Nic Doggett provides an overview of the key things to note on Friday.
Following in the family footsteps
The William Hill Handicap Hurdle (13:45) has generally been won by lightly-weighted, race-fit horses, with all but one of the last 12 winners carrying 11st 5lbs or less and 10 of those having run in the preceding 33 days.
However, there are some well-respected class acts in this year’s renewal, notably the Timeform analyst verdict selection Favour And Fortune – who was third last year – and the Nicky Henderson-trained Joyeuse whose running-on third in the County Hurdle last month earned her the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag.
She was back to her best in first-time cheekpieces when five lengths behind Wilful that day, despite meeting trouble early in the straight, and there are plenty of clues in both run-style and pedigree that this return to 2½m will suit.
She was a running-on second to Wodhooh over this distance at Cheltenham on just her third British start and then looked undone by a pedestrian pace when sixth in that season’s Mares’ Hurdle. Her half-sister Kientzheim won over this trip at Musselburgh in November, while her dam’s Champion Hurdle-winning half-sister Epatante also won the 2022 Aintree Hurdle over this C&D for the same connections.
Though clearly adaptable, Epatante was perhaps best known for her dominant performances on flat tracks, and this first trip to Liverpool could see Joyeuse produce her own career-best.
Another Stroll in the park for Fergie and co?
Although last month’s Cheltenham Festival began positively in terms of the starts, the meeting soon descended into its usual shambles, so much so that the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced a full review into the starting procedures of races at the event.
As a result, it’s worth treating some of the Cheltenham form with a degree of apprehension, and perhaps worth forgiving some seemingly below-par efforts from horses who may have been hampered before their race had even begun.
One such horse is Regent’s Stroll, a Walk In The Park gelding who appears to live on his nerves and was done no favours by a false start in the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase, beginning out wide in last before being in a prominent position after half a mile. Ultimately, his third-placed finish behind the chucked-in winner Meetmebythesea and the re-opposing Gold Dancer was a fine effort.
The Jack Richards (otherwise known as the Golden Miller) has provided four of the last 11 winners of the William Hill Mildmay Novices' Chase (14:20), including last year as Caldwell Potter – in a similar ownership combination to Regent’s Stroll - proved that he was much more than a handicapper when following up his six and a half-length Cheltenham win here three weeks later. Regent’s Stroll may not be quite in the same league, but this year’s renewal looks modest and last year’s Mersey Novices’ Hurdle runner-up is fancied to make all granted a smoother start.
Quality Topham looks wide open once more
The Randox Topham Handicap Chase (16:05) is one of my favourite races of the meeting, and often a more rewarding puzzle to solve than the Foxhunters’ that takes place over the same fences 24 hours earlier and an easier one to work out than the Grand National 24 hours later.
Indeed, the Topham is a race in which favourites have struggled (Gwanako the last to oblige as 8/1 joint-favourite in 2008); even three-time winner Always Waining was sent off at double figures each time.
This year’s renewal looks chock full of quality, with one-time King George runner-up Il Est Francais the highest-rated top-weight (160) since the slight outlier of Janika (162) in 2019.
Despite its rise in quality in recent years, the race had tended to go to more lightly-weighted individuals prior to Gentleman De Mee coming from a long way back to reel in Lisnamult Lad 12 months ago. The last-named appeared somewhat unlucky that day, having been badly hampered by a loose horse on the run-in, and there shouldn’t be much between them once more on the same terms with both having been aimed at the race.
Timeform’s weight-adjusted ratings have the impressive Cheltenham winner Madara narrowly top ahead of those two rivals, and his jumping was a big asset when storming clear last month. With his yard in form (‘Hot Trainer’ flag) and a ‘Horse In Focus’, he holds obvious claims; can he give Topham favourite backers some respite?
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