John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Chepstow form working out well for Henderson four-year-old
Nicky Henderson won with 6 of the 16 horses he ran over hurdles at Huntingdon during 2025 and he had a good winner there at the beginning of February when Act of Innocence booked his place at the Cheltenham Festival by winning the Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle.
Henderson, who has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag, may well come away with another winner at the track on Sunday where Thewoodcorner has good claims in the opening juvenile hurdle (13:45). A winner on the Flat in France, Thewoodcorner made his debut over hurdles at Sandown in December, showing some ability in finishing sixth of eighth behind Macktoad in an introductory event.
Thewoodcorner built on that effort next time, winning a juvenile at Chepstow in good style at the end of January, leading entering the final hundred yards to win by a length and a quarter and giving the impression he has a fair bit more improvement in him. That form is working out well because the two horses from that race who have run since, runner-up Senator and fourth-placed Misterdoc, have both been successful. Thewoodcorner can get the better of the other penalised runner Gallivanted.
Reformed character Mahons Glory due a first win of the season
The most valuable event on Huntingdon’s card is the John Bigg ‘Oxo’ Handicap Chase (14:45) which remembers the winner of the 1959 Grand National and his owner. This has been won for the last two years by Lounge Lizard who carries top weight in his bid for a hat-trick on a first start for Sarah Humphrey. However, he’s not one to trust – denoted by the ‘squiggle’ on his rating – and looks worth opposing having run a moody race again when pulled up on his only start this term before leaving Henry Daly.
Mahons Glory has had the ‘squiggle’ himself in the past but has shaken that off, looking a reformed character since joining Dylan Cunha’s stable last season. He came good in the spring last year, winning his first two starts for the Newmarket yard at Leicester and Stratford. While he has yet to win this season, he has been running well, notably in two runs at Aintree over the National fences, finishing fourth in the Grand Sefton and fifth in the Becher after some bold jumping from the front.
On his latest start Mahons Glory was second to Filanderer in a veterans’ chase at Market Rasen, and with the handicapper dropping him a pound since then, he heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings here. As a strong-travelling front runner, he could well take some pegging back in a small field on this flat track and perhaps book his place in the Topham back at Aintree next month.
Castanea Breeze the pick on ratings
Lucy Wadham could be another Newmarket trainer among the winners at Huntingdon as her runner Castanea Breeze has a clear chance at the weights in the novices’ handicap hurdle (15:45).
He ran in the bumper on this card twelve months ago, finishing third behind the most impressive winner Mydaddypaddy who has gone on to much better things over hurdles this term. Castanea Breeze has had success over hurdles too this season, at a more modest level, with a step up to longer trips and the fitting of cheekpieces being key to his recent improvement.
He was strong in the betting when getting off the mark on his handicap debut at Market Rasen in December and finished clear of the rest on both occasions when finding only one too good at Wetherby and Fakenham on his last two starts. At Fakenham he gave the impression that he’d benefit from an even greater test of stamina when runner-up to Junior des Mottes (a winner again since) and he gets that here, running over another couple of furlongs. He’s also on a good mark, coming out 4 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
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