Skip to main content

Harry whittington fancies the chances of simply the Betts for Cheltenham Andrew nelis

Betts is Andrew Nelis strong fancy for festival

Harry Whittington rates Simply The Betts his best chance of gaining a first Cheltenham Festival success in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase.
The Sparsholt handler believes the seven-year-old can continue his progression over fences in the extended two-and-a-half-mile Grade Three prize, for which he is as short as 8-1 favourite.
After losing his unbeaten record over fences at Kempton on Boxing Day, the Andrew and Kate Brooks-owned gelding bounced back to winning ways with an impressive victory over the Plate course and distance last time out.
Whittington said: “Simply The Betts has got a great chance in the Plate. He has improved beyond all recognition all season, coming through the handicaps.
“My dream plan was to win the Northern Trust Novices’ Handicap, but that was blown out of the water when he won last time at Cheltenham.
“We are in the Plate off 149 and we have got every chance – hopefully he is still improving and is ahead of the handicapper.
“He is unexposed and he has course and distance winning form, so we go there with lots of confidence.”
Whittington could be on the scoresheet before Simply The Betts takes to the track should Rouge Vif build on his success in the Kingmaker at Warwick in the Racing Post Arkle Novices’ Chase.
He said: “He was brilliant at Warwick and we hoped he might do that as we have a lot of faith in him. He is in great form and he will have one gallop, probably at the end of next week.
“He is battled hardened and he has got a lot of experience now. It is a wide open race and you can make a case for a few of them.
“Hopefully he will run a big race, which he should do if he turns up in good form on the day as he gives you everything.”
Saint Calvados will attempt to make it third time lucky at the Festival on his return to the top table in the Ryanair Chase, after failing to make the frame in both the 2018 Arkle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase 12 months ago.
He added: “Saint Calvados goes to the Ryanair Chase as a fresh horse. We did think about going to the Ascot Chase, but it was going right-handed on testing ground.
“He has proved he is better when he has a gap between races. He is going left-handed again, around a track which he has been running at all season.”
While Whittington feels Saint Calvados is no forlorn hope, he acknowledges he faces a tough task if he is to add to his win at the course earlier this season.
He added: “The weight-carrying performance on New Year’s Day at Cheltenham was solid. If we can ride him to stay, he will be there or thereabouts.
“Henry de Bromhead’s horse (A Plus Tard) looks the one to beat – we go there with a chance, but it will be tough back off level weights. “

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fury to contest the St Ledger Doncaster Andrew Nelis

Trainer Richard Spencer has identified the St Leger at Doncaster as the primary objective for his exciting colt Tyson Fury. The Newmarket handler confirmed in February of last year that the two-time heavyweight world champion had given his blessing for the Iffraaj colt to be named in his honour, with part-owner Phil Cunningham friendly with a member of Fury's team. While it has taken a while for the equine Tyson Fury to hit the racecourse, he produced a knockout display on his Doncaster debut earlier in the month, leaving connections dreaming of a tilt at Classic glory later in the year...                      Andrew Nelis Racing 

Epsom Derby Runners and riders 2020 Andrew Nelis

1 AMHRAN NA BHFIANN Sire : Galileo.  Trainer : Aidan O’Brien.  Official rating : --.  Odds : 50-1 Who will add their name to the Derby roll of honour? Positives : His sister, Was, won the Oaks on her third start in 2012, while his brother, Douglas Macarthur, finished seventh in the 2017 Derby after being deployed as a pacemaker. He himself offered something to work on when fourth in a Leopardstown maiden last time, when finishing behind three stablemates who subsequently all made their presence felt in the Irish Derby. His best days are ahead of him. Negatives : Has mountain to climb on form and even his master trainer has not pulled off the trick of winning the Derby with a twice-raced maiden. Indeed, the last maiden to win the race was in 1887. Verdict : Folly to underestimate anything his trainer runs but easy enough to looks elsewhere. 2 EMISSARY Sire : Kingman.  Trainer : Hugo Palmer.  Official rating : 98.  Odds : 33-1 ...

Enable looks to eclipse as next port of call Sandown Andrew Nelis

The  Coral -Eclipse at Sandown remains the most likely comeback target for superstar mare  Enable . The daughter of Nathaniel was just denied in her bid for an historic third consecutive victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at the end of last season, filling the runner-up spot behind Waldgeist to end her sequence of 12 straight victories. Less than a fortnight later, Enable’s owner-breeder Khalid Abdullah delighted racing fans by confirming his charge would stay in training as a six-year-old – with a return to Paris in the autumn top of the agenda. Connections decided against an appearance at Royal Ascot, but the owner’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe reports the  John Gosden -trained mare to be firmly on course for the Eclipse on July 5 following a pleasing workout under Frankie Dettori last week. “It’s been a gradual build-up – she’s a six-year-old mare, so I don’t think John wants to do anything too quickly,” Grimthorpe told Sky Sports Racing. “She’s ...