Timeform provide an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Mwabani out for Horses To Follow
The debut online-only iteration of our popular Horses To Follow publication launched this week and a fairly popular theme throughout was the selection of horses who cut their teeth in Junior “National Hunt” Hurdle events last season.
Even if they won one or more of those events they retain their novice status the following campaign and such grounding could be a vital edge against those who are tackling hurdles for the first time.
Mwabani is in the 50 and while the four-year-old son of Masked Marvel didn’t manage to win one of those aforementioned Junior “National Hunt” Hurdle events in the last campaign he was runner-up in three of them and that experience can stand him in good stead this season.
Selected in the 50 with the possibility of going novice chasing in mind, he starts off in the DragonBet / EBF 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle at Chepstow (14:37) on Sunday and he could well put his experience to good use against four hurdling debutants and one who has had just the one run over timber (finished last).
Jane Williams’ horses have been looking to need a run which is one concern, but this horse might well get away with it in this company on his way to a fruitful season.
Murphy and Cole go for Gold
Oliver Cole’s Brynmair Gold impressed our Timeform analyst on debut at Kempton on September 30 when running a huge race in second at 16/1 and he is expected to go one better in the Virgin Bet / British EBF Restricted Novice Stakes at Goodwood (14:22).
The son of Lope Y Fernandez was slowly away and ran green in the Kempton straight but the way he stayed on once the penny dropped caught the eye and he was allotted a Timeform large P (to signify possible major improvement) following the performance.
Indeed, our Timeform analyst wrote: ‘shaped well, especially when bearing in mind yard's 2-y-os tend to come on plenty for their debut; awkward leaving stalls, in rear, shaken up 2f out, still plenty to do approaching final 1f, finished with a flourish, just failed; sort to improve markedly and looks a banker to pick up a similar event.’
Cole has indeed found a similar event in this novice stakes and with Oisin Murphy back on board he is taken to land this at the main expense of Cornichon.
Go for Crazee horse at Goodwood
Finally, Andrew Balding’s filly Crazee Icon is progressing really nicely and she can win her fourth race from her last five starts in the Inkerman London Handicap (16:42) over a mile under Jason Watson.
The daughter of Sixties Icon seems to like an idiosyncratic track having won her last three at Chester and she improved for a switch in tactics to making all last time.
She could well get the run of this from the front end with only an even gallop predicted by the Timeform pace map and the handicapper might not have got hold of her yet.
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