David Massey will be in Epsom later this week but has more than one eye on the jumps action elsewhere in the lead-up to the Derby meeting.
We head into June and this week is, of course, a massive week, as we get to see the best three-year-olds of the season so far take part in one of the most important races staged this summer. Yes, that’s right, it’s the first juvenile hurdle of the season at Hexham on Saturday! And as we eagerly await the entries, we ought also acknowledge it’s the Derby at Epsom on the same day.
I’ll be attending the latter but my heart will be in Hexham. With rain due pretty much everywhere this week, it could be some test for the juveniles come Saturday, and that applies to both codes.
But look, I’m getting ahead of myself, we’ve a card at Southwell on Tuesday to kick the summer jumps season off with (yes, it's now officially summer), and whilst there’s a lack of runners, it still looks competitive enough.
Duke Of Luckley would have been an automatic pick for the first under normal circumstances, given Southwell and a small field he can dominate is what he wants to show his best, but with Pep Talking in the field he isn’t going to get his own way up front and he can sulk when that’s not the case. Seaview Rock will get it run to suit but not for the first time, decided he didn’t fancy going through with his effort here last time (traded 1.06 after the last) and isn’t to be trusted. Vocito is clearly well handicapped on last week’s winning hurdles form and will be well fancied returning to fences, but I’ll take a chance on My Friend Sean to bounce back after a poor effort at Kempton last time.
I’m again putting that down to the fact he just doesn’t seem to go as well right-handed (all five of his wins have been left-handed) and on his third to Risk De Pluie at Chepstow the time before, he’d have a good chance. The worry is a bare two miles isn’t far enough for him, but some rain would help his chance and if they do go too quick, he’ll be picking them up late. Tom Lacey has been among the winners lately, and he should be a fair price against Vocito here.
None of the six in the next (15:00) has what you would call a solid profile, but there’s a chance we haven’t yet seen the best of Crackerjack Queen who has a basement mark to go to work from, and looked very much in need of the run at Fakenham a month ago, weakening late and also looking like a drop back in trip would suit. She gets that here and should strip fitter now, and dependant on price, she could be a bet.
Beorma has the look of a penalty kick in the last at 17:30, an easy winner for the Skeltons over fences last week and has no penalty for that back over hurdles here, but before you go diving in, two things; one, this is half a mile further and two, she now needs to show she can back it up after a quick turnaround, and it might be that This Sway represents a spot of value against here.
The selection comes here in form after a solid second at Ffos Las a month ago, form that has been franked a couple of times since, has no problem with the trip and already has a course win to his name, having been successful here in March (and on soft ground, so bring on the rain!). I suspect the price differential between the pair will be too big, and if that’s the case, I shall be backing Max Comley’s five-year-old, who ticks plenty of boxes for this.
There’s rain due at Warwick before Wednesday as well, 15-20mm on some reports I’ve read, and that’ll shake things up a bit too. Spitalfield (18:55) won’t mind slower conditions and after some dreadful efforts, stopped the rot with a better effort here last month, the addition of some cheekpieces seemingly working the oracle. He now needs to build on that, but is thrown in here on the best of his form and really won’t get many better opportunities to score again.
The bang-in-form Yes And Yes (20:00) has won his last two and the way he won here last time suggested he had the 7lb he’s been raised very much in hand; he travelled like the best horse throughout and put the race to bed easily, Given second home Tom Desjy had won his previous start 21 lengths and pair of them basically finished alone, it looks a decent piece of form for the level, and he can continue his winning ways.
Whatever they’re feeding them at the McPherson/Killahena yard it’s working a treat, with four winners form their last six runners at the time of writing, and their Ebony Warrior is worth a second look as a result if he lines up at Uttoxeter on Thursday (15:00). He’d have badly needed that first run back at Market Rasen last month, his first since December, and certainly won’t mind a bit of rain. Now 6lb lower than his last winning mark, they’ll find a race for him this summer and it could well be here.
And finally, Maestow (16:00) hasn’t shown a fat lot so far, but has looked a handicap project from the word go for Ben Pauling, and will very much appreciate an extra half-mile for his handicap debut today. The dam (who was also trained by Pauling for a while) was a point-to-point winner and he’s bred more for stamina than speed. Worth a second look.
Oh, the Derby? Have a fiver each-way on Proposition...
Have a good week, see you at Epsom.
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