Placepot Pointers: Castle can be King at Wincanton on Thursday

We’ve seen some huge Tote Placepot dividends paid out this week from Exeter’s £1,172.50 return on Wednesday, to a dividend of £1,276.50 at Clonmel on the same day.

Wincanton gets our Placepot focus today, with pointers for the six important legs you need to solve to land the spoils in the West Country.

Few jockeys ride Wincanton better than Harry Cobden. Not only does Paul Nicholls’ number one boast a 29% strike-rate at the track over the last five years, but 25 of his 35 rides (71%) at the venue in the past year have won or placed.

He gets the leg up on three in the Placepot today. Firstly PREMIUMACCESS in the opener (14:15) who needs to bounce back from his last run, but was first and second (at Wincanton) on his opening two chase experiences so could do just that.

CARRY ON THE MAGIC (Leg 4 - 16:00) changed hands for £160,000 after finishing a length second to Saturday’s Greatwood Gold Cup runner-up in a point so has to be respected for Paul Nicholls.

Cobden’s final ride in the Placepot races comes in the final leg (17:00) on board SO SAID I. She has it all to do to overcome Harry Fry’s Ishkhara Lady, but on her solid bumper runs at Ascot and over today’s track and trip, she’s probably best of the rest.

Johnny Farrelly’s SANDFORD CASTLE (Leg 3 - 15:25) started his campaign with a hard fought second over today’s course and distance off a mark of 76. And while he arrives here off a rating of 92, he’s been running with credit as his handicap mark creeps up.

Having travelled into the race like a good thing and jumping the last in front before putting six lengths between himself and the chasing pack, the 11-year-old idled in front and paid for it when Newlands Cross flashed home to take the race on the line. James Bowen takes the ride today and he’s unlikely to want to hit the front as early, but time it right and this one still looks capable of winning again.

Seeing two P’s next to SALTY BOY’s (Leg 1 14:15) name mightn’t be the most inviting thing when picking your runners for the first leg, but he’s got the form in the book to surprise one or two people here.

While he won’t get the good ground he’d ideally like, it;s set to be far less testing than when failing to complete on his last two outings. Before Christmas he was twiced placed behind Inisfree Lad who’s now rated 15lbs higher, while he also went down by just a neck to the re-opposing Favori De Sivola at Taunton. He meets that rival on 14lbs better terms this time and if the ground dries out enough he might be able to reverse the form.

Admiral Balko may well take full advantage of his four-year-old allowance in the fifth race of the day (16:30), but while he’s been beaten by some smart looking types, he’s been a long way back in his last couple of outings. We’re having a couple of darts against the likely short favourite here.

ET APRES THOU bumped into an Emma Lavelle-trained improver two starts back when second over today’s course and distance, running to a Racing Post Rating of 103 that day. The application of cheekpieces seemed to see him take a backwards step next time out when well beaten at Exeter, so with that headgear left off he could bounce back.

REMEMBER THE MAN arrives here plenty fit enough from a couple of spins on the all-weather and is in with a shout on the basis of a couple of placed efforts at Uttoxeter in the autumn off of today’s mark of 98. If the favourite disappoints, he might be the one to pick up the pieces.

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Leg 1: Premiumaccess, Sandy Boy

Leg 2: Cheque En Blanc, Certainly Red

Leg 3: Sandford Castle

Leg 4: Carry On The Magic

Leg 5: Et Apres Tout, Remember The Man

Leg 6: So Said I

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