It seems I wasn’t alone in fancying
Wilcos Mo Chara last week. Donald McCain’s charge was sent off 7/2
second favourite, but barely went a yard and was struggling before
halfway. Jockey Jason Maguire reported that the gelding was never
travelling, but in the absence of any further explanation for the
poor performance, Wilcos Mo Chara looks best left alone for the time
being.
So, it’s a question of ‘pick
ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again’ this
week, but Singlefarmpayment has made steady progress this
season and should (at the very least) run his race in the Wrexham
Lager Handicap Hurdle (4.25) at Bangor-on-Dee. The Milan gelding was
far from disgraced when fourth of eight, beaten 8¾ lengths, behind
Polamco in a Class 2 affair at Newbury over Christmas and, back in
Class 4 company, must have every chance off the same handicap mark.
Tom Lacey’s 5-year-old has yet to
encounter properly soft ground, but his pedigree suggests that he may
even improve a little under more testing conditions and, if so, the
5/1 currently available in the early price lists would start to look
very generous indeed. Indeed, Singlefarmpayment is entitled to be
open to significant improvement in any case, after just four
completed starts over hurdles and will almost certainly prove better
than his current handicap mark of 115 in due course.
Selection: Bangor-on-Dee 4.25
Singlefarmpayment to win