Plenty of action for our star analyst Graeme North to go through from the weekend including Festival Trials Day and the defeat of Klassical Dream.
Where are we now after Trials Day?
The latest ‘Trials Day’ at Cheltenham, a Saturday meeting at which Timeform have been heavily involved in recent years, might have been a bit low on number of runners but, as ever, provided plenty of food for thought ahead of the Festival with some horses emerging with their reputations enhanced and other with theirs either on hold or perhaps diminished.
Chief among the former was the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle winner, Pied Piper, who strolled to the head of the Triumph market almost as easily as he sauntered home here in a timefigure of 126 boosted to 128 after a 2lb sectional uplift is incorporated.
Anyone watching Davy Russell sitting motionless on the former Flat performer as he put distance between himself and a couple of long-shots will be well aware neither his timefigure nor uplift is properly reflective of what he might have managed had he been ridden out with any seriousness, and he’s more likely a 140 horse on the clock than the 128 he is marked as for now. A useful handicapper for the Gosdens, Pied Piper has taken his form to a new level since joining Gordon Elliott who suggested after the race that he might yet end up heading for the Sky Bet Supreme instead.
That was a route taken in 2019 by a similarly impressive winner of this race, Fakir D’Oudairies, but he came unstuck there, managing only fourth to Klassical Dream. So far as his potential Triumph Hurdle rivals are concerned – if he does indeed go there – Iceo, who could finish only fourth at Cheltenham, still heads the list of ‘best timefigures posted by a juvenile hurdler’ this season (140 at Kempton) but it would be a brave one who would fancy Iceo to reverse the form.
Unlimited Replays
of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays
Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits
Elliott seemingly holds the key to the Triumph right now with Fil Dor in his ranks as well, but his timefigure and sectional combinations for his last two wins have been rather underwhelming. It wouldn’t surprise me if the door is still open for a late arrival such as Pentland Hills (another former Flat horse and one much less talented in that sphere than Pied Piper) who won the Triumph in 2019 less than a month after winning on his hurdling debut at Plumpton.
Jury out over Seven Barrows stars
Nicky Henderson might have landed the feature event, the Grade 2 the Paddy Power Chase with Chantry House and had the second in the main supporting race, the Welsh Marches Stallions At Chapel Stud Cleeve Hurdle but I would find it hard to argue that either of them looked a Festival winner in waiting. Chantry House’s rider Nico de Boinville was of the opinion after the Paddy Power that first-time cheekpieces had perked up his mount after his dismal display in the King George, but in digging out a two-and-a-half length defeat Santini he looked if anything more laboured than his former stable-companion who has long had a reputation as an out-and-out grinder.
Less than fluent over several fences in a race run at a decent if not relentless gallop, Chantry House only really got on top after jumping the final fence but a timefigure of 144 (upgraded to 148 after sectionals are added) in a slow-motion finish over a rival whose current merit is hard to gauge with Kauto Riko clearly flattered back in fourth doesn’t shout Gold Cup winner.
I can’t say Chantry House disappointed me much as his form is easy enough to pick holes in, but I expected much better from Champ who couldn’t confirm Long Walk form with Paisley Park who’d been over five lengths back in third at Ascot in December. For all the Cleeve was run in a time around ten seconds faster than the Long Walk, the emphasis was much more on stamina with Paisley Park (winning this race for the third time) running a 150 timefigure here compared to a 120 at Ascot where Champ had the better turn of foot in the short home straight.
Unlimited Replays
of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays
Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsOn this evidence Paisley Park is no back number for the Stayers Hurdle, for all Lisnagar Oscar arguably finished a bit too close for comfort despite his profile as a former Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle winner, but anyone thinking of backing him is better advised to play in-running given he has started to look increasingly non-compliant at the start. Certainly, the Stayers has an open look to it after the defeat too earlier in the week at Gowran Park of Klassical Dream who emptied in worrying fashion in the straight behind the mare Royal Kahala in the John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle, finishing pretty much legless.
A winning timefigure of 142 and a 1lb upgrade puts the form in the ‘below top-class’ bracket but unless it starts to rain relentlessly, something the Leopardstown executive will be crossing their fingers for ahead of this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival, it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing her at the Festival and certainly not over two miles as she was tried last season.
Imperial one to follow after win
The Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase has been a very good pointer to Festival success in recent years. In 2018 the winner Mister Whitaker went on to land the Close Brothers seven weeks later while 2019’s winner Simply The Betts went on to land the Brown Advisory leaving the Close Brothers for the runner-up Imperial Aura. The latest renewal has rather a different look to with the finish being fought out by an eight-year-old and a nine-year-old, but for all there were several disappointments behind amongst the younger brigade a 154 timefigure suggests that this year’s winner Imperial Alcazar shouldn’t be taken lightly against better rivals further down the line.
Low sun lead to the omission of the last two flights in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, a well-established trial for its more illustrious namesake and won by the likes of Santini and Yanworth in recent years, and it went to Alan King’s North Lodge in a very creditable 142 timefigure as he displayed a willing attitude and a noticeably round action in equal measure, the latter suggesting a return to much softer conditions similar to those in which he won at Aintree last month will serve him well.
Occasionally Timeform won’t return any timefigures for a jumps meeting because of information either lacking on the British Horseracing Authority results page or inconsistent with the figures thrown up by Timeform’s internal timefigure application, which, once all winning times are checked, is usually only ever the result of incorrect added yardage provided by the relevant racecourse.
The former looked set to be the case for Saturday’s Sky Bet Chase card, which would have been unfortunate given it was a such a prominent race day, but happily rail movements for Saturday’s meeting became available late on Monday afternoon after Doncaster’s new Clerk of the Course Paul Barker got in touch with me. Third Time Lucki ran a 145 in the attheraces-sponsored Lightning Novices’ Chase his only serious rival For Pleasure coming down at the last after taking off far too soon, leaving him to canter home.
Windsor Avenue recorded his best timefigure (126) since his Carlisle reappearance in November 2020 when landing a stamina-sapping edition of the feature Sky Bet Chase in first-time blinkers, while Miss Heritage and Mahler Mission landed the feature events over the smaller obstacles, the Sky Bet Yorkshire Mares and the Albert Bartlett River Don, but neither timefigure nor upgrade puts them much above 130 if at all and they still look a fair way off championship class.
Franco De Port tops the charts
The best timefigure of the last came in Ireland where the Goffs Thyestes runner-up Franco De Port posted 158 in finishing runner-up to Longhouse Poet (151). Having his first run in a handicap and with stable jockey Paul Townend up for the first time this season, last season’s Sporting Life Arkle fifth showed he stays 25 furlongs after all, for all the race was a slightly unusual one in the respect that it was run on much quicker ground than usual.
In theory, Franco De Port ought to be competitive back in Graded company so long as he is tried at a slightly lower level than the Grade Ones he has contested on both previous starts this season.
In the Grade 3 events at Naas on Sunday, Stattler and Darasso both posted timefigures of 152 when winning the novice chase and Limestone Lad Hurdle (sponsored by Betvictor) respectively.
Stattler furthered his National Hunt Chase ambitions by outstaying the proven smart performer Farouk D’Alene in the former in a race in which En Beton and Noble Yeats both ran too badly to be true, but a 17-length gap back to the 2021 Albert Bartlett winner Vanillier suggests this isn’t form to be taking lightly.
Darasso looked as good as ever in winning the Limestone, but with another nine-year-old Whiskey Sour back in third and an eleven-year-old Petit Mouchoir fourth this race (along with the Cleeve at Cheltenham) says a lot about the state of the top-end hurdles right now away outside novice company. Saint Felicien possibly dented his Champion Hurdle hopes by only finishing second, but it was still a step up on previous form and he’s only had three runs.
Allegorie De Vassy posted a 133 when winning the Solerina Mares Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Saturday, effectively handed the race by her left-jumping stablemate Brandy Love who was the pick of Paul Townend, and it looked to me as if she’ll appreciate a step up in trip, galloping strongly all the way to the line.