David Massey looks ahead to Stratford, Carlisle, Huntingdon and Warwick this week with River Don among the horses on his radar.
A week on the road has brought on two things: one, my weight has increased (too many Full Englishes, not enough Weetabix and Ryvita), and two, my tracker list has expanded similarly. I could write you an article on what I saw at Chepstow midweek alone. Still, at the risk of turning this into another one of those articles, I do suggest you put this pair down as future winners: Irishcoffee, a really good-looking 5yo that’s in the care of Sam Thomas; he badly needed the experience and the run to get him a bit fitter (he had a good old blow after), and Seamus Mullins’s Stagge Hyll, a horse that certain paddock watchers (me) are already calling The New West Hill Verde. I admit I’ve rather fallen for him on looks, and he showed more than enough in finishing third (a lucky third, I admit; it should have been fourth) to St James’s Finest to think that once he’s fully fit and got his head in gear, there’s a nice 2m4f/3m handicap in him this season.
Aintree was equally fascinating, for all the small fields, but enough on what’s happened and more on what’s going to happen this week. We do, of course, have Cheltenham at the end of the week and good luck guessing what the ground is going to be. The weather forecast seems to change two or three times a day; one minute Prestbury is getting 30mm this week, the next a fraction of that. I think we might end up with ground the quicker side of good. Let’s see.
Before then though, let’s look at what’s on offer earlier in the week.
Stratford on Monday is suffering from a lack of runners. Still, one that I’m looking forward to seeing is Oykel Bridge in the maiden hurdle at 13:10. This is the most un-Alan King horse I’ve ever seen, Alan tending to like neater, more compact types; Oykel Bridge is a giant (and if he’s grown from 4 to 5, God help us all) who I saw finish third in a bumper at Warwick last year. He ran just as well at Haydock on his next start too, and I fancy a handicap hurdle over 2m4f will be the plan. Stratford really ought to be too tight a track for him, but I’d like a good showing with the future in mind.
One I do like the look of is Petty Cash in the handicap chase at 13:40. I think catching him fresh is the key as he ran his best race first time up at Chepstow last season, losing nothing in defeat to the well-handicapped Ben Solo. He’s 2lb lower than that today, and I think he’ll go close,
Over at Carlisle, keep an eye out for Whin Cover, making his handicap debut after a couple of placed efforts in the 13:20. John Dawson has already made a name for himself this calendar year with A Likeable Rogue and Kingofthefrontier winning good pots further south. Whin Cover looks a potential improver for stepping up in trip today. A tongue-tie goes on as well; there’s definite ability with Whin Cover; he just needs to cut the odd mistake out.
Huntingdon on Tuesday makes little appeal at this stage, but a couple at Lingfield are worth a mention. The Mares' Handicap Hurdle at 14:20 has a nice shape to it; topweight Basilette is in form but has more to do under a penalty, Ride Like A Girl doesn’t know how to run a bad one, but the handicapper has her right where he wants her, and the bet could be Neil Mulholland’s, Miss Carbo.
She’d have just needed her first run of the season to get the freshness out of her, but she wasn’t beaten far at Chepstow in any case and clearly retains all her ability. Trip and ground should both be ideal, and her trainer has started firing in the winners, five in the past seven days alone. A big chance here.
I’ll be at Warwick on Wednesday on the way down to Cheltenham. One of the most interesting horses of the week runs in the handicap chase at 15:22. The horse in question is point-to-point winner River Don, who has been handicapped with three runs over hurdles but goes straight into a chase for his handicap debut and for all I’d have liked to have seen him step up in trip a little, it isn’t enough to put me off. He'll strip fitter for that recent run and trainer Harry Ryall knows what he’s doing, having had Scoresby win on his handicap debut earlier in the season.
Sunset Marquesa had a couple of entries this week, but she misses her engagement at Stratford on Monday to chance her arm in the Listed Mares Novices Chase (at 13:00) at Bangor instead. I’ve been looking forward to her having a crack at fences this year; she has plenty of size about her and threw in some really good efforts over hurdles last year. Again, I’d have liked to see her over a bit further, but with Joe Tizzard still going well, I’d have to be hopeful she can go close.
I’d normally be at Market Rasen on Thursday, but after doing a Cheltenham preview for the Cheltenham and Three Counties Raceclub in town on Wednesday night, I’ll be staying over and hopefully walking the course.
Poor old Military Cross. He’d find a way to get beat in a walkover, wouldn’t he? Looked all over the winner here last time, joining the list of losers that have traded 1.01 in running as he went clear only to curl up close home and get picked off by Moore Brion. He’s got a chance to rectify the situation (again) in the opener at 12:06, but back in the field that day was Silver Salver and long-term, he’s by far the more interesting.
Trained by Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith, he stayed on nicely from the rear to finish fourth, and I liked the way he came clear of the stragglers mid-race when asked to go after the leaders, finding himself in no-man's-land somewhat once he had; there’s plenty more to come from him, the dam a half-sister to that classy chaser El Fabiolo, and for all his future lies in handicaps over further, I’d not be at all surprised if he got himself into the frame today. One to look at each-way if a price.
And lastly, keep an eye on Happy Chandler in the 14:50 at Hereford on Thursday; the key might be whether he’s declared with blinkers, which he seemed to need on the Flat but hasn’t worn in three starts over hurdles so far. He’s shown ability all the same, and an opening mark of 91 looks workable on his Flat form. Quick ground suits, and he’s very likely to get that at Hereford, for all there’s a bit of rain about.
Have a good week, see you at Cheltenham!
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