BROADCLYST (nb)– 4.45 WINCANTON
E/W WAY ADVISED AT 13/2 (with Betfair Sportsbook & Paddy Power).
I’m looking forward to this competitive handicap as I’m expecting it to be a tight affair which may well produce an exciting finish and be thrilling to watch. There are reasons to believe Broadclyst can come out on top so I’m happy to take a chance on him at 13/2. He ran an absolute blinder here over C&D on Boxing Day, in a very similar race to this in what is likely and hopefully going to be (with further rain forecast) similarly Heavy ground, to only go down by a neck to Paul Nicholls’ excellent subsequent winner Worthy Farm.
On that occasion, he beat both the re-opposing Air Navigator & Le Boizelo by 2.75 & 6.75 lengths respectively & I can see him doing it again despite being 8lb & 5lb worse off with them. The reason being he was facing race-fit rivals that day (who already had 2 & 3 runs respectively this season) while he was coming back off a 264 day break.
Broadclyst admittedly hasn’t been in quite the same form since but I’m hopeful, now fully fit on his fourth start of the season, returned to this C&D, with this former 3-times 3-mile PTP winner looking best suited by today’s conditions, and with the in-form Bryan Carver (Season: 23-123, 19%) (Last 14 days: 3-6, 50%) back in the saddle for the first time since, taking a very useful 5lb off his back in the stamina sapping easy ground, that the selection can get back on track. Each way advised at the price in this 8-runner affair. Let’s hope we have no non-runners.