Weighed In: Eyecatchers, analysis and updated BHA ratings following Kempton and more

My Stable Eyecatchers

BURROWS EDGE >>>> Up 2lb to 132

Click here for full profile
Add to your free My Stable tracker

No prizes for spotting this one but BURROWS EDGE has to be one to follow after going up just 2lb for his seasonal reappearance run at Kempton on Saturday.

Trained by Nicky Henderson, the six-year-old was a promising novice last season, winning at Market Rasen and Hereford, before he ended his campaign with a good sixth behind Ballymoy in the bet365 Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle at Sandown.

Off for 301 days since then, he returned on Saturday with a really good second behind Erick Le Rouge in the 888Sport Handicap Hurdle, where he was seemingly outpaced two from home before rallying to finish a neck second.

If he was a bit ring rusty, he should come on a bundle for this and will be clearly of interest wherever he goes next.

That destination, though, is a point of contention, as a mark of 132 won’t get him into the Coral Cup or the Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival.

He could, theoretically, drop in trip for the Imperial Cup at Sandown and try and get into the Festival via the back door, but that’s not Henderson’s style and his patience with this horse means an alternative target looks likely.

Aintree is a possible, but the last day of the season at Sandown, where he finished his campaign last year, has a 0-145 2m4f handicap hurdle that Henderson has won twice in the last seven years with Gibb River and Soul Emotion.

Given he stayed on well over two miles the last time he faced the Sandown hill, that could be an ideal target, but this lightly-raced improver is worth following wherever he goes.

PRAECEPS >>>> Up 5lb to 129

Click here for full profile
Add to your free My Stable tracker

I was quite taken with PRAECEPS when I saw him win a good little race at Market Rasen a few weeks ago, but he significantly improved from that effort at Kempton on Saturday and has to be on the radar for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (THE FRED WINTER) at Cheltenham now.

A strong stayer on the Flat for Sir Mark Prescott, the son of Canford Cliffs was rated 79 in that sphere after signing off from his old trainer with a win over two miles at Newcastle in October.

His debut for Alan King was a promising one at Newbury, where he was second to Song For Someone, and he coped admirably with the sharp test at Market Rasen when winning at the track on just his second hurdling start on February 5.

Up in class in the Grade 2 888Sport Take ‘Em On Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at the weekend, he shaped very well against some good horses, jumping well in the main and finding plenty for pressure on his way to third position.

Sent off at 14s, it tells you how well he ran that he traded at a low of 4/1 in running on Betfair, especially when you consider the winner, Fusil Raffles, won easily by nine lengths after lighting up the after burners.

Qualified for the Fred Winter now after three runs, his mark of 129 should easily see him in the race and, indeed, that was the identical mark last year’s winner, Veneer Of Charm, ran off.

The stiffer test at Cheltenham should play to this horse’s strengths. It probably won’t be long until he’s stepped up in trip, but the nature of the Fred Winter, at this stage, looks absolutely ideal.

And beaten horses in the Adonis have thrown up a few Fred Winter winners in the last decade, too. In 2012, Une Artiste was fourth in the Adonis before winning the Fred Winter, while in 2017 Flying Tiger filled the same positions in both races.

I love an Alan King-trained juvenile hurdler. He gets them jumping so well and they’re so tough. It’s surprising he’s never won the Fred Winter, but Praeceps (33/1 bet365, 25s in a few places, 20s and 16s generally) is fairly priced to change all that.

A Close call

• Clondaw Castle >>>> Up 10lb to 144
• Real Steel >>>> Introduced at 152 (Irish mark)

CLONDAW CASTLE has gone up 10lb to a mark of 144 following an easy win at Huntingdon last Thursday. Bar a little mistake at the last his jumping was superb and more improvement is likely to come when he steps up in trip, being a point winner and one that’s closely related to two-and-a-half milers.

Trainer Tom George has had a few go close in the Close Brothers’ Novices’ Handicap Chase on the first day of The Festival, and it’s not really a surprise to see this fellow heading the ante-post betting for this year’s renewal.

He’ll be top weight or a pound off it now, but at least he’s guaranteed a run, unlike Willie Mullins’ REAL STEEL, who remains second favourite with some bookmakers. He’s got an Irish chase rating of 152 following a 10-length win at Thurles last Thursday and has zero chance of lining up in the handicap.

He’s third favourite for the JLT Novices’ Chase which is much more realistic target, even though he will have to brush up on his jumping if he’s to win a race of that nature.

Kempton round-up: Breath introduced at 150

• Angels Breath >>>> Introduced at 150
• Southfield Stone >>>> Up 8lb to 148
• Fusil Raffles >>>> Introduced at 147
• Erick Le Rouge >>>> Up 3lb to 137
• Another Crick >>>> Up 12lb to 136

The Sky Bet Dovecote Hurdle was in the spotlight on Saturday with long-time Sky Bet Supreme favourite ANGELS BREATH in action for the first time since he jumped four hurdles on his way to victory at Ascot.

Sent off the 8/11 favourite, he was beaten by SOUTHFIELD STONE (up 8lb to 148) who had lost at Taunton on his last run having previously finished third when put in his place by ELIXIR DE NUTZ and GRAND SANCY in the Grade 1 Tolworth at Sandown in January.

Angels Breath has been introduced at 150, which is 3lb shy of Elixir De Nutz’s mark of 153 after his Tolworth win was advertised yet again following on from Grand Sancy’s (152) victory in the Kingwell.

The ratings tell you there is very little between the top novices, but Angels Breath’s lack of a gear on Saturday, potentially excused by his interrupted preparation, would be a concern going into a Supreme. He drifted to as big as 16s for the Supreme at the weekend, but has been backed in since and is current odds of 8/1 look short.

It remains to be seen if FAKIR D’OUDARIES runs in the Supreme, but he should be favourite, with the Non Runner No Bet firms at least, for my money after his Cheltenham romp.

He’s rated 146 and gets the 7lb weight-for-age allowance, and if he does go for the Festival opener he’ll be bidding to become the first four-year-old to win the Supreme since Hors La Loi III 20 years ago.

Talking of juveniles, FUSIL RAFFLES is rated 1lb higher than Fakir D’Oudairies and 2lb shy of Sir Erec (149) after his nine-length Adonis victory saw him introduced at 147. Unfortunately he sustained a cut on his leg in the race and will miss Cheltenham, but he’s a talented horse and should be on the radar for Aintree.

Finally, there were contrasting hikes for a couple of handicap winners at Kempton on Saturday. ERICK LE ROUGE went up just 3lb for his defeat of the aforementioned Burrows Edge and this vast improver could be a player in the Coral Cup off 137.

Meanwhile, ANOTHER CRICK won by 13 lengths in the closing handicap chase over the extended 2m4f. He’s gone up 12lb to 136 for his troubles, giving him the slimmest of chances of making the Close Brothers’ line up.

Big-Race Analysis: 888Sport Handicap Chase

1. Walt >>>> Up 7lb to 141
2. Double Shuffle >>>> Up 4lb to 158
3. Adrien Du Pont >>>> Remains on 151
4. Romain De Senam >>>> Remains on 137

WALT recorded a second success for his trainer Neil Mulholland in that good three-mile handicap chase at Kempton in February, now sponsored by 888Sport, at the weekend.

Nicely positioned throughout under Sam Twiston-Davies, this turned into a duel up the straight between himself and DOUBLE SHUFFLE, the 20lb the runner-up was conceding a crucial factor in the final analysis.

A really good jump at the last sealed matters, while this was further proof that he’s a transformed horse in the tongue-tie and visor combination that his trainer applied three starts ago.

Up 7lb to 141, things are going to get harder for him now, but he fully deserves a crack at something like the Ultima at The Festival, a race his trainer has won before with The Druids Nephew.

Double Shuffle loves Kempton and just bumped into a well-handicapped improver here, but a 4lb hike to 158 does put him in no man’s land. He’s not been quite up to graded level, but winning a handicap off his new mark requires him to be so.

ADRIEN DU PONT remains in good form and he ran on nicely for third from off the pace in a race in which it paid to be prominent. He remains on 151 and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he kicked on from that mark on this evidence.

Stablemate ROMAIN DE SENAM was really well backed and ran well in fourth. He loves good ground and is best off a strong gallop, so he could be a lively outsider in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate if he sneaks in. It’s worth remembering he was second in a Fred Winter off 136 as a hurdler.

The handicapper leaves TALKISCHEAP and GLEN ROCCO alone on marks of 145 and 137 respectively after fairly tame efforts in fifth and sixth. The former might struggle off that rating, but the latter could well shine once again when there’s more of an emphasis on stamina.

The MODUS experiment over three miles didn’t seem to work and he’s dropped a solitary pound to 147.

RATHER BE ran no sort of race in ninth. Dropped 3lb to 145, the good thing for connections is that he’s inching closer to the 143 mark he was second off at last year’s Festival.

The Weighed In My Stable

• Born Survivor (added 6/11/2018)
• Burrows Edge (added 26/02/2019)
• Call To Order (added 08/01/2019)
• Catamaran Du Seuil (added 08/01/2019)
• Colonial Dreams (added 23/01/2019)
• De Rasher Counter (added 23/01/2019)
• Foxtail Hill (added 18/12/2018)
• Grand Sancy (added 08/01/2019)
• Lisnagar Oscar (added 18/12/2018)
• Praeceps (added 26/02/2019)
• Smaoineamh Alainn (added 13/11/2018)
• Theatre Territory (added 20/11/2018)

Weighed In My Stable Winners:

Warriors Tale (15/2), Doitforthevillage (7/1), Larry (7/2), Lisnagar Oscar (15/8), Grand Sancy (4/1), Lisnagar Oscar (6/1).

Wins for Grand Sancy in the Kingwell and Lisnagar Oscar at Haydock have added to the My Stable winners from this feature since the start of the season.

I think we'll hold off from any culls now until after Cheltenham, when we'll have a clear out with Aintree in mind before switching attentions to the Flat.

Principal BHA Ratings updates February 26

• Adrien Du Pont >>>> Remains on 151
• Angels Breath >>>> Introduced at 150
• Another Crick >>>> Up 12lb to 136
• Burrows Edge >>>> Up 2lb to 132
• Clondaw Castle >>>> Up 10lb to 144
• Crosspark >>>> Up 7lb to 142
• Double Shuffle >>>> Up 4lb to 158
• Erick Le Rouge >>>> Up 3lb to 137
• Fusil Raffles >>>> Introduced at 147
• Praeceps >>>> Up 5lb to 129
• Rather Be >>>> Down 3lb to 145
• Romain De Senam >>>> Remains on 137
• Southfield Stone >>>> Up 8lb to 148
• Walt >>>> Up 7lb to 141

Previous 'Weighed In' columns

• Weighed In: Rasher decision (23/01/2019)
• Weighed In: Grand ambitions (08/01/2019)
• Weighed In: Not over the Hill (18/12/2018)
• Weighed In: On the Road (27/11/2018)
• Weighed In: Royal appointment (20/11/2018)
• Weighed In: All in on Smeaoineamh (13/11/2018)
• Weighed In: Conquer-ing Aintree (6/11/2018)

My Stable - Horse Tracking Made Simple

Click here to register log in to your My Stable account

It’s that time of the year when jump season takes centre stage. With thousands of horses, hundreds of jockeys and plenty of trainers performing across the UK & Ireland in multiple meetings every single day, it can be tough to keep track of all that catches your eye.

But not any longer. Our My Stable service is the simple and perfect way to stay on top (and ahead) of the game. You can easily follow the progress of your favourite horses, jockeys and trainers across six months of pure racing theatre by adding them to My Stable.

It’s your own personal space on your free Sporting Life account where you can create a yard full of talent that means something to you. That way, you can develop your racing knowledge and build a better picture of the races to come. Plus, you also get notifications when anyone in My Stable is due to perform so you never miss a jump – or an opportunity to profit.

GET THE FULL PICTURE: Don't miss out on FREE video replays and our fantastic My Stable tracker. Log in now and become a Sporting Life Insider.

Related horse racing links

• Sky Bet's horse racing odds
• Free horse racing betting tips
• All today's racecards
• Today's fast results
• Today's full results
• Non-runners
• Today's Goings
• Today's Naps Table
• ABC Guide