Cops Can Win Clash of Pertemps Fancies

3.10 BETBRIGHT MOBILE APP HANDICAP HURDLE (3M110Y)

Best bet on the card at Doncaster is Nicky Henderson’s CALL THE COPS, who caught my eye in no uncertain terms in a Pertemps Qualifier at Kempton in October, looking a handicap winner in waiting. Outpaced when the tempo increased before the second last that day, he began to put in some good late work without Barry Geraghty getting too serious with him, and eventually finished fourth, well in front of subsequent Exeter winner Master Malt. That effort marked him out as a major player in the series final, but there was a suggestion at the official weights launch in midweek, that he’d be in danger of missing the cut. That eventuality would be a disaster for the carefully laid plans of connections, so it appears they are attempting to ensure his place by picking up a penalty. That’s clearly a slightly risky strategy in terms of his Cheltenham prospects, where every ounce counts, but it’s a massive positive for his backers at Doncaster, where he will be given every chance of winning.


3.35 PREMIER TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT HANDICAP CHASE (2M5F110Y)

It’s time to don my “I Heart Sandy Thomson” cap, as I once again row in with OSCAR LATEEN, who unseated when a selection in this column on his penultimate start, before finding the mercurial Romany Ryme too strong at Carlisle. That form can be crabbed, but that’s only because the winner is a moody type who hasn’t responded to the continued use of headgear. On the day, George Bewley’s gelding was rocket propelled, and the pair were well clear of their rivals. That was a punishing race, and Thomson has wisely rested Oscar Lateen since. He remains on an astonishingly lenient mark of 92, and I’m going to put my reputation on the line by suggesting he’ll be at least twenty pounds higher in the weights by the autumn. There is a vague chance that he will be sharper for the run, but that’s a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things, and with his jumping no longer looking a liability at Carlisle, I expect him to prove himself worthy of a place in higher grade.


RECOMMENDED:

CALL THE COPS 3.10 Doncaster – 2pts win @ 9/4 (general)


OSCAR LATEEN 3.35 Kelso - 2pts win @ 7/2 (general)


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