Warwick Placepot Pointers: Keep a close eye on the Skelton contenders

Tuesday and the Cheltenham Festival are edging closer but before then, there is some excellent racing to look forward to, including a Sunday card from Warwick.

There's an eight-race offering, with the second race on the card, a Novices' Championship Hurdle Qualifier (14:07 - Leg 2 of Placepot), while another highlight is the Class 3 handicap chase at 15:42 (Leg 5 of the Placepot).

The last meeting at Warwick on the 26th February yielded a Placepot dividend of £24.50 but there is a good chance the pay-out will be higher here given how competitive the card is.

The going ahead of this meeting is 'Soft, Good to Soft' in places on the hurdles course, while it is 'Good to Soft, Soft in places' on the chase.

Brothers Dan and Harry Skelton head the respective trainer and jockey winners charts this season at Warwick. Dan has had 10 winners from the 41 horses he has saddled, giving him a strike-rate of 24 per cent.

Meanwhile, Harry is right in the hunt for the Jockeys' Championship amd has had 10 winners from 39 rides at the course, at a strike-rate of 26 per cent.

The partnership is worth keeping an eye on again at their local track as the Lodge Hill stable continue to be in good form. They will be hoping to kick in a few winners ahead of the Festival next week.

Dan Skelton-Harry Skelton partnership runners on the card:

13:37 (Leg 1) - Finistere

14:07 (Leg 2) - Calico

14:37 (Leg 3) - Danse Idol

15:12 (Leg 4) - Embole

16:15 (Leg 6) - Diomede Des Mottes

EMBOLE (15:12, Leg 4) has really hit top form over the last few weeks with victories coming at Wetherby and Southwell. In the latter of those two wins, he prevailed by just over nine lengths and the margin of success could have been bigger had Harry Skelton not eased his horse up in the closing stages. It is unlikely that a 7lb penalty will stop this horse from being in the conversation at the finish here as he bids to complete his hat-trick.

DUKE OF EARL (14:07, Leg 2) made a modest start to his career at Ludlow, running on well late in the race to finish sixth of 13. That two-mile contest was on heavy ground and it was obvious he had run green on that debut. The experience of that race should help him so expect Kim Bailey's runner to be better prepared for this latest effort.

WESTERN CLIMATE (15:42, Leg 5) was pulled-up at Chepstow (3m2f, heavy) on his latest appearance on the track but a return to his happy hunting ground could help him bounce back from that disappointing effort. Not only did this horse win this race 12 months ago, he rarely runs badly at Warwick. The 12-year-old is the most experienced runner in this contest and he should not be forgotten about because of that poor outing last month.

PINK LEGEND (14:37, Leg 3) is unlikely to have it all her way in this mares' chase. There are just six runners but you really can make a case for the majority of the field, including Deja Vu and Danse Idol. Venetia Williams' runner won on her debut over fences at Bangor but she has been unable to follow that up in four attempts since. She is worth taking on in the third leg of the Placepot.

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Leg 1: 6 Finistere

Leg 2: 1 Calico, 3 Duke Of Earl

Leg 3: 1 Danse Idol, 3 Deja Vu

Leg 4: 10 Embole

Leg 5: 6 Western Climate, 8 A Time To Shine

Leg 6: 4 Diomede Des Mottes, 8 Ballymillsy

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