Long time readers of the blog will be familiar with the
horse I am going to put up for the Grand Annual at Cheltenham. I have backed
Croco Bay for the last two years (2015, 2016) in this race, and I am hoping he can make it third
time lucky in 2017. He was an excellent 3rd behind Next Sensation here back in
2015, beaten just 5L off 149.
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| Croco Bay is well worth another crack at Cheltenham. |
Last year he fell at the water when still going well, although
it was too soon to tell whether he would have played a part in the finish. He
got back in the winning groove off a mark of 141 at Worcester back in August,
and he was in the process of running a huge race back at Cheltenham (16f gd) in October,
unseating at the second last when looking booked for a place at the very least.
He retreated back into his shell after that run, and his
last two efforts have been less than inspiring. However, he is likely to have
been trained with this race firmly in mind by Ben Case, and his run at Wincanton
(15.5f soft) last month will have blown away any cobwebs after his mid winter
break. He should hopefully be in tip top shape next week, and he will get to
race off his last winning mark of 141.
Now, it is admittedly worrying that he has fallen on his
last two visits to Cheltenham, but when he is on his A-game his jumping is
usually quick and accurate. He has won on ground varying from soft to good to
firm, but he is at his very best on a decent surface. If he gets in he will
race off a feather weight, he will be 8lb better off than when 3rd two years
ago and at odds of 50/1 with Betfair (non runner no bet) he has to be worth a
pound or two each way.
STEVOS’ SELECTION:
GRAND ANNUAL-CROCO BAY E/W @ 50/1 (NRNB)
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