Saturday Tips

Anita Chambers makes Southfield Stone her best Saturday bet and has a tip for every race at every meeting.

Conditions have dried up just in time for Southfield Stone in the Close Brothers Handicap Chase at Kempton on Saturday.

Trained by Paul Nicholls, the eight-year-old certainly has more to offer over fences than we have had chance to see to date.

He simply must have good ground to be seen at his best, as he showed when beating the talented Angels Breath in the Dovecote Novices' Hurdle at this meeting two years ago.

Flat tracks definitely suit him best too, which was why, despite winning that Grade Two, Nicholls did not even send him to Cheltenham that year, instead waiting for Aintree where soft ground scuppered him.

As he did not win his first novice chase until February last season having had the misfortune of bumping into some smart recruits, he was still eligible for a novice in October, when he beat the subsequent Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Coole Cody.

He has subsequently been put in his place by Protektorat, although there was no disgrace in that considering he was giving him weight, and then bogged down in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup won by Chatham Street Lad.

That run though, along with his effort in Grade One company at Aintree, are the only times he has been out of the frame in 17 starts and his consistency must be admired.

It is not hard to make a case for him as he is trained by a master, has his ground, loves the track and arrives having won a jumpers' bumper most recently, beating the smart Didtheyleaveuoutto.

Nicholls could also be on the mark with Atholl Street in the Sky Bet Dovecote Novices' Hurdle.

The six-year-old appears a chaser of the future, and the fact he is owned by Trevor Hemmings suggests that is what he was bought for, but he has looked very good over the smaller obstacles too.

Both his wins have come at Taunton and while he had a subsequent winner back in fourth the first time, it was the way he won under a penalty on the second occasion that suggested he was way above average.

That form is nothing to write home about, but we will get to see what he is made of here.

Alan King's Tritonic should book his place in the Triumph Hurdle with a victory in the Close Brothers Adonis Juvenile Hurdle.

A smart performer on the level, he was made to work hard to win on his hurdling debut at Ascot but, if anything, that just showed him in a better light.

The ground was softer than he likes and the runner-up was gifted a big early lead, but Tritonic dug deep to win.

He may end up being the leading British four-year-old after this.

Ga Law looks the one to be on in the Close Brothers Pendil Novices' Chase.

Jamie Snowden's stable star won his first three over fences, including a Grade Two and lost little in defeat when third to Allmankind over an inadequate two miles. This trip will suit better.

The ground will be much more testing at Newcastle, which will mean the trip of over four miles and a furlong will really take some getting in the Vertem Eider Handicap Chase.

That should not matter to The Dutchman, though, who could just prove the class act.

Narrowly beaten at Haydock on his penultimate outing, he fell four out when still in contention in the Rowland Meyrick at Christmas.

He was in the process of running a big race in Tiger Roll's second Grand National when a faller at the Foinavon fence second time around and while that seems an awfully long time ago now, nothing else in this field would have had the ability to have done that.

It is the Betway Winter Derby at Lingfield, where Marco Botti's Felix should take plenty of beating.

In the trial for this event, Hollie Doyle attempted to come from behind off a slow pace and when she eventually hit top gear on Felix, it was too late.

They only went down narrowly to Bangkok and Doyle will not make the same mistake twice. He can prove too streetwise for Father Of Jazz.

SELECTIONS

CHELMSFORD: 5.30 Supercontango, 6.00 Sheldon Cooper, 6.30 Sir Hector, 7.00 Silent Queen, 7.30 Epic Express, 8.00 Engrave, 8.30 Headley George.

FAIRYHOUSE: 1.10 Tax For Max, 1.45 Jason The Militant, 2.17 Stranger Danger, 2.52 Burrows Saint, 3.25 Choungaya, 4.00 Thereisnodoubt, 4.35 Goulane Jessie, 5.10 Glengouly.

KEMPTON: 1.15 Hometown Boy, 1.50 Ga Law, 2.25 Tritonic, 3.00 Atholl Street, 3.35 SOUTHFIELD STONE (NAP), 4.10 Captain Blackpearl, 4.45 Guardino.

LINGFIELD: 11.45 Ricksen, 12.20 Glentaneous, 12.55 Intuitive, 1.25 Ooh Is It, 2.05 Lord Riddiford, 2.40 Felix, 3.10 Cardano, 3.43 Arabescato.

NEWCASTLE: 1.35 Wetlands, 2.10 Black Pirate, 2.45 Robin Des Theatre, 3.15 The Dutchman, 3.50 Hooligan, 4.25 Ascot De Bruyere, 5.00 Red Ochre.

DOUBLE: Southfield Stone and Tritonic.