How to bet your £20 on Saturday: Card can produce right on Cue

Cue Card has won the last two runnings of the Betfair Chase by beating a handful of runners on heavy ground and it looks for all the world that bookmakers have underestimated the old boy’s chance of swatting aside young pretender Bristol De Mai at Haydock on Saturday.

What it comes down to for me is that the price offered about Cue Card belies the possibility that he is actually still very good, is rated 6lb higher than Bristol De Mai by Timeform and was the 2-1 favourite last month for the Charlie Hall Chase before he hit the deck going well five fences from home. The grey, who went on to win the race, was 6-1.

He would not be the first horse to be defeated in the Charlie Hall Chase and then roard back to victory at Haydock and the 2-1 with Ladbrokes and William Hill is more than fair. As Colin Tizzard said on Friday afternoon, the two horses should probably be vying for favouritism.

There is obviously a lot to like about Bristol De Mai, and that is not just the emotional attachment for some that he is a strong-travelling grey who has arguably put up the two best performances of his career at the Merseyside venue.

Daryl Jacob is likely to get an easy lead, his horse loves the mud and at six years old he is firmly on the upgrade.

If you want more reasons to get on board at around 6-4 then his two main rivals will be ridden by teenage jockeys with no experience of riding their mounts, too.

Tea For Two looks a big price at 12-1, given that he touched off Cue Card at Aintree last season and also handles soft ground, but the eight-year-old was never travelling at any stage in the Old Roan Chase and Nick Williams remains mystified at the performance. If we had an excuse to pin it all on, the double-figure price could well be value.

Earlier on the card the Betfair Each Way Edge Handicap Chase at 12.40 looks to be at the mercy of the in-form and improving Courtown Oscar, who ground his rivals in to submission in Saturday’s going last time at Carlisle.

He could well be better than Kerry Lee’s Russe Blanc, but I am willing to take a chance on Richard Johnson’s intended mount, even if he did twist a hip at Ascot on Friday and may not actually be in the plate at the Merseyside course. Trainer Kerry Lee was adamant on Friday night that the champion would take up his engagement.

Of the ten-year-old’s five wins three of them have been on heavy ground and his reappearance over hurdles at Carlisle three weeks ago showed great promise.

Russe Blanc gets in off 127, the same mark as when he pummeled his rivals in the Classic Chase at Warwick last year and he was an each-way price on Friday at 8-1 but the 13-2 available with Bet 365 is still respectable.

Lee has an extraordinary and profitble record when she has only one chaser at a course and was looking forward to running Russe Blanc at Haydock, even if she is set to be at Ascot on Saturday.

“I wouldn’t put you off him,” Lee said on Friday. “He’s back to the same sort of mark that he won at Warwick off and will have no problems in the ground or at the distance. He made a pleasing return last time and he’s in good form.”

Horses coming in to this 3m4 1/2 f event without the benefit of a prep run have a fairly good record, so do not dismiss bottom weight Emperor’s Choice, who won this off 135 two seasons ago and gets in off 127. It is easy to see why he is second favourite.

The Cash Out In Play With Betfair Graduation Chase at 1.15 looks a remarkably hot race and Born Survivor and Clan Des Obeaux seemingly have it all. Clan Des Obeaux travels strongly in his races, he jumps well and there is nothing wrong with his second to Whisper in a match last time.

Born Survivor was very impressive at Wetherby last time and heads north in preference to the Grade One Henry VII Novices Chase at Sandown next month.

I am just not sure either are perfectly suited to heavy going, whereas the smart Big River has no such issues.

Ridden and trained by Grand National-winning duo Derek Fox and Lucinda Russell, Big River was handed a bloodless win last time at Kelso when main rival Give Me Copper came a cropper at the second.

It is the same race that Russell and Fox introduced subsequent National winner One For Arthur in, and after the race last month Russell was eyeing a possible run in the Grade One novices chase at Kempton on Boxing Day. This is an altogether easier assignment.

I was looking at Mount Mews and Air Horse One for the Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle in order to oppose Clyne but neither turns up and looking at it, Evan Williams’s representative looks tough to beat. At seven years of age, however, he is older than most previous winners for all that he could be a good thing on ground he clearly relishes.

On official ratings he is miles clear but on adjusted ones, Timeform, Racing Post, or whichever you use, he is hardly top of the class. One horse who interests me greatly at a double figure price is Chti Balko.

Donald McCain’s yard is going great guns at the moment and his two winners at Catterick on Friday took his tally to seven for a strike-rate of 22% in the past 14 days.

McCain thought Chti Balko was good enough to run in the Grade One Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree in April, but he was never travelling and faded fast.

The five-year-old’s return at Newbury a few weeks ago should have him spot on for this and with a demolition job on heavy ground at Haydock last season under his girth he looks no 12-1 chance.

I do not fancy much else at Haydock, but Sam Spinner could be very good and the 9-1 does him little justice.

Over at Ascot I cannot split Top Notch and Smad Place in the Christy 1965 Chase, as my heart will always be with the dashing front-running grey. It is a crying shame that multiple Champion Hurdle runner-up My Tent Or Yours does not take on Defi Du Seuil in the Coral Hurdle as we would have got a measure on how good JP McManus’s unbeaten star really was.

As it is he faces a brace of perfectly respectable opponents in L’Ami Serge, a horse who is 2lb higher on official ratings at 159 and the admirable Lil Rockerfeller, who tops the charts on 160. It will be fascinating to see if he can confirm odds-on favouritism on his first start for 233 days. I cannot resist a few pounds on French Champion Hurdle winner L'Ami Serge at 100-30.

Geoffrey Riddle's How To Bet Your £20 on Saturday: (Prices correct at 5pm):

OPTION ONE:

12.40 Haydock: £5 Russe Blanc at 13-2 with Bet 365

1.15 Haydock: £4 Big River at 4-1 with Bet 365

1.50 Haydock: £2 Chti Balko each-way at 12-1 with Betfair, Ladbrokes and Paddy Power

2.25 Haydock: £2 Sam Spinner at 9-1 with Paddy Power

2.40 Ascot: £2 L'Ami Serge at a generally available 100-30

3.00 Haydock: £3 Cue Card at Ladbrokes and William Hill

OPTION TWO:

£5 each-way accumulator on Russe Blanc, Big River and Cue Card

£5 each-way on Sam Spinner

OPTION THREE:

£2 Placepot at Haydock:

12.10: (2) Dynamite Dollars

12.40: (7) Russe Blanc (8) Emperor's Choice

1.15: (1) Clan Des Obeaux (6) Big River

1.50: (5) Chti Balko (6) Diamond Fort

2.25: (11) Sam Spinner

3.00: (2) Cue Card

4.00 Ascot: £4 win L'Ami Serge