Amlin chase tomorrow

Have to agree again. FNS looks the bet at the prices and even gets weight from Finians.

Captain Chris for me

FNS was a freak performance at Aintree, be amazed if he can back that up

FR will go close but the King George is the real aim ar far as i'm concerned

I'm willing to give Captain Chris one last chance, I'd prefer better ground but right handed and receiving weight allround we'll see what ability he retains.

FR...wins 1st time every time, no issues with the ground for me, already proved it can handle it...will take a good deal of beating!

Betting looks correct to me. No bet.
Cracking race though!

Think I'll watch Captain Chris jump the first two or three and then back him if he looks back on his game. 10lb is a lot of weight for a talented horse to receive, especially seeing as Finian's will not likely be fully wound up first up. He is one that improves massively throughout the season and I'm sure connections will not want him to be trained to his peak tomorrow. He is a perfectly sound proposition first time out but this will be a far tougher assignment than he's faced first up in the past.

Captain Chris has never won on his seasonal debut and surely it has been proven that he is a spring horse.

But he was going to win last year if he hadn't gone at the last in a decent enough race...

Fair point Tom but the ground was good that day at Exeter.

Quote from the year before last from Hobbs.

"After race at Punchestown Thu, 5th May, 2011 (1st) We always felt two miles was on the short side for him. I know he won the Arkle but they say you need a two and a half mile horse to win that. We've often talked about going further with him, and ideally we would like to start him off over two and a half miles next season. The Amlin Chase (2m3f) at Ascot or the Haldon Gold Cup (2m2f) at Exeter are possibles. We are half thinking of the King George for him but obviously that's three miles and we don't know about that yet. Richard is very adamant that good ground is what he needs but he's a big horse and would not want it too firm. Soft ground in the depths of winter is not ideal. Philip Hobbs"

That's a worry then. I haven't seen the action at Ascot today so don't know how testing it is. Wouldn't have thought FR wants it like that either.

Captain Chris (if handling the ground) should win receiving 10 pounds from Finian's Rainbow.

Will hopefully force the pace.

GL

While the temptation is to treat the Aintree form with suspicion I'm going the other way and think FNS followed up some rock solid form last season with a deserved and predictable victory last time out. The distant second that day won at Cheltenham last weekend and the exploits of Cue Card, Al Ferof and Walkon this season makes FNS form of last season look pretty much bomb proof. He'll act on the ground, love the trip and I think he'll beat FR tomorrow. My bet of the day.