The tongue-tie is one of the most underrated pieces of equipment in jump racing. When a horse that previously showed reluctance to settle suddenly goes to the front and wins making most, with the form book concluding that the tie is directly responsible for the transformation, the betting market often takes a couple of starts to fully price in what the yard already knows. Touquet is now two from two since the tongue-tie was fitted, made all at Huntingdon last time on soft ground, and faces a 5lb rise the expert view describes as "pretty fair." At 3.50 in the Horatio's Garden Novices' Handicap Chase at Wincanton, this is the Wincanton tips selection with the clearest recent narrative on the card.
The Selection
Touquet is a seven-year-old gelding trained by Nick Gifford at Findon in West Sussex and ridden by James Davies in the 1m7f149y Class 4 novices' handicap chase over good to soft ground. His OR of 108 sits below his RPR of 120 and TS of 110 — a gap that confirms the handicapper has not yet caught up with his current level of performance. The form figures of P-2-4-3-1-1 tell the full story: struggles in his earlier starts, then back-to-back wins once the piece of equipment that was holding him back was identified and addressed.
Form and Class
The expert view is frank about the risk: his reluctance to settle is always a factor that could temper his late effort, as it did when he finished over a length behind A Great Excuse at Lingfield in December. That run, on reflection, is the one to set aside — it predates the tongue-tie fitting that has since transformed his profile. Since the tie was applied, Touquet has gone 2-2 at Huntingdon, with the most recent victory coming on soft ground, making most of the running. A horse that previously refused to travel smoothly is now controlling races from the front, and the combination of the equipment change and the front-running style has unlocked a different animal entirely. The 5lb rise for that Huntingdon win is the handicapper's response, and the form book's verdict — "pretty fair" — is measured rather than alarmed. This is not a horse being squeezed by the assessor; it is a horse being raised modestly for a performance that suggested more improvement is possible.
The Connections
Nick Gifford's Findon yard carries a 13% 14-day strike rate from eight runners, which is an honest but not dominant level of form. The key here is horse-specific rather than yard-wide: Gifford's handling of Touquet since identifying the tongue-tie as the solution to his settling problems has been precise and effective. James Davies in the saddle is the natural continuation of a partnership that has produced both Huntingdon wins — jockeys don't get replaced on horses they've ridden to consecutive victories, and Davies brings familiarity with how Touquet wants to race. Good to soft at Wincanton today mirrors the soft conditions at Huntingdon where he made all last time — the ground requirement is satisfied.
Why Today
The 1m7f149y trip is the right distance for a front-running, low-mileage chaser whose two wins have both come over similar distances. Wincanton's jumping track suits a horse that controls from the front — the ability to dictate on a tight, sharp circuit is a genuine asset. Class 4 novice handicap company at OR 108 is exactly the level where Touquet's RPR of 120 creates the gap that matters. He has demonstrated he can make all and win, the ground suits, the distance suits, and the tongue-tie remains the equipment that has made him a different horse. The 5lb rise is not a barrier — it is a modest acknowledgement of form that the gap between OR and RPR more than absorbs.
The Opposition
The expert view does not single out a compelling rival, and the Class 4 field at this level is unlikely to contain a horse with Touquet's combination of RPR 120, the front-running platform, and the recent winning form. The question here is not class — it is whether his tendency to refuse to settle can resurface. The tongue-tie evidence so far says it is under control. That is the bet: trusting the equipment and the recent evidence over the historical concern.
The Bottom Line
Two wins from two since the tongue-tie was fitted. Made all at Huntingdon last time on soft ground. RPR 120 versus OR 108. A 5lb rise the form book calls fair. Good to soft ground at Wincanton matching his ideal conditions. James Davies, who knows every stride of this horse, back in the saddle. At 3.50, this is genuine value — not a short-priced banker but a selection with a clear narrative, improving form, and an equipment angle the market has not fully priced. Win only, sensible stakes, on a horse whose recent two-run sequence tells the most important part of the story.
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