Blue Square Bet Handicap 6f
- (4yo+, 6f, Class 5, 9 runners)
- Winner £3,234 2nd £962 3rd £481 4th £240
- Going: Standard
- Surface: Polytrack
Print| Pos | Horse | Distance/th> | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 8 Polar Venture | 2/1 | |
| 2nd | 1 Khawatim | ½ | 7/4f |
| 3rd | 4 Alnoomaas | s.h | 6/1 |
Racecard
| # | Form | Horse | A | Wgt | Trainer | Jockey | OR | Naps | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (3) | 00087-1 |
|
5 | 133 9-7 | Noel Quinlan | S Donohoe | 75 | 7/4f | |
| 2 (8) | 59546-6 |
|
4 | 132 9-6 p | J Gask | I Mongan | 74 | 8/1 | |
| 3 (1) | 748437- |
|
7 | 132 9-6 t | J M Bradley | R Winston | 74 | 20/1 | |
| 4 (9) | 11166-1 |
|
4 | 131 9-5 | L A Dace | T G McLaughlin | 73 | 6/1 | |
| 5 (7) | 015407- |
|
5 | 130 9-4 | W J Knight | Jim Crowley | 72 | 14/1 | |
| 6 (2) | 7115-73 |
|
4 | 128 9-2 | J R Best | Andrea Atzeni | 70 | 8/1 | |
| 7 (6) | 41270-7 |
|
5 | 127 9-1 | A M Balding | Daniel Muscutt (7) | 69 | 33/1 | |
| 8 (4) | 315-1 |
|
4 | 127 9-1 | W J Haggas | Adam Beschizza | 69 | 2/1 | |
| 9 (5) | 23632-4 |
|
5 | 123 8-11 t | P G Murphy | S Sanders (ex1) | 65 | 16/1 |
Race History
| Year | Draw | Horse | A | Wgt | Trainer | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3 |
Roman Strait
|
4 | 8-13 | M Blanshard | Dane O'Neill | 3/1 |
In depth
Verdict
POLAR VENTURE returned to winning ways over track and trip last time. He doesn't have much to spare with third-placed Gung Ho Jack but further progress is expected and Willie Haggas' charge gets the nod. Khawatim ended a long losing run when backed off the boards at Wolverhampton last time and remains on a decent mark, despite a 4lb rise, while Alnoomas bounced back from a couple of modest efforts when scoring at Kempton and can't be ignored. He's preferred to Catalina Diamond of the remainder.
Formwatch
Polar Venture 7-2 (9-3) Held up behind, driven and headway over 1f out, ridden and ran on inside final furlong to lead narrowly towards finish (hand timed), won at Lingfield 6f hacp 0-70 (5) pol beating Welease Bwian (9-2) by nk, 10 ran.
Khawatim 5-4fav (9-3) Held up behind, driven and headway over 1f out, squeezed through between horses inside final furlong, ridden and ran on to lead final stride, won at Wolverhampton 6f hcp 0-75 (5) pol beating Strong Man (8-12) by nk, 11 ran.
Alnoomaas (IRE) 8-1 (9-1) Chased leader, led well over 1f out, stayed on well, ridden out, won at Kempton 6f hcp 0-75 (5) pol beating Lastkingofscotland (9-7) by 1/2l, 11 ran.
Gung Ho Jack 11-4fav (9-6) Tracked leaders, headway to lead entering final furlong, soon ridden, kept on until headed and no extra towards finish, 3rd of 10, 3/4l behind Polar Venture (9-3) at Lingfield 6f hacp 0-70 (5) pol.
Gabbiano 9-2 (9-7) Held up off the pace in 7th, plugged on inside final furlong, never a threat, 6th of 11, 3l behind Alnoomaas (9-1) at Kempton 6f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
Catalinas Diamond (IRE) 7-2fav (9-7) Steadied start, mid-division, headway over 1f out, soon chasing leaders, no extra close home, 4th of 11, 1 1/2l behind Putin (8-7) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-65 (6) pol.
Proper Charlie 4-1 (8-12) Chased clear leader, effort 2f out, faded final furlong, last of 7, 4 1/2l behind Kakatosi (9-5) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-85 (4) pol in Dec.
Black Cadillac (IRE) 7-2 (9-4) Held up behind, ridden over 2f out, never dangerous, last of 7, 25l behind Lastkingofscotland (9-7) at Kempton 6f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
Courageous (IRE) 4-1 (8-13) Towards rear, ridden entering final furlong, kept on same pace, 7th of 13, 4 1/2l behind Red Cape (8-9) at Wolverhampton 6f clm stks (6) pol in Oct.