John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Wednesday.
Kapamazov can make winning start for new stable
Kapamazov has been a frustrating horse in his career to date, with none of his three previous yards managing to get a win out of him, either over hurdles or fences. But perhaps another change of scenery will help him break his duck in Hereford’s opening handicap chase (14:00).
Kapamazov began the current campaign with James Evans, for whom he had made the frame several times last season. But after nearly seven months off, he returned in the autumn with Laura Morgan and shaped encouragingly in a novices’ handicap at Market Rasen when finishing second after forcing the pace. Since then, Kapamazov has been placed again, finishing third in a couple of starts at Leicester, though wasn’t at his best on the second occasion in January.
He now makes his first start for Tony Carroll who has a potentially well-handicapped chaser on his hands as Kapamazov’s mark is easing and he’s top-rated on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings as a result. Carroll is better known for his all-weather Flat exploits – only Andrew Balding has won more prize money in that sphere this year – but Kapamazov has the assistance of Charlie Deutsch in the saddle, fresh from a Cheltenham Festival win last week and who has ridden more winners at Hereford than at any other track bar Ascot in the last five seasons.
More than just Another Day Out for Bowen?
Champion Sean Bowen will have to wait another year at least to ride that elusive first Cheltenham Festival winner but as far as retaining his title is concerned, the novices’ handicap hurdle at Huntingdon (14:15) carries the same weight as the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Bowen has five rides in total at Huntingdon, four of them for Olly Murphy, but his eye-catching booking comes in the first race where he rides top weight Another Day Out for Martin Keighley for whom he has ridden three winners already this season. Bowen is well acquainted with Another Day Out as he rode her quite often early in her career, though more recently James Best has been her regular partner. Best was on board for her two most recent wins which came over fences at Ludlow and Wincanton last season but she has been struggling for form more recently.
She usually makes the running, though overdid things in front when pulled up on her latest start at Taunton with blinkers replacing the cheekpieces she’s been wearing recently and which go back on here. A course winner over fences, it looks worth chancing that the return to hurdles will spark Another Day Out’s interest as she has now dropped 10 lb below her last winning mark over fences.
Apiarist can spoil Mount Athos’ bid for four-timer
Much the best race at Kempton is the class 2 handicap over seven furlongs (18:30) which has attracted some smart types among the field of seven. The weights are headed by Mount Athos who has won the last three renewals of this contest for James Tate from marks of 96, 105 and 106. He doesn’t run in too many handicaps these days, however, and was placed in a couple of listed races on the all-weather at Deauville late last year. However, he met with his first defeat at Kempton back in a handicap in early-January when last of seven, though his record suggests he’s better with a longer break between his races.
Despite a ten-week break since that run, Mount Athos could still be vulnerable and Apiarist, who heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, looks an interesting in-form rival trained by Kevin Ryan. Entered in next week’s Lincoln in which he finished mid-division last year, Apiarist has gained four of his five career wins on all-weather tracks.
The most recent of those came in another well-contested event at Lingfield last month over a mile when he was well backed before beating Popmaster by a neck, with subsequent winner Legal Reform back in third. Apiarist was ridden for the time there by apprentice Jack Callan who is good value for his 5 lb claim and takes the ride again this evening.
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