Hi
Please see my three picks for Friday:
Megatipsters.co.uk – Hanbury Racing Tips – 8 April 2022 – Premium Tips
Janika – 4.05 Aintree – The Topham – 2m 5F Handicap Chase – 20/1 Coral, Boyles, Bet365 (best priced 22/1) BOG – 6 Places – 1 Point Each Way.
It feels like Janika has been around for years and should be a veteran by now, but he is still only nine.
He came over from France with decent form and showed his class to finish second (pair well clear) in the uber-competitive 2m 5F (ex Mildmay of Flete) at the Cheltenham Festival off a mark of 156 (topweight) and went on to run in Grade 1 races.
Sandwiched in between was a run in the Topham three years ago, where he ran off topweight of 164 and ran a great race to finish a close fourth.
He has been in the doldrums for the past 12 months, his wind started troubling him again (had his first wind operation in 2020) in the spring of 2021 when he ran down the field twice, and again the first time out in October 2021, before having another wind operation.
Janika returned with a good effort in a Cheltenham handicap, before pulling up over 3 miles last time out in January this year.
This all seems like a lot of doom and gloom, but these understandable below-par runs have seen his handicap drop to a career-low of 143, so he now pitches up here off a 21lb lower mark than when he finished 4th in this race three years ago.
I’m sure this will have been his long-range seasonal target.
It’s interesting that Darryl Jacob, the connections retained jockey hasn’t run on him the last twice but gets back on board today.
I think it’s significant they are applying blinkers for the first time at a time when he returns to Aintree fences. He previously took to them well and most of his rivals just won’t take to the fences, so he automatically has to go on the shortlist.
When you factor in his reduced handicap mark combined with Darryl’s professional handling, then the 20/1 on offer looks a great each way with six places on offer.
I, therefore, recommend 1 point each way.
He is still value at 12/1.
My Bobby Dazzler – 4.40 Aintree – 3 Mile Grade 1 Hurdle – 28/1 Ladbrokes, Coral, Bet365 (best priced 33/1) – BOG – 1 Point Each Way – 4 Places.
This looks like a below-par Grade 1 novice hurdle, with the second favourite only rated 138.
The favourite is 141 rated Banbridge who won the Martin Pipe handicap hurdle at Cheltenham festival off 137. He is a logical favourite as historically many horses have won a Cheltenham handicap and gone on to win a Grade 1 novice at either Aintree or especially Punchestown Festival.
However, I’m not convinced that Banbridge was anything particularly special. He postmarked 141 to win at Cheltenham (off a mark of 137), but he was all out to win, and whilst he should be favourite, he doesn’t look a good thing here.
I would rather go for My Bobby Dazzler. He rattled up some decent novice hurdle wins last summer on good ground and surprised many by romping home by 27 lengths on soft ground at Aintree over 3 miles.
That made him three wins from three starts at Aintree and makes him very much a course specialist.
He didn’t back that good run-up in his last two starts, but he suffered an over-reach last time out when going off favourite for a Grade 2 hurdle, so that can be excused.
Now he returns to Aintree he looks like a fantastic each-way play here as we can back him at huge odds of 28/1 (33/1 with Bet365). This looks like a pricing error to me,
He postmarked 130 when he dotted up at Aintree last time, and that was on soft ground. He hardly came off the bridle that day and will surely improve for a return to a faster surface. I can see him running to 140-145 today.
It’s been over 2 months since his over-reach, so that will have been treated and I expect him to be the one that gives Banbridge the most to do.
I, therefore, recommend 1 point each way at 28/1.
He is still value at 14/1.
Jupiter Road – 5.42 Sedgefield – 2 Mile 1F Handicap Hurdle – 66/1 Coral, Boyles, Bet365 (best priced 100/1) – BOG – 4 Places – 1 Point Each Way.
This is a modest class 5 (0-100) handicap hurdle and like the look of the bottom-weight, Jupiter Road, who nestles nicely at the bottom of the handicap off a mark of just 71.
He was previously with Joseph O’Brien and was rated consistently in the 80’s on the flat winning four races over 1m 2F.
Jupiter Road was sold onto UK connections and moved to Nigel Tinkler’s yard, where his mark dropped over e period of 8 runs from a mark of 82 right down to 60.
Tinkler then applied cheekpieces and Jupiter Road sprung back to form and won two races and held his form pretty well for the next two seasons.
Jupiter Road was sold on again to jumping connections where he is now trained by Mike Sowersby.
He has only run four times, including in three maiden hurdles, and on the face of it, he looks very poor, having been pulled up twice and been beaten 57 and 58 lengths on his two completions.
But this doesn’t tell the whole story, firstly Mike Sowersby is not the most prolific of trainers and I’m sure Jupiter Road wasn’t exactly trained with peak fitness in mind when he ran in his three maidens. I’m guessing he was freshened up after his flat exploits and had an easy time of it.
It’s also interesting to me that Sowersby left off the usual cheekpieces which had helped improve Jupiter Road, so in a way, this helps explain the lacklustre runs. Jupiter Road is just one of those lazy horses that don’t seem to travel strongly without headgear.
I, therefore, think it’s highly significant they are re-applied in this weak handicap where he runs off a mark of just 71 and has the assistance of a good 7lb claimer who can net his mark down to just 64.
Now for the icing on the cake….
I have watched Jupiter Roads races and whilst he may have finished in the rear, I have to say he is an absolute natural at his hurdles. He is slick, low, and gains momentum over his hurdles.
If the cheekpieces help him travel, then he could easily bolt up here at huge odds of 66/1.
I, therefore, recommend 1 point each way.
He is still value at 20/1
