Tea For Free chasing five-timer in Sky Bet heat
Tea For Free will look to continue a superb run of form when he lines up in the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster on Saturday.
The eight-year-old has gone from strength to strength this season, winning four consecutive handicap chases and seeing his mark rise from 105 to a current figure of 138.
That mark leaves him to carry 11st 2lb on Town Moor, but conditional rider Lilly Pinchin will claim 3lb as Tea For Free bids to make it five on the spin for trainer Charlie Longsdon.
“He’s well and in good form, we’re looking forward to seeing him go,” said Longsdon.
“It’s a step up in class but we’ll see what happens. He’s progressed, he’s massively progressed and he’s gone up nearly 30lb in the handicap but it’s a big step forward, so we’ll see.
“He’s proven at the trip, if he can cope with a quicker pace and a step up in class then that’s great, but if not we’ll just think again.
“Lilly is taking weight off and we couldn’t be happier, we’ll just keep our fingers crossed.”
Top weight is Jamie Snowden’s Ga Law, winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup and stepping up in trip for the first time.
“He’s only a young horse with very few miles on the clock and you’d like to think there’s a degree of improvement in him, and hopefully part of that improvement comes from going up in trip as well,” said Snowden.
WHAT A FINISH!
The @paddypower Gold Cup did NOT disappoint 🔥
GA LAW wins it 👏 pic.twitter.com/5toHKkNjFW
— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) November 12, 2022
“He’s in the Ryanair this year and we’ll certainly think along those lines depending on how he gets on.”
Kerry Lee’s Demachine will line up under Caoilin Quinn for his first run since finishing mid-division in a Cheltenham handicap chase on New Year’s Day.
Prior to that the nine-year-old was second on better ground in the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase at Newbury in November.
“He’s in good form, he was due to run at Ascot last weekend but obviously that didn’t happen,” said Lee.
“I’m not entirely sure he was suited to the track at Cheltenham, so we’re trying a flat track.
“I think he’ll like the better ground, it was May when he last won and the ground was good officially, it was that time of year when the ground is a bit drier than winter good.”
Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Undersupervision landed the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster last term and returns to the same track to step down two furlongs in trip under the trainer’s son Sam.
Last seen pulled up at Newbury, the chestnut should benefit from better ground this time around.
“He didn’t really cope with the soft ground at Newbury, but we’re going back to Doncaster where he’s got form, so hopefully he’ll run really well,” Nigel Twiston-Davies told Sky Sports Racing.
“He is a stayer and we’ll want a nice, strong pace hopefully. He’s definitely got an each-way chance.
“So many horses haven’t run, so they’re all there.”
Elsewhere in the race is Jonjo O’Neill’s former Coral Gold Cup winner Cloth Cap, with Nicky Henderson represented by last season’s Scilly Isles second, Mister Coffey.
The reigning champion in the race is Brian Ellison’s Windsor Avenue, who defends his title under Ross Chapman.
Christian Williams’ Cap Du Nord, third in the past two runnings, competes again, with Tom George’s Java Point, the Stuart Coltherd-trained Cooper’s Cross, Nick Alexander’s Elvis Mail and Shanty Alley from Ben Case’s yard completing the field.
