COOLE CODY did my readers and me a massive favour last season when he landed the Paddy Power Gold Cup after we had backed him heavily each way at 33-1.
The win was all the more impressive because he slipped badly after the fourth fence, losing several lengths, and then made another mistake at the third-last. In fact, there weren’t many braver front-running performances all season as Evan Williams’ gelding somehow found the energy to race up the famous Cheltenham hill when pressed by rivals at the last fence. He returned to Cheltenham for the Festival in March, and ran another big race to be fourth to The Shunter in the Paddy Power Plate.
For this year’s contest in ten days’ time, Coole Cody will be 4 lbs higher in the ratings, running off a mark of 141. But his seasonal comeback run over hurdles at Cheltenham, second to the well-handicapped Guard Your Dream, suggested he is as good as ever. He has few miles on the clock for his age – he is ten – and veterans’ chases may have to wait for now.
I also like the fact that the horse is so versatile when it comes to conditions. He has winning form on everything from “good” to “soft” ground, and he will not be out of it if it comes up “heavy”. It will be interesting to see whether Adam Wedge or Tom O’Brien takes the ride, as the former is the stable jockey but the latter gets on with him so well.
The list of dangers is long, but could include another Williams’ horse, Coconut Splash, who is almost certainly a lot better than his current rating of 137, the mark Coole Cody won this race off last year. Coconut Splash has an entry this coming weekend at Wincanton, however, and is not certain to make the line-up at Cheltenham. He might also be suited by a longer trip. Galahad Quest is another potential improver for Williams, but he is far from certain to make the “cut” off a mark of 135. If either Coconut Splash or Galahad Quest makes the final line-up, I may well go into the race double-handed.
For now take only the general 20-1 each way on Coole Cody with several bookmakers. It’s interesting that the shrewd layers at bet365 make him only a 14-1 shot.
One for the horse tracker
I have long admired Fergal O’Brien as a trainer. After his flying start to the season, he looks set to start winning some bigger races. One horse that could be a star for him this year is Silver Hallmark, who ran a splendid seasonal debut at Carlisle on Sunday. Yes, he was beaten more than ten lengths into fourth of just five finishers by Fiddlerontheroof, but he was giving Colin Tizzard’s talented rival no less than 6 lbs. The race time was impressive, too. Silver Hallmark will come on stacks for his first run in seven months, and will almost certainly be better over three miles or more. Don’t rule him out of the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury if he lines up for that race at the end of this month.
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Maximum bets record for the 2021-2 jumps season
Pending:
1 point each way Spyglass Hill at 20-1 for Grand Sefton Chase, with Paddy Power, Betfair or BetVictor, ¼ odds, 4 places.
1 point each way Coole Cody at 20-1 for the Paddy Power Gold Cup, generally, ¼ odds, 4 places.
1 point each way Any Second Now at 20-1 for the 2022 Grand National, with bet365, ¼ odds, 5 places.
My record over the past six years
I have made a profit in 11 or the past 12 seasons, providing my “maximum bets” in a newsletter to a small group of friends. To a 1 point level stake over this period, I have made a profit of more than 380 points. All bets are either 1 point each way or 2 points win. In one jumps’ season alone, I made more than 110 points.
All of my 17 bookmaker accounts has now either been closed or heavily restricted, so I have decided to write a newsletter rather than take on the old enemy every week myself.
This was my assessment of the October 2021 Cesarewitch at Newmarket in my newsletter sent out more than five weeks before the race:
“Willie Mullins will probably win the Cesarewitch with one of his giant string. Last year I put up Great White Shark at 14-1 as a ‘max bet’ and he romped it, backed into 9-2 favourite. That was relatively easy as the horse was Mullins's only entry in the race and he ticked lots of boxes. This year is much more difficult because the canny Irishman has no less than thirteen entries and I have no idea which horses will and will not run. So I am looking elsewhere for value...
“Dual purpose horses have a good record in the race and jumps trainer Nicky Henderson has just one entry in the race: BUZZ. This gelding is very well handicapped now on the Flat compared with his jumps rating of 155, recorded when he was second in the Grade 1
Aintree Hurdle on his latest start. Buzz goes on most ground and is Henderson's only entry in the race so I am hoping this race is very much his target for the autumn before another hurdles; campaign. Take the 16-1 with Skybet or Betfred paying five places.”
Buzz won the 2021 Cesarewitch at a starting price of 8-1, a 20 points profit to the recommended bet.