Jane Seymour Mares' Novices' Hurdle (Listed) 2m 4f
- (4yo+, 2m 4f, Class 1, 6 runners)
- Winner £11,390 2nd £4,274 3rd £2,140 4th £1,066 5th £536 6th £268
- Going: Heavy (Good to Soft in places in back straight)
- Surface: Turf
Print| Pos | Horse | Distance/th> | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 6 Utopie Des Bordes | 11/10f | |
| 2nd | 1 She Ranks Me | 1¾ | 9/2 |
Racecard
| # | Form | Horse | A | Wgt | Trainer | Jockey | OR | Naps | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 112311 |
|
6 | 161 11-7 p | D McCain Jnr | J M Maguire | 135 | 9/2 | |
| 2 | 5 |
|
6 | 156 11-2 | R A Fahey | B Hughes | 33/1 | ||
| 3 | 7P/2U-11 |
|
8 | 156 11-2 b | H S Howe | R Johnson | 112 | 80/1 | |
| 4 | 1012/5 |
|
7 | 156 11-2 | Miss V Williams | Aidan Coleman | 66/1 | ||
| 5 | 51/1 |
|
6 | 156 11-2 | W P Mullins | R Walsh | 6/4 | ||
| 6 | 321411 |
|
5 | 156 11-2 | N J Henderson | B J Geraghty | 146 | 11/10f |
In depth
Verdict
Donald McCain has made hay with She Ranks Me this winter and the six-year-old has already won Listed contests at Newbury and Haydock. But she'll probably need to improve again to give weight to these. Twigline is an interesting runner from Willie Mullins' yard as she very unexposed and comfortably won at Fairyhouse on her hurdling debut but the vote goes to UTOPIE DES BORDES. Considering both the trip and ground were against her on her UK debut at Doncaster, Nicky Henderson's French import showed the right attitude to get the better of the useful Call Me A Star and has the beating of fifth Cracking Lass on that run. Successful in a Grade 1 chase over 2m6f on heavy ground at Auteuil in November, she'll be much more at home here. Toubeera should improve for her run at Huntingdon and is preferred to My Legal Lady of the others.
Formwatch
Utopie Des Bordes (FR) 4-11fav (11-3) Tracked leaders, challenged 2 out, led before last, stayed on well, won at Doncaster 2m mrs nov hdl (4) gd beating Call Me A Star (11-9) by 2l, 11 ran.
She Ranks Me (IRE) 85-40 (11-5) Tracked leader, led after last, soon clear, ran on strongly (4 hurdles omitted), won at Haydock 2m 4f mares Listed nov hdl (1) hvy in Dec beating Little Glenshee (11-0) by 5l, 6 ran.
Toubeera 12-1 (11-0) Mid-division, headway approaching 6th, went 2nd after 7th until not fluent 3 out, weakened flat, 5th of 13, 19l behind Glorious Twelfth (11-0) at Huntingdon 2m 5f mdn hdl (5) sft in Jan.
My Legal Lady 10-3 (11-5) Always prominent, led approaching 3 out, clear when jumped left 2 out, soon edged right, went left again last, stayed on, won at Newton Abbot 2m 3f mrs nov hdl (4) sft in Sep beating Performance Review (10-12) by 4 1/2l, 10 ran.
Cracking Lass (IRE) 10-1 (11-3) Held up mid-division, headway before 3 out, kept on and no impression, 5th of 11, 11l behind Utopie Des Bordes (11-3) at Doncaster 2m mrs nov hdl (4) gd.
Twigline (FR) 10-11fav (11-5) Waited with well off the pace in mid-division, closer in 6th 4 out, still travelling well tracking leaders early straight, quickly assumed command last, asserted run-in, easily, won at Fairyhouse 2m 4f mdn hdl sft in Nov beating King Of The Refs (11-4) by 4l, 9 ran.