13:20 Catterick
Friday 24 November 2017
All12:2012:5013:2013:5014:2515:0015:35
Watch Racing UK Anywhere Novices' Hurdle
- 4YO plus  |  Class 4  |  2m 3f 66y  |  Good to Soft  |  8 Runners  |  Turf  |   Weighed In
- Off time: 13:20Â Â |Â Â Winning time: 4m 40.35s
Cloth number
Odds
Horse A-Z
Show odds
Has a 40% strike rate over hurdles (2m and 2m3f winner on good ground). Shouldn't be judged overly harshly on his latest effort in a decent race at Cheltenham's Showcase Meeting (2m5f good), but does have a double penalty to carry.
Posted a most satisfactory stable/hurdles debut at Hexham (2m soft) just under a fortnight ago when a 2¼L runner up to Crixus's Escape. Faster ground expected today, and this extra 3f should help account for his lack of a finishing 'kick'.
A four time Flat winner (up to 1m2f), but hasn't shown a great deal of ability in a couple of spins over hurdles. One to consider a little more seriously once switched to handicaps.
Cost £220,000 at the sales in May 2016 out of the Irish point-to-point scene. Posted a moderate rules debut at Wetherby in January, but much more like it next time when landing a Ffos Las bumper (2m good, April) by ¾L. Hurdles bow.
Took a while to get his nose in front in Irish point-to-points, but won three of his last four before being bought by connections in the spring for £50,000. Needs to significantly better his Sedgefield hurdles/stable bow in order to make his mark.
Lowly rated on the Flat, and his 100/1 second at Exeter in early October (2m2f+ good) is looking increasingly like an 'outlier' on his career profile. Difficult to enthuse over.
A standing dish in the early days of AW racing at Newcastle for previous trainer Richard Whitaker, but hasn't shown his best form in 2017 despite twice moving yards. Hurdling doesn't appear to be a most natural past-time.
First foal mare by Overbury out of Ma Dame Mytton. Made a very low-key start in a Newcastle bumper in March (heavy), and whilst quicker ground will suit for her hurdles debut, she has relatively little to no chance in this contest.
Forecasts
Espoir De Teillee (4/6), Blairs Cove (7/4), Black Art (5/1), Jack Devine (16/1), Rocket Ronnie (40/1), Bogardus (66/1), The Resdev Way (100/1), Easter Mytton (200/1)
Perhaps not quite the match that the betting suggests, with Black Art likely to be suited by a step up in trip after a reasonably pleasing hurdles/stable debut at Hexham, but it's difficult to look beyond the doubly penalised Blairs Cove and the hurdling newcomer ESPOIR DE TEILLEE. The Neil Mulholland Ffos Las bumper winner arrives with a hefty price tag on his shoulders, and for that reason alone he's the pick. His trainer (1 from 5; 20% strike rate, past five years), and jockey (2 from 5; 40% strike rate, past five years) wouldn't be the most frequent visitors to Catterick, so presumably today's visit is solely about seeking an ideal starting point (and decent ground) for one of the stables higher profile young horses.
- Espoir De Teillee
- Blairs Cove
- Black Art
Prize Money
1st: £3,899.002nd: £1,145.003rd: £572.004th: £286.00
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