s horse was beaten by Dartmoor Pirate in the Great Yorkshire Chase at this track in January, but he is 5lb better off with Anthony Honeyball’s horse now compared to the terms on which they met then.

As well as that, the move to better ground is a positive for New Order and, while the step up to three miles and two furlongs is a step slightly into the unknown, he put up a big performance when he finished a close-up third behind Heracles Westwood and Katate Dori in a handicap chase run at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day over three miles and one and a half furlongs, the longest distance over which he has raced to date. He should get the trip all right. The step up in distance from the Great Yorkshire could even be a positive.

He has jumped to his right and to his left in the past, but he seems to be happiest now on left-handed tracks. He has led in the past, but he seemed to be happy sitting just behind the pace last time. Indeed, when Joyeux Machin fell at the final ditch in the Great Yorkshire and left him in front, that probably wasn’t a positive. He seemed to rally after Dartmoor Pirate had passed him to hold off Walking On Air for the runner-up spot.

With David Bass at Kelso to ride Hot Fuss in the Morebattle Hurdle, Sam Twiston-Davies takes over in the saddle, and you can see him settling the Yeats gelding behind the leaders through the early race and making his way from there.

Recommended

New Order 2.30 Doncaster - 1 pt win @ 8/1 (generally)

Koukeo 3.45 Newbury - 1 pt win @ 11/1 (generally)