Good week for the column last week, which translated itself into a similarly decent return for the sister column Punting Pointers. Lovely to get out and about in the sun, a very pleasant change after weeks of the cold. More of that this week, please.
Monday starts off pretty low-key and with a two-runner hunter chase at Kempton, plus a couple of four-runner affairs at Wincanton, there’s not a lot to get stuck into.
At Wincanton, I had a look at Balboa in the amateurs handicap hurdle at 14:45, as a return to better ground might help, as could a step up to three miles, worth a try based on his plugging-on third at Newbury last time. I thought he ran quite well here at Wincanton on his reappearance this season, beaten just over eight lengths by Non Stop in a race that’s thrown up a whole host of winners, as has his Taunton fourth next time when a bad mistake two out probably cost him a place. His strike rate is poor, but everything has its price, so let’s see where we are this morning.
The only other race at the meeting that piqued my interest was the handicap hurdle at 16:57, where the consistent Ambion View might get his reward for some consistent efforts. His mark of 122 is all he is, there’s nothing much more to come but most of his opponents are either out of form or in the same boat as he, namely their marks haven’t much leeway. He ran well in a Pertemps qualifier at Chepstow last time, looking like wind surgery had done the required job as he finished off well. That should set him up nicely for this, and the drop back to 2m4f ought not be a bother.
The nearest thing I could find to a bet on a weak Kempton card was Thelasthighking in the handicap chase at half past three. He’s been off for well over a year, so one can only assume he’s returning from injury here, but the handicapper has given him a real chance if he’s ready to go, being 8lb lower than when last seen, and a full 15lb lower than when beaten just eight lengths in a 0-135 over this C&D back in 2024. Anything approaching that sort of form and he’ll win this, as long as he’s fit, of course.
It’s off to sunny Southwell on Tuesday for their jumps fixture. Smurfette has already won for this column, and looks the most likely winner of the opener, but I suspect she won’t be a backable price. Known Warrior in the next really ought to have won at Plumpton last time, he looks every inch a chaser (and was easily paddock best there) but his finishing effort left a bit to be desired. Maybe a bare two miles on better ground is what he wants; he gets one more go.
There’s an interesting one in the 15:30, the 3m½f handicap hurdle in the shape of Redeeming Love, who nearly got a mention in (changes hat) our Trackside column after her down-the-field effort at Market Rasen last time. Here’s my comments on the day for her; “good-topped mare, has size for fences down the line; might well find some of these quicker (today) but makes some overall appeal.” Hardly a surprise, then, that she found Khrisma and Saturday’s winner Charisma Cat too good for her (Getawhisky and Trinity Street in behind doing the form no harm on Saturday either) but she wasn’t totally stuffed, and was reported to have made a noise afterwards. On goes a tongue-tie and she goes up a full mile in trip, and whilst the handicapper has handed her a stiff enough mark of 96 to kick off with, she’s still one of the more interesting runners on the card.
And the other goes an hour later in the 16:30, Purple Owl, who I took plenty of positives from after his Uttoxeter third back in December, so much so we made him a bet at Wincanton on handicap debut in January on the Pointers but he drifted like the Kon-Tiki (one for the teenagers there) beforehand and was duly tailed off. Better ground and wind surgery are the straws to cling at, but given the winner of that Uttoxeter contest was Baron Noir, fourth to Old Park Star in the Supreme a couple of weeks ago, I’d like to think I’m on the right lines with Purple Owl….
Onto Wednesday, and Scottish King is paying back the faith I’ve shown in him this season now, having won his last two and he can make it a hat-trick with a win in the 14:41 at Hexham before the handicapper starts to get some sort of a grip on him.
It’s great to see the rearranged BK Racing Marathon Handicap Chase on Hexham’s card on Wednesday and I haven’t changed my mind from my original selection for this, Shighness, who doesn’t win too often, but it does look like her whole season has been geared up to this race - one in which she was beaten half-a-length last year.
She had absolutely no chance behind Paggane on her reappearance in November and was similarly out of her depth in 0-125s at Carlisle and Newcastle on her next two starts, but there signs she was on the way back at Sedgefield last time, plugging away for third sent back over hurdles, albeit at a respectful distance behind the front two. All that means she’s 7lb lower than this time last year and maybe she can get the better of likely favourite Planned Paradise, who bounced back to form at Bangor last time but like Shighness, just four wins from 38 starts tell you he’s no good thing to repeat the dose.
Ultra Viers is the sort of horse this column was absolutely set up for; no win in twenty-three starts under Rules, one win in seven point-to-point starts at Garthorpe back in the day (and I was there to witness that momentous event) but I’m convinced there’s a race in him, even now, and he’s entered up twice this week, on Hereford on Wednesday (which is where I hope he’ll end up) and Warwick on Thursday. Around this time last year, Ultra Viers was beaten under five lengths at Hereford from a 7lb higher mark, again looking a threat before remembering he doesn’t win races, and once again shaped well on his reappearance at Leicester before getting tired; the way to make a few quid out of him is as a back-to-lay in-running, he often trades much shorter than his Betfair SP, but make sure you leave yourself a bit more on him as one of these days he’ll find the right race. He needs good ground and a small field, and the 14:30 at Hereford promises both these things, so maybe it’s today!
Onto Thursday, and Joe Tizzard’s The Italian Fox has a couple of entries, one at Warwick (which is where I’ll be) and one at Chepstow. He caught the eye when a staying-on fifth at Taunton on his handicap debut, looking like even further than that three miles was needed, so the 0-95 at Warwick over 3m2f could be ideal. Worth noting the yard won that Taunton race with their more-fancied stablemate Mask Of Zorro (who followed up at Doncaster, and third home Bitsandbuckles won at Southwell next time too, the form looks solid for the level) so not a lot was expected from The Italian Fox that day, and I suspect better is to come, wherever he turns up.
And finally, rejoice, oh fans of low-grade slowboats, rejoice, for not only do we have the four-miler at Hexham this week but a 3m6½f handicap chase at Chepstow too. A hard race to try and fathom out at the moment; one of these days Stellar Stream will remember what it’s all about and win at a price, but you might have found yourself a tall building by that point; the unexposed Handin Manypockets looked slower than treacle when third here a couple of weeks ago and this marathon trip might suit. As long as he’s over those exertions, I might throw some shekels his way.
Have a good week!
Published 11:14 GMT on 23/03/26
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