3.45pm Carlisle Tips & Betting Preview 01/11/2015

Race Time: 3.45pm Meeting: Carlisle Day: Sunday 1st November 2015
Distance: 2m 4f Full Race Name: Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase (Listed)

This race has cut right up since early declarations – with Coneygree, Saphir Du Rheu, Gods Own, Ptit Zig, Virak and Wakanda all holding early entries we have somehow ended up with a race of 3 and an odds on favourite. Disappointing given Carlisle are putting up £27,500 in prize money!

Anyway, enough complaining – onto the runners. Saphir Du Rheu holds favouritism, carrying eleven stone twelve and odds of 1/3 currently the best available. Winner of the Mildmay Novices’ Chase last time out, he was sent off favourite for the Cheltenham Festival World Hurdle but was no match for Cole Harden.

That win last time out was impressive form and is by far the best form in the race. Plenty underperformed but even so he was a 15 length winner on good ground, jumped well, looked a little green and he looks set to go to the Gold Cup at the Festival this year around.

The main – and only real – danger is The Young Master who is a current 9/2 shot. He had a very impressive novice season working his way up from a Class 4 at Worcester until eventually winning a Listed handicap chase at Ascot off 144 from Houblon Des Obeaux. He was sent off just 11/2 for the RSA Chase at the Festival but made a bad mistake at the water jump and was eased down to finish miles behind the impressive Don Poli. Saphir Du Rheu is a different beast altogether and while Neil Mulholland’s charge gets a 4lb weight allowance there’s a gulf in class between these two.

Finally, the outsider Midnight Belle. 28/1 doesn’t really do her win odds justice; she has a handicap mark of 130 and gets 11lb from the favourite which bumps her on paper to 141 but that still leaves her with 22 lengths to find with Saphir Du Rheu. To make matters worse she’s been well beaten in her last two races – handicaps off marks of 132 – but this is a nice bit of placing from Tom Symonds to pick up an easy £3,000 for finishing 3rd as long as she completes.