Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece I have three National Hunt horses that caught my eye last week.
It’s beginning to feel lot like Autumn, the temperatures dropped and with it the came the first frost. The rain also arrived across the country last week and we had soft ground for Chepstow’s ‘Persian War’ Meeting.
The jump season is really starting to crank into gear. Yeah, we know it officially started in May but from May to October it’s a case of the ‘phony war’.
More and more of the stars of the jumping game are starting to return. Last week we saw previous Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Minella Indo make a winning return to action at Punchestown.
Then on Friday & Saturday we had Chepstow’s ‘Persian War’ Meeting. For many jumps fans this meeting heralds the start of the real jumps season. Personally, its Cheltenham’s Open Meeting which is less than two weeks away that gets me firmly into jumps mode. However, the Chepstow fixture that sees me shift my eyecatchers to the jumping game.
Chepstow’s Persian War Meeting Notebook
Compared to recent seasons it was softer ground for the Persian War Meeting. The meeting began on going officially described as good to soft although changed to soft by the end of Friday. I’m not sure it was as testing as that. Looking at the times it remained closer to good to soft.
Friday
If there was a future star on show at the meeting it will likely to be Captain Teague. The Paul Nicholls trained gelding landed the Grade 2 Persian War Novice Hurdle (2m 3 ½ f). Third in last season’s Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival. It was an authoritative success for the 5-year-old on hurdles debut. He’ll need to brush up hurdling technique if he’s to take high rank in the novice hurdling division this winter but it’s likely he will with more experience. He stayed the extended 2m 3f well and should be even more effective over further as the season progresses.
It was heartbreaking for backers of Aye Right in the veterans chase series qualifier that opened Friday’s card. I was on the 10-year-old who was having first start in veterans company. A deep contest for the race type. It looked like Aye Right was home and hosed jumping the last well clear of Good Boy Bobby. However, he idled on the run in, probably due to tiredness, and was caught by the rallying Good Boy Bobby close home. He showed here that he retains most of his ability and given the quality of his jumping he will surely land one of these races, maybe even the final of the series.
Saturday
There were plenty of non- runners on the Saturday card due to the softening ground. The hurdles course was described as heavy, and it was soft on the chase course. As was the case on Friday the times suggested that it was no way close to heavy.
It was a good day for trainer Sam Thomas as two of his star handicap chasers Stolen Silver & Al Dancer made winning seasonal reappearances. Both were likely helped by a plethora of non-runners, but they produced decisive successes.
Al Dancer will now head to Aintree for next month Grand Sefton Chase. It’s a race the 10-year-old won 12 months ago. He’ll be on a much higher mark this time around but will remain one of the leading contenders after being reassessed.
Stolen Silver is another who will be due a rise in the weights after Saturday’s win. The 8-year-old is likely to be in the mid-150s after this success. He won’t find his mark easy in handicap company and maybe connections will look to pitch him into Graded company for a race like the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.
The handicap that Stolen Silver won provided a couple of horses worth adding to the tracker in Eva’s Oskar & Strictlyadancer. Both horses were making their seasonal returns and shaped like they can win races off around their present marks.
Eva’s Oskar – Tim Vaughan
A winner at Cheltenham over 3m 2f last December Eva’s Oskar found this extended 2m 7f race an inadequate stamina test these days. He was outpaced early in the straight but to his credit he stayed on all the way to line to finish an 8 ½ length 4th of 7 to Stolen Silver. Start the new season just 1lb above his last winning mark and this run should leave him spot on for his next race. That’ liley to be over further and at Cheltenham, a track where he has produced his two best RPR’s.
Strictlyadancer – Christian Williams
Strictlyadancer ran an even more eye-catching race behind Stolen Silver. He ran well for a long way and although ultimately beaten 12 ¾ length into 6th this was encouraging return to action after a 21 month absence. Not knocked about when his chance was gone and hopefully that kindness will be repaid in the coming weeks. He stays a bit further than 2m 7f and he’s likely to be dropped a pound or two after Saturday’s run which will put him below his last winning mark. Two from two at Cheltenham. He won the 3m 1f amateur riders handicap chase at Cheltenham’s Open Meeting two years ago and that race could be connections mind once more.
Ffos Las
The big race jumps action moved further west on Sunday as Ffos Las hosted a competitive looking Welsh Champion Hurdle.
Nemean Lion returned for the first time since winning a Grade 2 Novice hurdle at Kelso in March. The 6-year-old was fresh in the early stages, but he was still strong enough at the finish to hold of Anyharminasking in the closing stages.He took his career record to 3 wins from 5 runs in winning Sunday’s race which was run at a good gallop.
A progressive second season hurdler Nemean Lion likes plenty of juice in the ground and he will be major contender for next month’s valuable Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Gin Coco couldn’t really get involved from midfield but finished a promising enough 5th. He’s another who seems likely to head for the Greatwood. He finished runner-up in last year’s race and there’s a decent handicap hurdle pot in the 7-year-old, doesn’t want the ground to soft when he gets his underfoot conditions.
This week’s final tracker horse ran in the Grade 3 that Minella Indo won at Punchestown last Wednesday.
Panda Boy – Martin Brassil
When I previewed the race in Wednesday’s column, I said that Panda Boy was one to note with the future in mind and didn’t disappoint. He had plenty to find with most of his four rivals on Official Ratings but that didn’t stop him from coming for good support before the off (11/4). Seemed to find things happening a bit to quickly in this grade over an extended 2m 7f. He raced like the run was needed and wasn’t given to hard a race by his jockey. A ¾ length 3rd of 28 in the Paddy Power Handicap Chase at Leopardstown last Christmas and 5th of 27 in the Irish Grand National. The 7-year-old has got solid handicap chase form to his name, and this can be marked down as a good prep for a valuable staying handicap chase in the coming weeks.
At the conclusion of Champions Day, I tend to clear out my flat tracker. The only horses who remain are handful of flat horses mostly juveniles for next season. Now it’s time to concentrate on the National Hunt game until the end of March. Bring it on!
Tuesday Preview
Newcastle
The Class 2 BetUK. It's Where The UK Bets Handicap (4:55) is the most valuable race in Britain today. The market is headed by Military March. The 6-year-old hasn’t been since running down the field in Group 2 at Meydan 999 days ago. Trainer Saeed Bin Suroor has a good record with his runners returning from a long absence. First run beyond 1m 1f but 1m 4f looks within reach on pedigree and he’s on a workable mark if retaining most of his old ability.
A solid alternative to the favourite is Haunted Dream. He’s placed in three valuable 1m 2f turf handicaps this summer and wasn’t disgraced when 8th of 34 in the Cambridgeshire Handicap last time. The 4-year-old has won at 1m 4f in the past and is 4-6, 6 places on the all-weather including a winner on the tapeta.
Leicester
5:10 – Marshall Dan won at Newbury (heavy) last October, off 2lb higher. And he looked as good as ever when a 1 ¼ length 3rd of 12 at Redcar on seasonal reappearance in April. The 8-year-old hasn’t been in the same form on five subsequent starts. However, he hinted like he might be returning to form when a 5 ½ length 6th of 13 at Salisbury 12 days ago. Cheekpieces go on for the first time and he’s handily weighted if the headgear has the desired effect. 7/1 look fair odds about his chance but if you can get the 9/1 with Bet365 take it.
Tuesday Selection:
Leicester
5:10 – Marshall Dan – 9/1 @ Bet365
Good luck with your Tuesday bets.
Cheers
John