Trustatrader Peterborough Chase
 horse racing tipster
Grade 2, Cheltenham 13:55
£75,000 guaranteed,
4yo plus,
2m 3f 168y, Class 1  
Sunday 10th December 2023 - Abandoned

Sam Thomas is setting his sights on a thrilling challenge here with Al Dancer, who showcased his prowess last season by narrowly outdueling Gesskille in the Grand Sefton, recently reaffirmed his affinity for the iconic Merseyside course.

In the Old Roan Chase, he galloped to a valiant third-place finish despite carrying a career-high handicap rating. Notably, the race saw the omission of all the fences along the home straight.

The remarkable 10-year-old has been in sparkling form, commencing the season with a resounding victory at Chepstow. With some bookmakers offering odds as short as 7-1 on his chances of securing consecutive victories in the season's inaugural National fences contest on November 11, anticipation is building. Nonetheless, Al Dancer's astute trainer is taking a cautious approach, considering that the upcoming challenge might arrive a tad too early for the thriving grey.

The prudent decision is to postpone the Aintree venture by a month and set their sights on the Grade Two showdown at Huntingdon on December 10. This move reflects a desire to ensure that Al Dancer is in prime condition and can continue to dazzle the racing world in the coming months.

“I was absolutely delighted with him and he put in another very solid run in what was a very competitive race I thought,” said Thomas. 

“I don’t actually know if it helped or hindered him having the fences taken out, but it was just lovely to see him staying on again and run a really nice race off a career-high mark. We were absolutely thrilled.

“I think realistically the Grand Sefton will come a bit too soon. The reasoning behind going for the Old Roan was we felt he was in the form of his life and it is a very prestigious Grade Two race. We took our chance there and I would say it is fairly unlikely we will go to Aintree again now. 

“Potentially the Peterborough maybe, going the other way round, will suit him. He does jump out a bit to his right and lugs a bit right so that would certainly help him. I think that might be on the calendar, providing he’s in good shape to go there.”

BetZone

Trustatrader Peterborough Chase
£75,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 3f 189y, Class 1
6 runners
Going: Soft, Heavy in places

NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 1U25-2 Edwardstone 9 11-10 Alan King Tom Cannon
2 P17F-2 Janidil 9 11-10 W P Mullins Jody McGarvey
3 2411-1 Jetoile 8 11-10 Ryan Potter Daryl Jacob
4 221P-2 Solo 7 11-7 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden
5 /10-13 Al Dancer 10 11-4 Sam Thomas Charlie Deutsch
6 /3F2-2 First Flow 11 11-4 Kim Bailey David Bass

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