Nic Doggett provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Thursday.
Three points of interest
Potential star in the Sidney Banks?
Saturday’s gutsy Scilly Isles winner Handstands provided a timely boost to Huntingdon’s Sidney Banks Memorial Novices' Hurdle (1.45), Ben Pauling’s stable star having also beaten Sandown runner-up Jango Baie in this very race 12 months earlier, and Thursday’s contest looks an up-to-scratch renewal on paper.
Three of the six runners have a Timeform ‘small p’ and were also awarded the Timeform ‘Horse In Focus’ flag following their most recent starts, with weight-adjusted-ratings narrowly favouring the Lucy Wadham-trained Jax Junior who has been utterly dominant from the front at Doncaster and Ascot on his last two starts.
Secret Des Dieux – who sports a first-time tongue-tie here - has also shown a liking for front-running, though he was given too aggressive a ride when shaping best in third at Fakenham last time; Sam Twiston-Davies (13/33, 39% strike-rate for the yard this season), who won on him at Hereford in December, returns in the saddle.
Persian time, Old Time Chaser and Califet En Vol on the gallops @sevenbarrows a few weeks back. Really looking forward to the season ramping up now 💥🙌 pic.twitter.com/Al8xl1voXh
— The McNeill Family. (@McNeill_Family) October 13, 2024
The third horse is Califet En Vol, an impressive winner at Kempton who did the best of the rest when second to The New Lion – who was still on the bridle at the line – at Newbury back in November.
It looks significant that Califet En Vol has been saved for this since, with connections presumably pleased that the ground looks like being on the good side of soft, and the market suggests that he has a good chance of following in the footsteps of the yard’s 2020 winner Shishkin.
If he proves half as good, then we are in for a treat, and the general 50/1 quotes for this Turners Novices' Hurdle entry won’t last long.
Cromwell on the charge once again
Though there was general domination by Willie Mullins at the Dublin Racing Festival once more, it wasn’t hard to notice impact of the Gavin Cromwell yard, with the high-profile success of Hello Neighbour in the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle supported by big-handicap wins for Perceval Legallois and Backtonormal.
This is clearly a time of year that Cromwell loves, having sent over successful raiding parties to Huntingdon in recent years, including winning the Lady Protectress Mares' Chase (2.20) for the last two seasons.
Brides Hill, who went on to win a Grade 2 at the Punchestown Festival, followed in the footsteps of Jeremys Flame when winning this race easily (by six lengths from the re-opposing La Renommee) 12 months ago and is back to defend her crown, albeit with something to prove. She was only third behind the race-fit La Renommee at Doncaster in December, making a bad mistake three out, but that was her first run of the season and she has a 4 lb turn around in the weights here.
🏆 Pertemps Network Lady Protectress Mares' Chase 🏆
— Huntingdon Racecourse (@Huntingdon_Race) January 25, 2024
🥇 Brides Hill
🥈 La Renommee
🥉 Midnight Mary @donoghue_keith | @gavincromwell1 pic.twitter.com/6G4y39YOk4
However, Brides Hill isn’t the only Irish challenger: Hauturiere represents Mullins, with Sean O’Keeffe booked for the ride. She was rusty on her return to action last month but was a Grade 2 winner last term and, a strong stayer, would appreciate a well-run race over this trip.
And that’s where the final runner, Telepathique, comes in. Lucy Wadham’s mare proved a class above her rivals when making all in a handicap at Fakenham last month, appreciating the drop in class having chased home Cherie D’am in listed company at Warwick previously, and this Timeform ‘Horse In Focus’ would be a big player if allowed an easy lead receiving weight from all of her rivals.
There may only be four mares bidding for the top prize of £28,475, but it’s a cracking renewal regardless.
Conditional jockeys in focus
So far, 2025 hasn’t gone as well as last season’s Champion Conditional Jockey Patrick Wadge may have hoped after a strong start to the campaign (19% strike-rate in October and 31% strike-rate in November), but the focus on the contest is usually sharpened at this time of year.
This season, Freddie Gingell leads with 31 winners and a 22% strike-rate, nine clear of Dylan Johnston (22) with Jack Hogan and Callum Pritchard chasing hard with 19 winners apiece, ahead of Caoillin Quinn (17) and Charlie Maggs (16).
Gingell (Jack The Savage), Hogan (Rhodia) and Quinn (Sangiovese) look to hold claims in Huntingdon’s opener – the Advertise Your Business At Huntingdon Racecourse Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at 12.40 - while Doncaster’s Virgin Bet Conditional Jockeys' Novices' Limited Handicap Hurdle at 1.00 also gives the young riders another chance to shine, with both Pritchard (River Voyage) and Maggs (Deep Strato) making the trip to Town Moor.
Also of interest is the fact that there is a Timeform ‘jockey uplift’ flag in the race, a flag that is usually found when a professional jockey is taking over from a less-experienced pilot.
Ben Smith, who can claim 8 lb here, takes over on Windsor Wife. She dead-heated on her sole outing in point-to-points and has been sent off at 66/1, 150/1, 250/1 and 200/1 in four starts under rules, beating only three rivals in total.
She now sports cheek-pieces for the first time and is worth monitoring in the betting for a shrewd yard - stepping up in distance on her handicap debut - despite being a whopping 21 lb out of the weights.
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