Timeform provide an overview of three things to note on Wednesday.
Big reappearance at Wexford
Wexford’s loss is Wexford’s gain as the rescheduled Listed Michael Hickey Memorial Chase (15:10) takes place on Wednesday and it still features the long-anticipated return of Henry de Bromhead’s mare, The Big Westerner.
The bank holiday card on October 26 was abandoned due to unraceable conditions after heavy overnight rain but the feature has been saved and with it the opportunity to see The Big Westerner who hasn’t run since she won the Grade 2 novice chase at Limerick on December 27, 312 days ago.
Taken out of the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival on account of the quick ground, the seven-year-old was a 14/1 chance on the morning of the race in a very competitive renewal after impressing at Limerick and her second season over fences could be very fruitful indeed considering how well she jumped that day.
Indeed, she could well develop into a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender, for which she is a best-price 66/1, and the next step on that road is hopefully on Wednesday, providing her trainer is happy for her to run on the yielding ground, the track having recovered from the deluge 10 days ago.
Fingers crossed, as she remains a most exciting prospect, and this is a race her trainer knows well having won it with Minella Indo, Eklat De Rire and Heart Wood in recent years.
Brocade’s CC worth the wait
Owners Garth and Anne Broom have run many a good horse in Chepstow bumpers under their Brocade Racing banner including Hey Big Spender (4th), Golden Chieftain (2nd), Herbert Park (1st), Remastered (1st), Jurancon (1st) and Sober Glory (1st) and they unleash another on Wednesday in Uncle CC in the closing Dunraven Open National Hunt Flat Race (16:10).
The four-year-old makes his debut for Joe Tizzard after winning a point-to-point well at Knockanohill in March and he could be another shrewd purchase by Tom Malone for these owners just like Kripticjim who also came from the point-to-point field for the Brooms and Tizzard before he rattled off a hat-trick last season culminating in Grade 2 glory at Cheltenham in January.
Tizzard took his time with Kripticjim in his bumper season and it could be a similar story with Uncle CC, but he’s well worth keeping an eye on for the future on his debut under Rules for a yard who have started the season very well indeed.
Dying embers of Turf offers relief for jumps trainers
The November Handicap card at Doncaster on Saturday finally signals the end of the British Flat turf season and Nottingham and Musselburgh host the penultimate meetings on Wednesday on differing ground conditions.
While the ground is largely riding ‘Good’ up at Musselburgh it looks likely to be ‘Soft’ at Nottingham after another heavy dew on Tuesday morning and that has given some jumps trainers the opportunity to give their horses a run on suitable conditions.
Indeed, in the Experience Hospitality At Nottingham Racecourse Novice Stakes over 1m6f at 13:50 we see the reappearances of both Salver, for Jamie and Josh Moore, and Secret Squirrel, for Hughie Morrison, with both horses last seen over jumps seven months ago while it’s much longer since they ran on the Flat.
Salver was last seen running in the Grade 1 Mildmay at Aintree in April, while Secret Squirrel ran at Ayr in the Scottish Champion Hurdle on his last start, and while both will likely be found wanting here by Flat horses like Temple and Indhaar, their trainers will be happy to get a run into them before their early-season targets over the jumps.
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