13:20 Kempton

Wednesday 26 December 2018

All12:5013:2013:5514:3015:0515:40

32Red.com Chase (Novices' Limited Handicap)

Off time: 13:20 | Winning time: 5m 6.20s

Vivas^p,t²⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 11-8| J: Jordan Nailor⁽⁷⁾| T: C E Longsdon| OR: 137| D

20/1

3-4 over fences and rising sharply up the handicap as a result; 7lb higher than when winning on fast ground (2m3f, good to firm) at Doncaster earlier this month; riders 7lb claim helpful; stablemate of Lisdoonvarna Lad.

Form: 3-41171

Delire D'Estruval²⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: D A Jacob| T: B Pauling| OR: 137

33/1

Neck winner on his first UK outing over fences at Carlisle (2m, good) in October but done for pace in a stronger race at Newbury (2m, good to soft) latest; step up in trip is a shrewd move, albeit others are preferred.

Form: 3104-14

Warthog^t¹⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: T Scudamore| T: D Pipe| OR: 137| D

8/1

Evidently has his quirks but posted a clear career best effort when running his rivals ragged from the front in a soft-ground 2m4f handicap at Sandown three weeks ago; 12lb higher in a stronger race.

Form: 3P327-1

Dell Oro³⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Joshua Moore| T: G & J Moore| OR: 136

12/1

His sole win came in a 2m Ascot Novices' Hurdle (Nov 2017), although he probably would've ended the campaign with another success but for a mistake at the last here in April (2m5f); runner-up to Chesterfield on chasing debut.

Form: 12432-2

Lough Derg Spirit⁷⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: N de Boinville| T: N J Henderson| OR: 136| CWS

3/1

Staying on sixth (beaten 10L) in the Martin Pipe CJ's Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March (136-rated); off the mark over fences at the first time of asking at Wetherby (2m3f) in October; has had wind surgery since.

Form: P/2660-1

Storm Home^t1³³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: S Bowen| T: C L Tizzard| OR: 129

16/1

Can race keenly and that has thwarted his progress since switched to fences (has failed to see out his races); tongue-tie now applied for handicap debut (eased in the weights); his best hurdles form came on soft ground.

Form: 110-547

Envoye Special^h,t²³

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: H Cobden| T: P F Nicholls| OR: 134

12/1

As a former French racer has done the bulk of his racing on soft/heavy ground (although his debut hurdles win came on good to soft); no match whatsoever for Kalashnikov on debut for Paul Nicholls at Plumpton (2m1f); still early days.

Form: 1/622-2

Lisdoonvarna Lad³⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 10-11| J: B S Hughes| T: C E Longsdon| OR: 126

20/1

2m soft-ground winning hurdler (on debut) at Wetherby almost exactly 12 months ago; hasn't kicked on positively since although has probably held valid excuses over fences - namely Kalashnikov (Warwick) and the extended 2m5f trip (Market Rasen).

Form: 8135-44

Carlos Du Fruitier^b³²

Age: 6| Weight: 10-10| J: David Bass| T: B Pauling| OR: 125| D

16/1

Broadly reliable since switched to fences without necessarily quite threatening to win a race (0-5); his best effort came when finishing 1½L third to Scoop The Pot at Exeter (3m, good) in November; place claims off 1lb lower; down in trip.

Form: U20P33

Glen Forsa³⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 10-10| J: J J Burke| T: M R Channon| OR: 125

7/1

Bumper winner who was lightly-raced over hurdles (0-3); handy from an early stage when making a winning chasing debut at Chepstow (2m7f+, soft); now 11lb higher - that form is respectable (placed horses have run well since); fair chance.

Form: 15/221

Awake At Midnight¹⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 10-9| J: R Johnson| T: P Hobbs & J White| OR: 124

8/1

Tasted defeat for the first time this campaign when finishing a plugging on fourth (beaten 13½) to Siruh Du Lac at Exeter (2m3f, soft) three weeks ago; handles cut and pedigree implies that this longer trip is worth trying; outside place claims.

Form: 237-114

Turtle Wars¹⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-7| J: N D Fehily| T: N J Henderson| OR: 122| BF

5/1

Stablemate of Lough Derg Spirit; weakened late when finishing fifth to Sam's Gunner in the Grade 3 Novices' final at Sandown in March (2m4f, soft); badly hampered early doors when finishing fifth to Warthog on chasing debut; couldn't be dismissed.

Form: 3/3915-5

Glen Rocco¹⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 10-6| J: G Sheehan| T: N J Gifford| OR: 121

12/1

Broke his duck under rules on what was effectively his chasing debut (fell at the first previously) over an extended 2m5f at Fontwell in November; finished a keeping on third to Warthog (beaten 9L) at Sandown latest; up 3lb since.

Form: 653-U13

Forecasts

Lough Derg Spirit (3/1), Turtle Wars (5/1), Glen Forsa (7/1), Awake At Midnight (8/1), Warthog (8/1), Glen Rocco (12/1), Dell Oro (12/1), Envoye Special (12/1), Carlos Du Fruitier (16/1), Storm Home (16/1), Vivas (20/1), Lisdoonvarna Lad (20/1), Delire D'Estruval (33/1)

An open race in which the enigmatic Warthog isn't at all guaranteed to back up his Sandown success with a couple of those horses who finished in-behind now re-opposing. The Nicky Henderson-trained TURTLE WARS (fifth) had excuses for that defeat having been badly hampered at an early stage and remains a lightly-raced individual with a stack of potential (competing off a nice racing weight of 10st 7lb). His stablemate Lough Derg Spirit is another viable option (wind surgery since winning at Wetherby). Others with reasonable chances of making the frame include the dropped in trip Chepstow scorer Glen Forsa and the reliable Carlos Du Fruitier.