Betfair Hurdle Day Review

Hi all,

Inside today’s main piece I’m reviewing Saturday’s Betfair Hurdle card at Newbury.

Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle Day

Saturday’s Betfair Hurdle with 21 runners was a proper handicap hurdle indeed genuine throwback to the good old days.  It was one of the biggest fields we have seen this winter jumps campaign.

Iberico Lord, Gives Henderson and De Boinville a Big Race Double

Iberico Lord got the better of L'Eau Du Sud on the run inin Saturday’s big betting race. They went a good gallop from the off which suited a patiently ridden winner.

Iberico Lord was given a superb ride by jockey Nico De Boinville. De Boinville gets some stick from punters which I’ve always found bizarre. He’s as good a big race jockey as there is and rides Newbury very well. He kept Iberico Lord on the inside, which was where the best ground was, and he delivered him to win with a perfectly timed run.

Runner-up L'Eau Du Sud travelled beautifully and for a few strides after two out looked like he would go on to win. However, he was picked off by the winner who ultimately was a cozy winner. This was a back to form effort by L'Eau Du Sud and he’s likely to clash with Iberico Lord once more in the County Hurdle at the Festival.

How the Rest Fared?

Go Dante ran well in third but couldn’t go with the front two after the last.  

Back in fourth was the winners stablemate Doddiethegreat. He was making headway when making a mistake two out but for that would have finished third. He looks in need of further than 2m.

Faivoir ran a perfect prep for the County Hurdle in fifth. He won last year’s race and must have a good chance, off just 3lb higher, in this year’s race.

Our Champ was bang there two out, but he was another to make mistake at that hurdle. He was on the back foot after that and would have preferred better ground. He’s one to note in the spring back on a sound surface.  

Ocastle Des Mottes was sent off the 7/2 favourite.  The Willie Mullins trained 5-year-old had to be re-shod at the start which probably didn’t help. He had a chance two out but the lack of a recent seemed take its toll and he faded coming to the last.

Shishkin

Shishkin had to work to catch long time leader Protektorat to win the Grade 2 Denman Chase. He headed the leader three out and Shishkin’s biggest rival was Hitman. The latter loomed up to challenge coming to two out and was travelling better than the winner but he tends not to find much off the bridle and three miles does stretch him stamina wise.

Protektorat had looked beaten when headed but to his credit he rallied and almost took second off Hitman.

Sam Brown’s jumping lacked fluency and he didn’t have the pace or class of the three who finished in front of him.

Shishkin won as his official rating entitled him to do. He outstayed the runner-up and had too much speed for the third. The extra distance of the Cheltenham Gold Cup should suit him.  As for his Gold Cup prospects. You can see why connections have been keen to try him in headgear. They would enable him to travel and hold a position in a race. I expect the cheekpieces to return at Cheltenham even though he refused to race when tried in them the first time.

Edwardstone

There was a change of tactics on Edwardstone in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase. Back down to 2m he was quickly sent to the front and produced a super round of jumping to win. He was great sight to watch as you can see here.

There’s nothing better than seeing a bold jumping two mile chaser put his rivals to the sword from the front.  Boothill emerged as his only rival and was nine lengths behind when falling two out. He wasn’t totally out of it when coming down, but it looked a tired fall to me.

The returning Amarillo Sky was eased three out and pulled up. He was found to be lame again and faces another spell on the sidelines.

Edwardstone is likely to come up short against El Fabiolo and Jonbon in next month’s Champion Chase. However, both those horses do have weaknesses in the jumping stakes and Edwardstone’s bold jumping from the front could get then out of their comfort zone. He’s certainly back in the Champion Stakes mix after this success.

Newbury’s Innacurate Going Description  

Despite the ground turning heavy according to the official going description it wasn’t that bad. Yes, it was wet, but horses were getting through it which didn’t suggest heavy ground to me.

Looking at the times my visual impression seems to have been correct as it was no worse than good to soft.

I see no one in the racing media has ventured their thoughts on the subject. However, there needs inquiry into this. A going description so wrong is bordering on incompetence and integrity issues. I’m not suggesting there was any skullduggery at play more a case of an inexperienced Clerk of the Course making an error. At the very least punters need an apology from him.

Punters not for the first time can feel short changed. If you backed horses thinking it was going to be heavy you had no chance.

I have commented in the past about inaccurate going descriptions but this was the worst I have seen.

Monday Selection:

Catterick

4:00 – Omar Maretti took his unbeaten record at Catterick to three when winning this corresponding race in 2022, from 3lb higher. Two key efforts over hurdles on his first two starts this season but there was more to like about his 20 length 4^th of 6 at Haydock 44 days ago. He just found 3m 4 ½ f on heavy ground to much of stamina test and ran much better for a long way. The drop back to 3m 1f and an ease in class can see the 10-year-old return to winning ways.  I will be player if I can get 2/1 or bigger.

Good luck with your Monday bets.

John