Kempton review and free video replays: Henderson back in the winners with Persian Time
By Sporting Life
17:16 · SAT March 16, 2024
A review of the action from Saturday's meeting at Kempton where Nicky Henderson enjoyed a welcome win and Dan Skelton hit the front in the title race.
Time to draw a line
Nicky Henderson has endured a fairly torrid fortnight since Spring Note won at Newbury on 2nd March.
In the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival, the biggest week of the year for the Lambourn veteran, a number of his horses began to underperform, including stable star Constitution Hill who returned a bad scope. He was unable to defend his Champion Hurdle crown and was the first of the big names to miss out while a number of those that did run, but not all, performed well below expectations.
Bold Endeavour's huge run in the Pertemps Final when fourth at 50/1 proved that some horses were still firing on all cylinders and Persian Time (5/1) had to be at his best to win the New Acca Boosts Novices' Limited Handicap Chase.
Patiently ridden by Nico de Boinville, Persian Time and Soul Icon settled down to fight out the finish in the home straight and Henderson's runner proved the more determined, battling back to win by a neck having been headed.
"Extraordinary isn't it?" Henderson told Racing TV.
"Our horses always quite like Kempton so maybe we'd better just stick to that! It has been a difficult 10 days because we knew before we went there that they weren't exactly running to what you'd hope for and it is nice to sort of close the whole week down; we've got nothing else today on purpose and probably hardly any runners next week, just let the whole thing settle down a little bit, see if we can get to the bottom of it.
"It's difficult to say it's ailing them; they're well. They seem to be well, everything checks out right but they certainly checked out wrong on the top of that far hill last week, they couldn't get over the top of it.
"He's been good at home. Trials Day he didn't really want to have a cut at his fences and he was much happier today, you could tell off the first three fences he was a different horse today. He's a nice fellow and he's going the right way, let's hope we can keep him going; there'll be plenty more for him this season I would hope.
"I know Ayr is a very favourite track (for the owners) so I would think they might be scouring the programme book to see what there is for him up there. He actually ran very well in a novice hurdle up there last year and just got touched off by what turned out to be quite a decent horse so Ayr could be good.
"I think we will take the whole thing apart and try and put it back piece by piece to see if there is a piece missing. There is something missing, there's no doubt about that; they've got to keep ticking over and I'd just like to go quietly for one week and let the whole thing die down and try and see is there a piece of the jigsaw missing.
"I think it's as simple as that, I hope it's as simple as that but it's not there in black and white; normally in their blood tests and scopes you can identify a problem but there's just no sign of an issue. I do think the horses look well, their work has been good and everything checks out right but they just weren't performing at all and in the end we just didn't run them.
"You were just getting scared to run and we will be quiet next week but hopefully then we can kick on and get going tor Aintree and Punchestown. There's a lot still to come and they'll come back I'm sure; we've got a wonderful team at home and I'm surrounded by great people and we'll get it back on track."
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Boom time for title challenge!
Boombawn (13/2) won a competitive renewal of the Read Nicky Henderson's Exclusive Unibet Blog Handicap Hurdle to complete an across the cards double for Dan Skelton.
Already on the board at Uttoxeter courtesy of Santos Blue, Boombawn and brother Harry had to work hard to see off the attentions of 9/2 favourite Titan Discovery but did just that to prevail by half a length.
Irish Hill was third with Kateira, a stablemate of the winner, in fourth.
The winning trainer said: "We had him in the Silver Trophy at Chepstow in the autumn but it was unusually wet and I had him ready somewhere else two weeks later and that went soft /heavy so I just sent him home to his co-owners and he had a month off basically. He's just been aching for this ground, I know it's not officially good today but it's a lot, lot better.
"He's entitled to be progressive, when you saw him at Aintree he was going in the right direction. He'll have Aintree, Ayr, Sandown on his agenda and we might even consider fences with him dependent on the time of year and if there are any races for him; if he we got to May and he was beyond the rating ceiling to get in a novice chase we could even take him to France."
Skelton went on to complete a double at Uttoxeter when Gwennie May Boy struck under Charlie Todd and his gains saw him edge ahead of Paul Nicholls in the trainers’ standings and he revealed he will be giving it his all to win the trainers’ championship.
“I will give it a good go to win it and Paul will give it a good go to defend it and it will have to be worked for,” added Skelton.
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Outlaw collects the cash
Skelton's trainers' title rival struck back when Outlaw Peter (13/8 favourite) denied the former's Flegmatik in the feature Unibet New And Improved Bet Builder Handicap Chase.
The first season novice wasn't as fluent as his more experienced rival and course specialist but Flegmatik's best recent form has been over further than this extended two and a half mile trip. Skelton tried to make good use of his mount's stamina but Outlaw Peter had too much speed and held on to win by a length and a quarter with the pair pulling nine lengths clear of Do Your Job in third.
"I thought he'd go very well," said Nicholls who had also saddled a winner at Uttoxeter.
"Ran very well here on Boxing Day and that form had worked out really well, we've just been waiting for some better ground for him. He stays on strong and it was also going to be a good battle between us and the Skeltons' horse and Harry (Cobden, jockey) was well chuffed.
"Basically he was just flat out all the way and he's just a bit careful at one or two but you'd rather see that.....and he will be better in time next year over three; just help him travel a bit better but he's a good horse, he gallops on strong and we thought he'd go well today.
"He wants good ground, he won't be put away yet, we've got a lot of business to do; he'll definitely be out again."
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Rest of the action
Henry Daly was delighted to see Wyenot (2/1 favourite) collect her third prize of the season in the Unibet 3 Uniboosts A Day Mares' Novices' Hurdle under jockey Alice Stevens.
"Thrilled," he said. "We were in the mares' race at Cheltenham; we swerved that, ground and I just thought it was all a bit too much for her. She looks light enough walking round the paddock and I frightened myself a bit but she's won well.
"There are plenty of races for her, the mares' race at Cheltenham in April, you've got the Herring Queen; it would be one of those or possibly not at all. She's won three and I just feel she might have done enough, I'm not that fussed about running her again and she's obviously shown us she can go a bit and she jumps."
The in-form trainer paid credit to his jockey, adding with a chuckle: "Alice is.....she's getting better at this now isn't she? Obviously claiming five she's very much worth.....when you've got two penalties it doesn't half help when you've got someone like Alice on your side which is great."
A good week for Ben Pauling and Ben Jones continued when they combined to take the Watch Unibet Racing 'Postcast' Each Thursday Handicap Chase with Slipway (8/1).
The top-weight returned to form in fine style, reeling in the long-term leader Egbert two out before running on strongly to win by four lengths. The well backed 9/4 favourite Hitching Jacking was third.
The winning jockey said: "He's an old handicapper, he knows what he's doing. I think he just lost his love for the game a little bit and Ben just said go out and enjoy it and hopefully he'll have a little bit of the old spark he had. I'm delighted, I had a great spin out of him and turning for home I knew I had a little bit left and probably got there a little too soon, he had a good look at the last. Nice to see him enjoy it and hopefully he can win a couple now."
Three horses sped to the last flight of the Unibet More Extra Place Races Novices' Hurdle with claims only for Parade Away to take a crashing fall; that left Kamsinas (5/2) and Be Aware to fight out the finish and the former, already a Grade 2 winner, prevailed a shade snugly in the end.
Trained by Fergal O'Brien, Kamsinas was having his first start since finishing down the field in the Betfair Hurdle and was given a patient ride by Jack Hogan.
David Crosse, representing the winning owners, said: "He's a personal favourite, he's a little pocket rocket. If you could take out what he has in him and inject it into every horse you'd be happy; he has that will to win. Up in trip today, we said to Jack to drop in, hunt around and he actually went to sleep but as soon as he pulled him out, he latched onto the bridle and toughed it out well. He's tough as old boots.
"He's had an unbelievable season. We'll probably have one more run somewhere, maybe try and find a nice little race next month maybe at one of the festivals but he'd be going chasing, I imagine, next season.
"He's not the biggest horse, he's short but he's a right little character, the type of horse that really brings a smile to your face."
Blues Singer (10/1) produced a sparkling turn of foot under a confident Tom Cannon to win the closing bumper for trainer Alan King in the style of a promising individual.
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