Saturday sees an excellent double header on ITV Racing from Sandown and Aintree. The Tingle Creek is the feature at the former but with the big fences in use at Aintree, we can’t resist a look at the Becher. With 6 and 7 places available, it looks a great contest for an each way tickle. Both Owen and Matt have found big-priced selections for the race.
The Becher is always hugely competitive and as such, it looks worth taking a stab at a big price, with Domaine De L’Isle making most appeal. An eight-year-old, he won a pair of handicaps at Kempton and Cheltenham to close out last season. He relished a return to staying trips for the latter of those, travelling strongly the entire way and ultimately winning with plenty up his sleeve.
His seasonal return back at Cheltenham was a below par effort, but it’s still early days for him over staying distances. He has winning form on heavy on his card so the ground shouldn’t be an issue. With race fitness under his belt, if he can jump as well as he did at Cheltenham over these new fences, he’ll be a big player for David Bass – Owen Goulding
A return to action in the Charlie Hall didn’t really give us a strong guide as to where Top Ville Ben currently is. Unquestionably it was disappointing but he had been well seen off in the same race on his return in 2019 as well. Subsequently he was only beaten a length in the Rehearsal Chase and skated up in the Rowland Meyrick.
That Christmas contest is the last time that he has raced in handicap company, four pounds lower here than when an impressive eight-length winner. These fences could just spark him back into live, he would not be the first nor the last and from a very tempting mark on the best of his form, he is entitled to another chance – Matt Newman
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