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Saturday 19th February

While one eye is very much on Cheltenham for most people at this stage, we have an excellent weekend of racing this weekend, enhanced by Newbury's Betfair Hurdle meeting rescheduled from last weekend to Sunday. Tomorrow's action has a Grade 1 feature from Ascot where Cyrname is the short-priced favourite. He is possibly the horse in training that has divided public opinion the most. I, for one, have just come to the point where I can't figure him out. I'm starting to think he needs things going his own way and while that may well happen tomorrow, his unpredictability means I won't be having a financial involvement in the race. I thought Master Tommytucker was priced fairly but the change in jockey is a big negative for him in particular as he needs a lot of help at his fences and Harry Cobden just about had him figured out.  

In terms of a selection tomorrow, I am heading up to Haydock where course form is always a huge plus and a starting point for me in many races there. It is hard to find a horse with better course form, relatively speaking of course, than Lord Du Mesnil who was prolific at Haydock last winter. His success didn't go unpunished and saw him rise from a lowly 127 in his first win here to a mark of 153 after his second in this race last year. That second to Smooth Stepper off a mark just 2lb lower than he races off tomorrow is his best piece of form as the highly consistent Yala Enki was 19 lengths back in third. Lord Du Mesnil then ran an excellent race in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham, only giving way late on to Ravenhill. His form figures this season are rather uninspiring at first glance but I thought there was plenty of promise in his effort in the Welsh National, going well for a long way, despite being close enough to a strong early pace. The fact that he has been dropped 3lb for that and returns to his beloved Haydock is enough to persuade me to get involved and he looks rock solid with any rain a plus.


0.5pt win Lord Du Mesnil (17/2 PaddyPower & Betfair, 8/1 Bet365 & BetVictor) Haydock 2.40

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