Handicap Hints: Quebecois, Bold Endeavour and Only By Night names to note

Endeavour working up to something?

We all know someone who – tongue-in-cheek or otherwise – takes great pride in talking up the Lincoln as early as possible in the New Year. Despite the weights for Doncaster's big mile handicap on March 28 being released this week, I’m sure most readers will be relieved to know that I’m not that guy.

No doubt we’ll come to Balmoral Handicap winner Crown Of Oaks’ revised rating (104) in the fulness of time, but before all that we should wrap up some of the key jumps amendments from last week and nothing got the January Blues-laden tongues wagging quite like Jeriko Du Reponet being eased 3lb in the ratings.

That's burying the headline somewhat, I must admit, as it's not the 3lb back for being beaten 13 lengths behind Salver in the Lightning at Windsor that caused such a commotion – rather the fact that his new mark of 145 would allow Nicky Henderson’s seven-year-old to potentially run in the Kim Muir Handicap Chase at Cheltenham should connections wish to consider that event for last year’s Pertemps Final runner-up.

Social media has since spoken and he is into around 6/1 from 16s in the fledgling Kim Muir market, although it might be worth keeping in mind that the National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Chase is also a 0-145 – Jeriko would just need another outing before February 23 and finish first, second, third or fourth in a three-mile race to meet the full criteria for that particular contest.

In the same silks, I thought Jagwar all but secured his likely Festival target with a close second to Donnacha over two and a half miles in the Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase. Raised 3lb to 152 on the back of it, it would be surprising if he’s not stepped up to three miles for the Ultima in March, while it’ll be fascinating to see if Paul Nicholls can get Timeform Novices’ Chase runner-up Quebecois qualified for the same race as he’ll require a fourth run to get into that off what looks a workable mark (raised 4lb to 139 after being nosed out of Jordans Cross).

The other one from the ‘Timeform’ (replay below) I’m going to mention in a positive light – and not for the first time this season – is the Henderson-trained Califet En Vol, who has been dropped a pound to 136 having finished fifth on Trials Day ground that might not have played to his strengths.

Califet En Vol would have crept into last year’s Jack Richards with that mark, but it remains to be seen if he’ll make the cut in six weeks’ time. Either way, I’m convinced there is a bigger performance to come in spring – he was actually kept fresh for Aintree last year and went off favourite for the Grade 1 novice over three miles.

Away from the spotlight, Seven Barrows stablemate Bold Endeavour made a promising return to action when third to progressive rival Ace Of Spades in Huntingdon’s Pertemps Qualifier on Thursday.

He’s 10 years old now but hasn’t got too many miles on the clock, having had a spell with Laura Morgan, and he finished fourth in the 2024 Final of this series when rated 143. He’s the thick end of a stone lower (130) at present and should be able to step up on the first run back after a year on the sidelines.

Spot the difference

The only other long-term handicap race that took some shape this week was the William Hill Half A Mill Grand National Trial Handicap Chase at Haydock on February 14.

That shape does, however, look like being remoulded quite swiftly though as the highest-rated entry, L’Homme Presse (OR 164), ran in the Cotswold Chase and is reportedly on target for the Gold Cup, while the next most likely top-weight is Mr Vango (155), who has a couple of entries at Sandown this Saturday.

The weather may render this completely irrelevant, but one of Mr Vango's weekend engagements is the Virgin Bet Heroes Handicap Hurdle where he would be running off a mark of 143, despite having not competed over the smaller obstacles since being beaten 21 lengths by Mexico in a novice event at Uttoxeter in April 2023. He had an official rating of 125 at the time.

Mr Vango would look nicely treated off the 12lb lower mark but it’s worth underlining those vast discrepancies between hurdle and chase ratings are generally kept to a minimum these days, largely down to the handicapper having discretion in order to try and avoid such a scenario.

But plenty still do seem to slip through the net and there have been a few notable cases in Ireland in recent seasons.

You only have to look back to 164-rated chaser Spillane’s Tower being sent off 6/5 favourite on his seasonal debut off a mark of 130 in a handicap hurdle at Naas in November, while at last year’s Dublin Racing Festival we had Meetingofthewaters running in the Race And Stay At Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle (3m) off a mark of 112, some 36lb below his published chase mark at the time.

The year before that, Panda Boy was technically around 10lb well-in for the same event, and at the 2024 DRF So Scottish could run off 128 in the Timeless Sash Windows Handicap Hurdle (2m) having gone off one of the favourites from a mark of 141 in the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham on his previous start.

Panda Boy aside, JP McManus was the common denominator in the Irish-based examples, but the other striking thing they had in common is that they all failed to take full advantage by actually winning.

So why do I get a very different sense about the Robcour-owned Only By Night in this Sunday’s Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy And Maureen Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown?

Well, she’s 23lb well-in back over hurdles for starters, plus her trainer Gavin Cromwell has evidently turned a corner in a major way in recent weeks. But above all, Only By Night just looks an in-form horse without a handicap-based agenda later in the season. The screws will be tight, in short.

Chances are she’ll be heading over to Cheltenham for the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase, but this weekend seems a brilliant opportunity to take in en route. And she lines up having won a Grade 3 chase at Naas at the start of the campaign and then been badly hampered in the early Marine Nationale incident during last month’s Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase.

So, while it’s not exactly been straightforward for these theoretical penalty-kicks in recent years, you won’t find many better-handicapped horses than Only By Night, who won two bumpers and a hurdle before blossoming into the high-class chaser she's better known as today. I’m surprised she’s still as big as 7/2 to be honest.

Published at 16:15 GMT on 28/01/26

Handicap Hints series

• Let It Rain for Milldam (21/01/26)
• Grand plans not necessarily for the better (14/01/26)
• Imperial Saint well-treated horse (07/01/26)
• In d’Or, Fiercely Proud & O’Connell (10/12/25)
• Regent's Stroll a long-term project (03/12/25)
• Keep tabs on Navajo Indy (26/11/25)
• Not all Bad for Pauling (19/11/25)
• Johnny be good fit for Becher (12/11/25)
• De Bromhead improver in Paddy Power 05/11/25)
• Introducing the column (22/10/25)

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