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Why January Racing Shouldn’t Be Written Off

Hi all,

After the big pre-Christmas weekends in November and December, January is often lazily labelled a quiet month. That’s only partly true. Last Saturday was weak, no doubt, but from here on the depth improves markedly – weather permitting, of course.

Next Saturday sets the tone with Warwick’s Classic Chase, backed up by the Lanzarote Hurdle and the Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton.

A week later, the Berkshire Million takes centre stage across three days at Windsor and Ascot, headlined by the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase, with the Peter Marsh Handicap Chase at Haydock adding a proper staying handicap chase test to the mix.

Saturday January 24th is one of the month’s real peaks, with Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham alongside Doncaster’s Great Yorkshire Handicap Chase.

January signs off in style with the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown and the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, which gets underway on Saturday January 31st.

Hardly a month to be written off.

Inside today’s main piece you’ll find several future winners from Victor’s Notebook.

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Nocte Volatus Shines as Saturday Racing Falls Flat

Hi all,

I’m not sure whether it was a case of the January blues, the Baltic weather, or the growing fear that the forecast milder spell won’t arrive in time to save next Saturday’s jumps racing, but I was underwhelmed to be left with just Sandown on Saturday. I had a few strong fancies at Wincanton, but that card failed three Saturday morning inspections.

At Sandown, the Veterans’ Chase Final was the highlight of a seven-race card. As mentioned on Saturday, it was third time lucky for the track after losing this meeting to the weather in each of the last two years. It was also the first running since the Tolworth Hurdle was switched to Aintree’s Boxing Day fixture, and the meeting is poorer for its absence.

Inside today’s main piece you can read my thoughts on the Sandown action.

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Veterans’ Chase Takes Centre Stage

Hi all,

Compared to recent Saturdays since early November, this looks one of the weakest. Post-Christmas racing is often labelled “turkey sandwich” fare, and that description fits ITV’s Sandown and Wincanton coverage all too well.

The veterans take centre stage at Sandown. The feature is the Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase Final (3:05). Unibet also sponsor a Seniors’ Handicap Hurdle (1:15) and a Middle-Distance Veterans’ Chase Qualifier (1:50).

However, Sandown has already lost the last two running’s of this fixture to the weather, and there’s a danger it could lose this to the frost. This is the first staging of the card since the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle (now the Formby Hurdle) was moved to Aintree’s Boxing Day card, and the card is noticeably weaker as a result. A Listed Mares’ Hurdle (2:25) is a poor substitute.

Wincanton offers only modest fare. ITV are covering a Class 3 and two Class 4 handicaps, which tells its own story. Even so, I do have three fancies at the Somerset track. If you want them, you can get them here.

Inside today’s main piece you’ll find my Saturday ITV verdicts, assuming Sandown and Wincanton survive the frost.

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