TippingGraeme Rodway

Graeme Rodway has struck with 5-2 and 100-30 winners - can he make it a perfect hat-trick with his final tip?

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Oxygen
1.10 Plumpton
1pt win

Fierce Warrior
1.40 Plumpton
1pt win

Sir Rock
3.10 Plumpton
1pt win

It’s perfect jumping ground for Plumpton’s annual pre-Christmas fixture and the picturesque East Sussex track has been rewarded with a bumper entry. All bar one of the seven races features a double-figure field and the best bet there runs in the 13-runner 2m4½f maiden hurdle (1.40).

Nicky Henderson is 10-39 with runners at Plumpton in the last five seasons and a £1 bet on all of his representatives in that time has yielded a profit of £16.64. The Seven Barrows trainer clearly likes a winner here and has been dominating the novice hurdle division this season.

Shanagh Bob was the latest to add his name to a growing list of smart novices that includes Willmount, Jeriko Du Reponet, Jingko Blue and Jango Baie, when winning a Grade 2 at Cheltenham on Saturday, and I like it when a stable hits form with a certain type of horse.

That’s because it’s fair to assume they are all working together at home, bringing each other along, and for that reason Fierce Warrior must be backed to win for the first time over hurdles.

Even if Fierce Warrior isn’t in the same class as the aforementioned novices, he should have benefited from training alongside them and Henderson must think he is smart himself because in a Racing Post stable tour the trainer said: “There’s little doubt he could be more than all right.”

Fierce Warrior comes here after a disappointing effort on his hurdles debut at right-handed Market Rasen last month, when he finished 14 and a half lengths behind winner Norman Fletcher in fifth and looked wayward, particularly at his obstacles where he tended to jump violently left.

He needs to improve on that, but was equally disappointing when beaten 13 and a half lengths in a Huntingdon bumper in April on his debut, after going off 3-1 joint-favourite, and that didn’t stop him taking a big step forward a month later to win a bumper at left-handed Worcester.

Maybe he is the type who improves for an outing, and Henderson said Fierce Warrior had “strengthened up considerably” over the summer. If he did put on condition, he should have benefited from a run, plus the form of his last race is solid anyway.

The winner went on to defy a penalty at Aintree next time and Fierce Warrior might be able to give that form line further substance, with the return to a left-handed track certain to suit.

Henderson’s former assistant Toby Lawes might be among the winners later on the card because I fancy the Sir Rock to land the 2m3½f handicap chase (3.10).

The son of Shirocco finished first and second in a couple of Irish point-to-points in January and has shown a good level of form over hurdles since joining the Lawes team. However, the switch to chasing for the first time under rules promises to bring improvement from Sir Rock.

His brother is Thunder Rock who, despite disappointing at Cheltenham on Saturday, is a three-time winner over fences. He has a BHA rating of 146 and Sir Rock runs off just 93.

He clearly doesn’t have the same level of ability as his sibling, but there should be scope for him to win races over fences off that lowly rating, and he can be forgiven his fifth at Huntingdon last time when he was taken on for the lead yet was still bang there at the last.

He had previously finished third behind dual subsequent winner Top Cloud at Stratford and a reproduction of that form on his chasing debut would give Sir Rock a chance from 1lb lower.

My final selection is Oxygen, who looks like an outstanding bet to continue the incredible run of Venetia Williams-trained chasers by landing the 2m3½f novice handicap chase (1.10).

Cepage and Heva Rose were the latest to advertise the excellent form of Williams with her chasers when landing feature events at Cheltenham on Friday and Hereford on Saturday.

Oxygen showed improved form when cosily winning a 2m4f handicap chase at Lingfield last month. He has gone up 8lb in the weights, but that was his first run following wind surgery and just his second start over fences.

He is open to plenty more progress and is taken to defy the rise.


Read these next:

The Punt Acca: Liam Headd's three horseracing tips for Plumpton and Musselburgh on Monday afternoon 

Monday's free racing tips: six horses to consider putting in your multiples 


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