Recent trips to Ascot and Haydock Park have thrown up four horses the Trackside team feel it would be prudent to keep tabs on in the near future.
Kildinan Prince (Emma Lavelle)
February 14, Ascot - Betfair Novices’ Hurdle
Emma Lavelle doesn’t tend to send them out unfit and the stable’s Kildinan Prince gave a good account of himself on return from a 276-day break when finishing second to Moundoui’boy in the opening novice hurdle at Ascot.
In the paddock, he presented with a fair standard of definition but was keen and warm in preliminaries - excited to be returning to the track, with the nervous energy of a horse who would be more level-headed on his next start. The gelding looked ring-rusty in the race too, jumping messily at the fourth and the third-last flights before making up considerable ground in the closing stages to finish seven-lengths second.
Kildinan Prince looks like a three-miler and it’s a proven concept - Emma Lavelle trained half-sister Bethpage to win five times over hurdles, including two victories tackling three miles.
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Captain Teague (Paul Nicholls)
February 14, Ascot - Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle
It could be a ‘cliff horse’ moment but it has to be only a matter of time before Captain Teague walks back into the winner’s enclosure. The Challow Novices’ Hurdle was surprisingly fit for his belated reappearance at Windsor and he presented well again, showing a good level of rib definition and powerful hind end. He oozes class and quality compared to his compatriots in these big handicap hurdles, but the current mark of 138 may prevent a peak performance.
Fast enough to finish third in the 2023 Champion Bumper, the chestnut made up ground after Ascot’s third-last flight before flattening to finish sixth behind Fiercely Proud. It looks to be still in there, the old ability, and it’s just a case of the right mark and the correct conditions to see the best of the talented hurdler.
With another run under his belt, we could be drawing closer to Captain Teague’s winning return - especially if the handicapper drops him again.
Ubatuba (Olly Murphy)
February 14, Haydock - Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices Hurdle
He’s a strange one to look at, Ubatuba, as he has quite a dipped back and is never going to be winning any rosettes for his physique, but it doesn’t stop him from winning races and in finishing second to the fast-improving Dalston Lad here, has lost nothing in defeat either.
I’m going to mark the effort up a bit too, as trying to come from the back at Haydock is always a difficult trick to try and pull off, as ably demonstrated by the fact the winner was always front rank and was long gone before Ben Sutton made his move on Ubatuba. But in fairness to the horse he stuck on willingly to the task and was starting to peg the winner back late; he looks a thorough dyed-in-the-wool stayer and as such, the sort I like at a price for the Albert Bartlett.
The dam is a half-sister to the useful Gidleigh Park and so there’s some quality in the pedigree too; the sort to back with the extra places on the day, as he’ll run through the beaten ones and should have more behind him than in front at the finish line.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsRed Dirt Road (Jonjo O’Neill)
February 14, Haydock - Pertemps Hurdle Qualifier
Last week the yard’s Beachcomber got a mention after a fourth at Musselburgh which got him qualified for the final in March. I did speak to Jonjo about whether he might go and chance him in March but he just pulled a face, and made that “fifty-fifty” gesture with his hand. Read into that what you will, but maybe in Red Dirt Road he has a (much) better chance in any case.
He looked like he’d come on plenty for the run beforehand here, and after showing that the engine was still intact at Sandown on his reappearance two weeks ago, he took a big step forward here, showing a lot more under the burden of 11-10 on his back.
He was always front rank but started to wane from two out as his fitness ebbed away, beaten 13½ lengths in the end. He’ll come forward plenty for this, and is starting to look very well handicapped again.
He’ll probably want some cut come the day, for all he’s a couple of victories on good ground, but all of a sudden he’s one that’s definitely on the radar.
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