Bishop On Road To Welsh National Ordination

2018 will start with a bit of a bang as there’s plenty of racing to look forward to this weekend with Grade 1 action at Sandown and Chepstow today and Naas tomorrow as well as the rescheduled Welsh National to get stuck into.

Kerry To Take The Same Road
Folsom Blue was a disappointing absentee from the fresh declarations for the Welsh National as he looked a horse that could certainly make his mark for Gordon Elliott but Kerry Lee’s horses have really been running out of their skin of late and the 2015 winning trainer could be about to strike in Chepstow again.

Lee is double handed this year with Bishops Road and Alfie Spinner, two veterans that have been around the block a bit but Bishops Road looks set to land the spoils at 12/1.

The 10-year-old finished well down the field behind Native River in the race last year but that was probably on unseasonably drier Chepstow ground than the slog we can look forward to this year and that real war of attrition is something that…

Bishops Road can hopefully relish and continue the good run of form of the trainer.

Greatrex Has Tolworth Chance
Warren Greatrex has admitted to looking forward to stepping Western Ryder up in trip but with the testing ground at Sandown likely to bring out the stamina in the six-year-old, the Tolworth Hurdle looks an ideal race for Western Ryder today.

An early exit on his hurdling debut earlier in the season was far from ideal for Western Ryder who finished fifth in the Champion Bumper last season but he’s put it all together in both starts since and makes real appeal in the Sandown Grade 1 that has cut up quite a bit since earlier in the week.

There are some obvious dangers to the selection but Western Ryder’s price of 7/4 looked quite generous after the declarations yesterday morning and…

if continuing his progress from run to run he may just be quite an impressive winner of this contest.

Harrington To Return To Number One Spot
It’s hard to believe that Sizing John’s John Durkan Chase victory was Jessica Harrington’s last winner but the history-making trainer can end that bit of a drought at Cork today by landing the opening race with Ale Ambrosio.

The six-year-old has failed to get her head in front in nine starts now but her last two seem to be suggesting that the penny is about to drop and she can be expected to just about deny Wait Here.

Ale Ambrosio was a late finisher and unlucky not to catch outsider Golden Jewel on her penultimate start at Fairyhouse, while at Leopardstown last week she travelled really well with Mark Walsh and just didn’t have all the luck going so if this quick reappearance doesn’t take a toll on her…

she could open her account at the 10th time of asking.

Recommended Bets:
Ale Ambrosio (5/2) – 12.20 Cork
Bishops Road (12/1) – 2.05 Chepstow
Western Ryder (7/4) – 2.25 Sandown

*Prices correct at time of publication.