New years day Pricewise

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New Year’s Eve would have been an extremely apt winner of the Totepool Mobile Hogmaneigh Hurdle Handicap at Musselburgh (2.10) 24 hours ago, but punters who back him at 13-2 this morning won’t care what day it is if he delivers.
If there is one horse in this race who could prove miles ahead of the handicapper and win by a street it has to be New Year’s Eve, who was second to Champagne Fever in the 2012 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, finishing well clear of top horses like The New One and Jezki.
Things clearly haven’t gone to plan for him since and he has been beaten at short prices quite often, but let’s not forget one of the horses who beat him was Ptit Zig, who was second off top weight in the Ladbroke recently.
John Ferguson has a lot of good 2m handicappers, so the fact New Year’s Eve heads up to Musselburgh for this valuable pot on his first start for nearly three months is a tip in itself, and the reports are he has come right back to his best.
Being a son of Motivator, the soft ground ought to be right up his street and a strongly run handicap is going to suit him an awful lot better than the
slowly run novice and maiden hurdles he’s been contesting since his bumper season.
Many will have lost faith with him now, but he was two points shorter in the betting to beat Champagne Fever, The New One and Jezki than he is today and he can win this easily if he gets his act together.
Ifandbutwhynot is a big danger from only a 6lb higher mark than when winning the Gerry Feilden last time, and Zaplamation is one of those John Quinn hurdlers who seems to get better and better all the time. Not many of those at longer prices make any great appeal, with the possible exception of Local Hero, but he has been off the track since last July.
At Cheltenham Double Ross is going to be hard to beat in the Fairlawne Handicap Chase (2.30) as he is only 7lb higher than when winning a much more competitive race over course and distance last time.
The softer the ground the better for him and he should be able to get into a nice jumping rhythm in this small field.
The only issue with him is price because 2-1 is short enough for any horse in a handicap chase around Cheltenham and there are at least a couple in the line-up who have serious claims to beating him at their best.
Cedre Bleu is certainly one of them, but he’s never that strong in a finish and you have to wonder how tough he will be up the hill, so instead it could be worth chancing the outsider of the whole field, Carrickboy, at 14-1.
On this season’s form he has no chance, but everyone said the same before he beat Vino Griego in the Byrne Group Plate at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, with a yawning distance to the rest.
That superb performance came on the back of a terrible effort and Carrickboy has bounced back to form in January for the past two seasons. This is traditionally always the best month of the year to back horses trained by Venetia Williams, too.

Today's bets

New Year’s Eve
2.10 Musselburgh
1pt win at 13-2 with Coral (6-1 generally)


Carrickboy
2.30 Cheltenham
1pt win at 14-1 with Hills (12-1 generally)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.