Our columnist is back with a look ahead to Saturday's big Market Rasen card.
This column is, of course, when we publish on a Monday, called “Away From The Spotlight” but for once, the spotlight - sort of, anyway - is turned to the summer jumpers on Saturday with the Summer Plate card at Market Rasen, which also doubles up as their Ladies Day. It has something for everyone, including massive traffic queues getting into the track. Get there early is my advice.
Which reminds me. I had to look up the details of this story, as I remembered the trainer - Mick Channon - and the colours, yellow and black, but couldn’t bring the name Fitzwilly to mind. This card used to kick off with a juvenile hurdle back in the day, and on the 20th July 2013, I was picking up the old boys I used to take racing with me - Graham, Bernard and Albert, sadly none of them with us any longer - for a day out at Rasen. Racing chat in the car on the way up led Bernard, a gruff man that used to work a gate at Wolverhampton Racecourse back in the day, to declare he quite fancied Fitzwilly, despite having shown little so far. We’d set off good and early to get there in plenty of time, but Albert was adamant we should stop for lunch at a chippy in Gainsborough on the way up, as he was hungry. This did not go down well with the rest of the car, but it was Albert’s car I was driving that day, so he got the say-so.
The food was great but the service so slow that by the time we were back in the car and heading to the course, we were queueing all the way from Middle Rasen, a good three miles out from the track. We arrived at the course just in time to see Fitzwilly passing the post in first place at the rewarding odds of 10/1, with Bernard not having had so much as a washer on. The car journey back was so frosty you didn’t need the aircon.
Anyway, the opener these days is a novice hurdle and if decs stand up, this year’s looks a match between Master Haku for Gordon Elliott and Loriko for the Skeltons, Loriko is the one in winning form but they have been weak events he’s found, and maybe Master Haku, who can be forgiven a poor one at Kilbeggan last time (had a physical excuse) might have his measure. Not a betting event for me, in any case. So don’t rush your lunch….
Then, thanks to TV scheduling, we have the two big races of the day. And the one that catches the eye in the Betway Summer Handicap Hurdle is High Fibre, formerly with Harry Fry but now in the care of James Owen, who has won this race twice in the last three years. Before he ran at York on the Flat last week, I did wonder whether this race might be the plan, and so it appears. Sean Bowen was booked on Monday for the ride too, which has to be a positive, and the York run, third to the thrown-in Green Sky, signified a return to form, so he looks fairly treated here off a mark of 112. He’s a Kempton winner over hurdles for his former yard, so going right-handed isn’t an issue,and he has proven himself after a quick turnaround too. I’ve snaffled a bit of 16s earlier in the week, I can see him going off single figures on the day, and he ought to give you a run for your money.
Squeezebox is the other I’ll be keeping onside. He had a go round here last year, defeating the long odds-on Nap Hand, and was the paddock pick that day, according to my notes, dwarfing the jolly for size beforehand, and I was impressed with the way he won at Southwell last time, despite some weakness in the market. He’s totally unexposed and Value Racing won this with Pisgah Pike a few years ago, and they like to aim something at the race.
Onto the Betway Summer Plate itself, and I have to say at this stage, I haven’t got a strong opinion. Mahons Glory and Breizh River will give this a go from the front but the winner of this is usually held up/dropped out early and that’s the way I’m probably going to play it again this year.
The name Bowen has become synonymous with this day and Mickey’s Pour Les Filles fits the bill. He won so easily on her debut for Mickey last year, making all at Ffos Las in a race that fell to bits, and has looked on the way back on his last two starts at Cartmel, staying on on both occasions and a bit of extra distance here (with the rail movements likely to add a furlong on) looks ideal. He’s 6lb better off with Breizh River on latest form and that should bring the pair a lot closer together.
Stans The Man is going to be a massive price as he’s fully exposed, but he stays well and is in good form at present. The more they have watered the happier he’ll be, he doesn’t want it rattling fast, and with temperatures coming down a bit this week, that looks unlikely. At 33s and with extra places on offer, he could be the one at a big price.
The rest of the card is full of 0-100s and 0-110s, not that the crowd will care, and I certainly don’t. Depending on decs, the 3:20 could be a burn-up, with Hello Sweety, Machete Beach and Jolie Couer Allen all pretty much confirmed front-runners; it wouldn’t be hard to see that play into the hands of the held-up Ask A Sainte, who didn’t take to fences last time but won how he liked at Uttoxeter the time before, travelling like the best horse throughout. The 4:05 (sorry, a 45 minute gap between races? What’s that for, a hydration break, BHA? Stick Livin’ On A Prayer on, that’ll subdue them) features previous winners of this in Getaway Jewel and Dream Jet, the latter on a very dangerous mark if he can refind his form today but it’s Mr McWhinny that will be the selection if he lines up. He did too much too soon on the front end at Uttoxeter last time and probably needed the run after a year off in any case, but he’s on a platers mark for Tom Ellis and will win races.
The 4:40 could be a competitive event if they all turn up but Artiste d’Ainay - who we discussed making a bet on the Pointers last Sunday and decided not to, how shrewd are we? “Not very” is the correct answer - would have to be the one to beat under a penalty, he jumped really well on the front end at Stratford and had things under control from some way out, I thought. But this is no penalty kick. The last could cut up a bit, with a few of these entered elsewhere; Vivid Pink looks the one to beat after an easy C&D win last time out (second had been in good form, it does look solid) but there are unexposed sorts in here form both the Skeltons and Bowens, so it might be best to sit and wait for declarations before making any firm decisions here!
Remember, no turning left out the course on the way out, but turn right at Wragby or you’ll end up in the sea at Skegness. I’m here to help.
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