Anthony Honeyball Targets Coral Trophy
Kempton & Southwell host premier raceday cards today. We concentrate on the jumping action at Kempton where the Coral Trophy handicap chase is the most valuable race on the card.
Blackjack Magic is a proven stayer over three miles and is preferred over Lord Baddesley. Earlier this season, Blackjack Magic won the Badger Beer handicap chase at Wincanton. The runner-up Threeunderthrufive franked that form big time with his win at Ascot last Saturday. Threeunderthrufive has gone up 9lbs in the handicap since his Wincanton defeat.
I like that Blackjack Magic raced prominently at Wincanton which is a similar course to Kempton. He quickened clear of the field with Threeunderthrufive to win snugly come the finishing line. Trainer Anthony Honeyball reckons the ground was too quick when Blackjack Magic finished fourth in a good handicap at Ascot just before Christmas. It was the same issue with good ground at Sandown three weeks ago.
The official ground at Kempton is soft and heavy in places. That is ideal for Blackjack Magic who stays strongly. A rating of 138 looks fair and first-time blinkers are applied to help win this valuable prize. Sam Twiston-Davies takes over from Rex Dingle who rides Lord Baddesley. I am not reading too much into that jockey change. Anyways, Sam has ridden the most winners for trainer Anthony Honeyball this season and is very strong in the saddle.
Kempton 3:37
1 point each way Blackjack Magic 5/1 generally, 4 places.
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Past Results
Click to see past Big Saturday Race Preview Tips results
The Coral Trophy is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres), and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late February.
The race was first run in 1949, but in 1988 it was rebranded as the Racing Post Chase and increased in value. The sponsorship by the Racing Post continued until 2011. In the 2012 the sponsorship was taken over by rival weekend newspaper Racing Plus who backed the race until 2013, and in 2014 the sponsorship passed to BetBright. It was sponsored by Betdaq in 2018, 888sport in 2019, Betway in 2020 and Close Brothers Group in 2021. In 2022 Ladbrokes Coral took over the sponsorship. The race held Grade 3 status until 2022 and was re-classified as a Premier Handicap from the 2023 running when Grade 3 status was renamed by the British Horseracing Authority.
Winners over past 10 years
| Year | Winner | Age | Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Our Power | 8 | 10-08 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Sam Thomas |
| 2022 | Cap Du Nord | 9 | 10-00 | Jack Tudor | Christian Williams |
| 2021 | Clondaw Castle | 9 | 11-08 | Jonathan Burke | Tom George |
| 2020 | Mister Malarky | 7 | 11-00 | Jonjo O’Neill Jr | Colin Tizzard |
| 2019 | Walt | 8 | 10-06 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Neil Mulholland |
| 2018 | Master Dee | 9 | 11-05 | Barry Geraghty | Fergal O'Brien |
| 2017 | Pilgrims Bay | 7 | 10-02 | James Best | Neil Mulholland |
| 2016 | Theatre Guide | 9 | 10-06 | Paddy Brennan | Colin Tizzard |
| 2015 | Rocky Creek | 9 | 11–11 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Paul Nicholls |
| 2014 | Bally Legend | 9 | 10–12 | Ian Popham | Caroline Keevil |
Best of Luck,
Nicky