Barbers Shop looks a cut above in Charlie Hall Chase
A horse who has not won a race for nearly two years hardly appears the soundest chance for the big race of a busy Saturday.
However, Barbers Shop can win the Grade Two bet365 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby. Barbers Shop has been taking on the best and has not been disgraced too often so this race should be within his compass.
He did not run up to form on his final two starts of last year – finishing down the field at both the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals – but his overall race profile shows that he is at his best fresh and his trainer, Nicky Henderson, has a 30% strike-rate at this course.
Henderson’s Duc de Regniere is another who can perform first time out and can win the Grade Two John Smith's West Yorkshire Hurdle. He has won eight of his 18 starts over fences and hurdles, seems to have little trouble switching between the two and looks the most consistent in a field of horses with a lot of question marks against them.
The same can be said for several of the runners in the Listed bet365 Ben Marshall Stakes at Newmarket. Nationalism had made such a strong impression in his first four starts – winning two and second in the others - that he was sent off as market leader for the Cambridgeshire four weeks ago. A low draw did for his chances but he looked progressive before that and could well make the step up to this class against some largely exposed rivals.
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