Troytown Preview: Elliott offers the value

After Total Recall bolted up in the Munster National on his first start for Willie Mullins since leaving Sandra Hughes many punters will have been rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the return of Acapella Bourgeois, who has made the same move for the same connections (both horses owned by the Slaneyville Syndicate). Acapella Bourgeois looks to be on a good mark on the pick of his form, too, which came when he ran out a wide-margin winner of the Ten Up Novices’ Chase over the same C&D last season. That race was unsatisfactory (his rider Roger Loughran was allowed to build up a lead of more than 20 lengths before the halfway stage and nothing was able to land a blow) but even on the form of his win in a beginners chase prior to that a mark of 149 does look workable, and he is easily forgiven his last two starts of the campaign (may well prove best on testing ground).

Acapella Bourgeois has by no means been missed in the market for this race, however, and current odds of around 3/1 (mostly shorter) for a big-field handicap don’t make a great deal of appeal, for all he has plenty going for him.

Gordon Elliott has made many of these valuable handicaps his own in recent seasons and the Troytown is no different, his six entries in this year’s renewal bidding to give the yard a fourth consecutive win in the race. Elliott’s best chance based on the current market would be General Principle, who was a tough novice chaser last season, ending his season by finishing fifth in the Irish Grand National. He had a pipe-opener over hurdles at Clonmel earlier in the month, which should have put him spot on for this, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him do better during his second season over fences.

Also of interest for Elliott is Mala Beach, who is lightly raced for a nine-year-old, and has an air of unfinished business about him when it comes to fences. A dual-Grade 2 winner over hurdles, he was second in the 2016 Thyestes Chase before falling two out (yet to be asked for his effort, probably would have won) in the Grade 2 Bobbyjo Chase. He wasn’t seen for 19 months after his disappointing run in the Irish National but made a pleasing enough reappearance at Galway in October, finishing runner-up to a subsequent winner. A mark of 148 is workable and he looks a solid each-way option at around 10/1 against the red-hot favourite.

Others to mention include Hurricane Darwin and Whatareudoingtome (who wears the J.P. McManus first silks), who are closely matched on account of their 1-2 finish in a handicap at the track in September. Of the pair the latter could be of slightly more interest here given that he was hampered/put on the back foot early on that day. Last Goodbye is another second-season chaser that could have more to offer this term. He ran a cracker in the Close Brothers Novices’ Chase at last season’s Cheltenham Festival when hampered at a crucial stage and is on a fair mark based on that.

Overall this race revolves around Acapella Bourgeois and he will probably win, though it is hard to make a strong tipping case for him at the current odds and this does open the race up nicely from an each-way point of view. Gordon Elliott has an outstanding record in this race and Mala Beach, who probably hasn’t shown his best yet in this sphere, could be the bet at around 10/1.

Recommendation:

Back Mala Beach each-way at 10/1 for the Troytown Chase at Navan on Sunday