Wincanton top racing tip: The Widdow Maker can bounce back over preferred trip
Wincanton
In his search for course and distance form, the expert eye of Tipstrr racing pundit Steve Jones has fallen on The Widdow Maker, who should prefer this longer trip around one of his favourite tracks.
If we look beyond the unconvincing form of the short-priced favourite, then The Widdow Maker appears to offer value at the price, given his proven form over this trip.
The Widdow Maker hit winning form at this time last year, after which he was rated 140 in this sphere, a rating that stuck on his seasonal debut this term, so he looks very interesting just two completed starts later off just 132, particularly given his liking for this type of track configuration.
Hi last completed start came at Ludlow, which is another sharp, right-handed track, and he was beaten only 2.75 lengths, but finished clear of a 139-rated fourth-placed finisher (rated higher than any of Wednesday's opposition) who was most recently seen winning easily in a stronger Class 3 handicap than this one.
Given that useful piece of form, it is somewhat surprising that The Widdow Maker is now three pounds lower after what was his most recent completed start.
His only outing since then was in another Class 2 handicap, at Sandown early last month, when he was still disputing third place when falling at the second-last.
The Widdow Maker has raced over trips between 19f-20 furlongs on just four previous occasions, so the fact that his top three career performances include three of those four runs would appear to be highly significant.
He won here on good ground over hurdles and his only run over fences at this trip, which was on the flat track at Newbury in November, saw him beaten only by the very classy 154-rated Paint The Dream (now rated 158).
It would have been asking a lot for him to beat that rival, but he did pull well clear of three others who were all rated above today's standard (two of them well above).
There is nothing of the calibre of Paint The Dream in this line-up and The Widdow Maker is now six pounds lower, so he should have a good chance of landing this lower-graded handicap around the sort of tight, right-handed circuit on which he goes so well.
Next best bet: Any News
Of the others, Any News bounced right back to form at Kempton outlast time, finishing a close third of five in easily his best run of the season, which immediately makes him of interest given that his current mark of 127 is 11 pounds lower than at the start of last year (only four outings ago).
Provided his new cheekpieces are effective, and provided he gets this extra two furlongs (which seems likely on his favoured ground), then he should go very well.
