Gowran Park best bet: Gordon Elliott lines up Fakir D’alene for bold bid
Highland Hunter (right) winning the Betfair Exchange London National Handicap Chase
Gordon Elliott has won this race twice in recent years, as well as providing a whole host of other placed finishers during that time, including the second, third and fourth last year.
14:50 GowranPark: Goffs Thystes Handicap Chase (3 miles 1 furlong)
The trainer fields six of this year’s 18 starters and his most interesting runner has to be Fakir D’alene, who should still be fresh having been brought down, through no fault of his own, as early as the fifth fence in the very valuable Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown (24.5 furlongs on soft) just after Christmas, a race for which he was prominent in the market.
The reason for that market support was his previous outing, in which he finished third of 20 in the valuable Grade 3 Troytown Handicap at Navan (24f on soft-heavy) the previous month.
Suggested best bet: Fakir D’alene each-way in the 14:50 at Gowran Park
The fact that he was able to excel in a contest as classy and competitive as the Troytown on his first completed start under Rules since March 2022, was some achievement and it bodes well for further success in these high-class staying chases.
He has always been a classy performer and his last completed start prior to that long absence saw him finish fourth of 20 in the Kim Muir at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.
Having proved that he has lost none of his ability, he looks an attractive proposition off today’s effective mark of 137, which is unchanged from the effective mark he had in the Troytown and 4lbs below his effective mark in the Kim Muir.
Very interestingly, Danny Gilligan, who takes off a valuable 5lbs, used his claim when riding Coco Beach for Gordon Elliott to win the aforementioned Troytown Handicap in November, in which Fakir D’alene finished third.
- Tips and analysis provided by Steve Jones who runs CD Systems Daily Bargain on Tipstrr
Of the others, Street Value looks a lively contender, having hit form in a major way on his last two outings, landing the Listed Porterstown Handicap at Fairyhouse (29.5 furlongs on soft)last month.
That proved his vast reserves of stamina, and he ran almost as well, considering he was dropping back almost 10 furlongs in trip, on his latest run, when he finished third of six in a two-and-a-half-mile handicap at Cork.
Now back up to three miles off an unchanged mark, he looks set to go well once again because he loves testing ground, and he won around here in his hurdling days, as well as finishing runner-up in a valuable event in his only previous handicap over these fences.
Danny Mullins knows him better than anyone and has ridden him to both chasing wins.
Next Best bet: Street Value each-wayin the 14:50 at Gowran Park
READ MORE: Huntingdon racing tips: Best bets for Thursday January 25
