‘I’ve backed him at 33s for the Stayers’ – Owner fancies his horse on Saturday

Chris Giles, owner of Crambo, is no stranger to success at the top table, and he thinks his runner on Saturday is a proper Grade 1 horse. Interviewed by the Racing Post, he is convinced Crambo will land the £125,000 Betfair “Serial Winners” Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle (2.20) at Haydock Park Racecourse today and will then shorten massively for the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Crambo destined for better things

Giles is a joint-owner with Jared Sullivan, a partnership who also owned Grade 1 winners Zarkandar and Silviniaco Conti.

Giles feels the six-year-old could be a top stayer and said: “I think the world of him and in terms of scope and size he’s quite like Paisley Park. He’s a lovely looking horse and quite compact.

“I love his attitude and the way he travels. He’s a beautiful jumper and it’s a struggle to find faults – he’s definitely one of my favourite horses. He’s versatile but he won the EBF Final on really quite heavy ground, so the juice in conditions at Haydock should suit him. He’s had excuses for both of his Grade 1 flops and at Aintree he was hampered at a crucial stage of the race.

“You wouldn’t be frightened of anything in the current division if you owned an up-and-coming horse. Fergal would probably have favoured going the Pertemps route this season but fortune favours the brave and you’ve got to grasp the nettle.”

He added: “About two or three weeks ago I backed him at 33s for the Stayers’ with Sky Bet, but I was limited. I’m thinking about trying to get another £250 on him each-way because he’s going to be 10s or 12s if he wins on Saturday.”

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