Ryanair Chase – Fakir D’Oudairies – 33/1 William Hill & Corals, generally 25/1
Fakir D’Oudairies has shown a liking for Cheltenham with a decent staying on 4th in last year’s Supreme Hurdle and an excellent 2nd in this year’s Arkle, where, but for a mistake at the 2nd last, he might well have won. His jumping is an asset as he’s usually very accurate at his fences and will surely be stepped up to this more suitable trip next year, as connections suggested they felt he wants further and it was a bit of a surprise to see them opt for the Arkle over the Marsh Chase run over ½ mile further. His only run over the longer trip resulted in a facile victory at Fairyhouse, although Samcro was upside when departing 2 out. He’s been an extremely consistent and high class performer for Joseph O’Brien, winning 4 of his 9 races to date and placing 2nd four times; he was 4th in his only other run, the Supreme, last season, where he was outpaced over the 2 mile trip but stayed on well. Still only a 5yo, he has plenty more improvement to come and when you consider Samcro is as low as 10/1, the 33/1 about this chap is completely wrong. Looking at the current Odds, Min, this year’s winner, will be a 10yo and perhaps won a slightly below par race this year. We’re not sure the Marsh Chase was top class this season and would prefer Fakir over any that ran in that race. Saint Calvados and A Plus Tard still need to continue to improve, although perhaps A Plus Tard wasn’t at his best a couple of weeks ago. We feel Fakir D’Oudairies has as strong a claim as any at this stage, with this race looking very much the most suitable target for him. Even a year out, he looks a really good bet.