Read our Coral Marathon betting tips on Horsebetting.com for the Listed 2m contest on Saturday, 7 July. Montaly is taken to overturn last year’s race winner Nearly Caught this time around at Sandown. The veteran High Jinx is also considered a potential each-way put. Find out why when you read our 2018 Coral Marathon betting tips preview.Montaly can avoid being Nearly Caught in Coral MarathonLast year’s one-two in the Listed 2m Coral Marathon at Sandown re-oppose in the 2018 renewal on Saturday (15:20), and Montaly is taken to reverse the form with Nearly Caught on their revised ratings.
Trained by Andrew Balding, seven-year-old Montaly posted some very strong form last season. After regular rider Oisin Murphy timed their run to perfection to land the Chester Cup by a neck on reappearance, this son of Yeats was a staying on but held three-quarters of a length runner-up in this.
Montaly followed-up on that narrow defeat with another superbly timed run to just touch off royal runner Dartmouth by a nose in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup at York’s Ebor Festival. Although well-beaten on all four outings since, these have been some of hottest elite stayers’ races around where he’s not been fancied and vulnerable to younger horses.
Now Montaly is top on official ratings and back down to a mark that is just 3lb higher than that Lonsdale Cup success. With no penalty to race under for his Group success in this, which is the easiest assignment he’s faced for some time, he looks worth a wager to turn things around on Nearly Caught.
Taking all that in account, this looks like a nice opening for Montaly to get back on the scoresheet. He’s decent value to go one better than 12 months ago and give trainer Balding a third winner of the Coral Marathon in eight years.Nearly Caught worth taking onNo horse has won this race more than once, yet Hughie Morrison’s aforementioned 2017 hero Nearly Caught is favourite to make history at the Esher venue. Now aged eight, victory in the Coral Marathon last year was his most recent to date.
Like Montaly, Nearly Caught has a Group 2 win on his CV and has been highly tried in some of the toughest races for stayers in Europe of late. Now rated 4lb lower than 12 months ago, this son of New Approach was first past the post in a similar grade affair on his penultimate start in Germany but lost the race in the stewards’ room.
Connections decided to give Nearly Caught the ultimate test of endurance by tackling the 2m 5f Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot when last in action. He didn’t get the trip and jockey James Doyle was savvy enough to ease him when it was clear he didn’t have the stamina.
That was just 14 days ago, however, and Montaly has had more than double that time to prepare for this outing. There may just be 1lb between them on official ratings but, given the European travel Nearly Caught has also had this season and last, he could be worth taking on here.High Jinx has each-way valueTim Easterby’s yard is in good nick, so the veteran High Jinx – a recent dual National Hunt winner over hurdles – may be an each-way alternative if one of the big guns doesn’t deliver in this.
This 10-year-old has landed wide margin victories in that other sphere at 2m 4f and further coming in to the Coral Marathon. His win and place ratio on the Flat, meanwhile, is better than 50 per cent with four wins, seven seconds and five thirds from 30 career outings on the level.
High Jinx won the Prix du Cadran back in 2014, gamely landing the Group 1 contest in France by a neck when making all at Longchamp. That too is over two-and-a-half miles; so, while there are concerns this 2m contest isn’t far enough for him, there is absolutely no doubting his staying credentials.
Given the nature of his hurdles successes, the future of High Jinx perhaps lies in National Hunt which he has belatedly taken to pretty well. He comes to Sandown as fit as ever and could be the each-way value in a race where’s there’s only six lining up.Your Next Bet
