David Massey has been finding winners galore in his new column - now check out the horses on his festive radar away from the big meetings.
As any fool knows, Christmas, if you’re an aficionado of the jumps game, starts on December 26th and not before.
This year, to save me from tears, Mrs M and myself will be spending Christmas night not in a manger, but a Premier Inn, not far from Kempton Park so we don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to drive down. (Don’t say I don’t know how to treat a lady.)
However, this isn’t the column for Kempton advice, I’m here to look at the Fontwells, the Sedgefields, the Rasens and the like where there’s likely to be one or two gambles trying to be landed under the radar, whilst everyone’s attention is elsewhere. I’ll try and dig some of the more likely ones out in this Boxing Day Special column. Nothing of higher class than a 0-120 here (apart from the Lincolnshire National, of course - my gaff, my rules).
So let’s start at the finest racecourse Lincolnshire has to offer, Market Rasen. If I wasn’t going to Kempton I’d definitely be going here and the novices handicap chase at 13:15 looks a nice little contest. Clap Of Thunder, second to Kopek Des Bordes in a bumper once upon a time, has his first try chasing and is of obvious interest, but I’m hoping Sarah Humphreys patience pays off with Synchronist, who badly needed his first run of the year at Newton Abbot but it was better at Plumpton last time, and he’s now going the right way. Should be approaching peak fitness now, and he knows how to win races, having twice been successful in six starts over hurdles.
The 13:47 looks a riddle inside an enigma. The obvious one is Welcheston Warrier, who had a mention on this column for a Leicester meeting a couple of weeks ago but never took his chance; he badly needed that first run of the season but still ran well for third, only weakening late, and I was sure I’d want to be with him next time.
But then there’s Tom Ellis handicap debutant A Law Unto Himself, who has looked a handicap project from the word go, and near the foot of the handicap, Celine Man, who despite only having seen the track seven times, has had almost as many trainers, making a reappearance for John Jenkins after 611-days here. He’s had a few entries over the past few weeks but none have been taken up. Money for him would be more than interesting. Welcheston Warrier as it stands, but the market is going to tell us plenty here.
The 0-100 handicap chase at 14:22 has a mix of the fully exposed, most of whom are moderate, but there’s a couple definitely worth pointing out. Wannabe goes straight into a handicap chase (and up a mile in trip) after three starts in novice hurdles to get the mark, and decent novice hurdles at that, far from disgraced at either Warwick or Chepstow; he cost 72k as a 3yo, and having seen him in the flesh, he’s got the size for fences (and then some) and has to be on your shortlist for this. As does Delgany Deadline, another making his chase debut, but Wannabe goes for this rather than what looked a slightly more competitive event at Wetherby - take the hint.
And so to the Lincolnshire National at 14:57 the best regional National there is. Last year’s likely second, had he not fallen at the last, Kelce, has another try but is 7lb higher this time around and faces a tougher task. So it’s The Big Breac that’s the one to beat, for me. He knew how to win over hurdles but already looks like making into a better chaser, an easy winner over fences on his debut at Wetherby, and he lost nothing in defeat when third to Dom Of Mary and Zertakt (winner at Cheltenham since) at Newcastle last time.
Lots more to come from him, and we once again saw the talents of the Smith/Parkinson team with staying chasers at the weekend, Grand Geste laughing at the opposition as he won the Tommy Whittle.
I’m loathe to desert Secret Vino in the last at 15:32 but Jehol De Thaix was something of an eyecatcher at Wetherby on his reappearance, a lovely looker but in need of the run, and I thought I definitely wanted to be with him next time. Might be a split-stakes job for the lucky last, we’ll see.
Over at Sedgefield Take Centre Stage, with blinkers replacing the cheekpieces, is going to get a few quid thrown at him in the hope the change of headgear does the trick.
He looked sure to win a race on his third at Newcastle on his reappearance but didn’t take to Southwell’s portable fences at all (plenty don’t), making two mistakes early that immediately set him on the back foot, and it was game over pretty quickly.
He’s in the 13:25, and it looks a winnable contest. Might try the Rebecca Menzies double with Miss Friday Lions in the 14:35 too; a much better effort at Newcastle last time, staying on in taking fashion for third, and the handicapper has been sensible with a mak of 91 for her handicap debut.
Over to Fontwell. Boxing Day here still gives me nightmares - the one go I ever had at playing bookmaker was on the rails here Boxing Day a few years ago, and my word, was it ever a disaster.
Six of my seven bogeys on the day went in, it chucked it down with rain all day, the equipment broke, I lost badly and then I was meeting my now in-laws for the first time afterwards. I proceeded to get very drunk once I’d met them (no reflection on them, I hasten to add, they’re lovely people) and woke with a thumping headache at three in the morning. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the end of my bookmaking career.
There’s not a lot to get stuck into but Record High (14:52) was third in this same race last year when, I’d argue, it was a stronger affair (Dysania, also in the field today, was last) and under the excellent Isabelle Ryder, who will take a useful 7lb off, can bounce back to form after a below-par effort here last time. I think he looks the bet on the card at this stage.
Have a great Christmas and Boxing Day whatever and wherever you’re going, even if that’s just the sofa with a bottle of sherry and tub of Celebrations (too many Bounties in mine) to watch the action!
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