With Thursday skipped due to nothing appealing on the betting front, I was hopeful today would offer some fruitful looking opportunities, but I’ve ultimately been left with just the one play. However, it’s a very solid one and one I was surprised to see at such a price.
The Southwell card is dominated by the appearance of Constitution Hill of course, but I would not be at all surprised to see many fingers burnt on him. Of course he is a classy animal on the National Hunt scene, albeit he has his quirks, but this is a very different proposition.
Nicky Henderson is no stranger to the Flat or the All Weather, he proves profitable following over the Flat to the level stakes, but there is nothing in Constitution Hill’s pedigree to suggest he will excel here, and he goes against a few who set a decent enough standard on proven Flat form.
I was keen to have a good go at the race, what with Constitution Hill taking a big chunk of the betting, but the book just didn’t make it a betting race for me. I was leaning towards Dan Skelton’s Gambino for a price (10/1), but there wasn’t a great deal of juice in the price there, or not enough to tempt me in anyway.
Betsen @ 9/1
Betsen @ 9/12pt Win | Southwell 18:30
T: Tony Carroll | J: Billy Loughnane
Result: Placed – 3/12 -2pts | In touch with leaders, steady headway and prominent over 3f out, pressed leader over 2f out, kept on (SP 13/2)
Betsen has been one who has haunted me over the last few months, on account of putting him in my tracker before he had even had his first run for Tony Carroll, purely on account of the entries they were making for him.
He was sprinkled with a few entries in Class 2 Handicaps when he joined them from over in Ireland, which stood out as a noteable move as they could’ve pitched him into far calmer water for his stable debut.
He ended up taking up one of those entries, going for a Class 2 Handicap here at Southwell in November, and duly obliged at odds of 40/1. I can assure you I was sicker than a sick thing when I saw that result come in.
He has been a beaten favourite last twice, running a fair 4th on both occasions and finishing with credit on both fronts, in Class 3 and Class 4 Handicaps off a 2lb higher mark, though neither track appeared to overly suit him.
He fetches back to Southwell now, down 1lb so just 1lb above his last winning mark, and comes here for a Class 4 Handicap, so he is in far calmer company than he previously met here. The favourite here, Vantheman, won a very mediocre affair at Newcastle, only just seeing a thoroughly exposed sort in Arnhem, and has looked steps up in trip here from his usual 5f.
He gets a hugely positive Jockey booking in Billy Loughnane, who has operated on the All-Weather with a near 20% strike rate over the last year and a bit, from nearly 800 rides – An incredible level of consistency.
Betsen for me looks an outstanding bet at the prices and I’m very surprised isn’t half the price on account of going back to the scene of his last win, in far better company.
Best of luck with your punting today,
