14:10 Cheltenham (Pertemps Network Final)
Rocklander @ 25/1 (each-way)
Another day at the Cheltenham Festival and another hugely competitive big-field handicap is the focus. Once again, there’s plenty in here who deserve respect; Jury Duty, Impulsive Star, Presenting Percy and For Good Measure are closely grouped at the head of the early market, while the eight-timer-chasing Tobefair certainly can’t be discounted, alongside several others. However, the one who really stands out at the prices is Tom George’s Rocklander.
Having won on handicap debut back in November, this eight-year-old hasn’t looked back and has steadily progressed with each run since. His close-up 2nd over C&D on New Years Day, on ground that was a lot slower than ideal, is reasonable form, as is his 2nd behind Impulsive Star last time out.
You could look at that last run and discount him on the basis that he’s finished three and a half lengths behind a rival who re-opposes here, but that might not be the wisest move since that was another race on soft ground. After all, this is a horse who doesn’t appear to be short on speed so the better ground is certainly in his favour.
This is obviously a warm contest so he may need to show further improvement to lay down a serious challenge, but it’s unlikely that we’ve seen the best of this one just yet, and, on ground that’s sure to suit, with what should be a decent pace to aim at, Tom George’s runner makes for an excellent each-way bet. Especially since he’s more than twice the price of Impulsive Star!
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