Taunton Races 301214
Unsurprisingly, Paul Nicholls is far and away the leading trainer at Taunton, which is just a short trip down the A303 from his Ditcheat yard, but his 31% strike rate overall is still pretty impressive. The champion trainer saddles five at his local track on Wednesday, January 10 and we’ve selected three of them for our multiple bet this week.
Overland Flyer (1.05) hasn’t been seen in public since winning a restricted race, over 3 miles, at Larkhill point-to-point in February and makes his debut for the yard, but is a promising young horse who commands respect on his debut under Rules. In fact, his trainer has nominated him as one to follow in the coming months, so a winning start looks on the cards.
Captain Buck’s (1.35) has also been absent since April, when a beaten favourite in bumper over an extended 2 miles on this course. However, the runner-up in that race, Only For Love, went on to complete a hat-trick, so the form looks fair enough and Captain Buck’s may well improve again for the step up to 2 miles 3 furlongs.
Last, but hopefully not least, Volpone Jelois (2.40) was all out to win a maiden hurdle on the course last month, but demonstrated his battling qualities and is another who should appreciate stepping up in distance. Still only a four-year-old, of course, he has room for improvement in his jumping, but nevertheless has the makings of a decent novice.
Selections: Taunton 1.05 Overland Flyer, Taunton 1.35 Captain Buck’s, Taunton 2.40 Volpone Jelois, 1-point Win Patent
