15:35 Newcastle

Thursday 28 March 2019

All14:0014:3015:0515:3516:1016:40

gentingbet.com Handicap Chase

Off time: 15:39 | Winning time: 5m 8.3s

Bafana Blue^t²⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 12-2| J: Dale Irving⁽³⁾| T: M A Barnes| OR: 102| D

11/2

Effective on good ground between 2m4f and 3m, with both of his previous wins coming at Hexham; placed off today's mark over 3m at Musselburgh (good) latest; a degree more appealing than the vast majority; place chance.

Form: 1526P3

Klepht^t³⁵

Age: 14| Weight: 11-12| J: Jamie Hamilton| T: Samantha & Jacqueline Coward| OR: 98| D

40/1

Very talented chaser in his prime; has spent time in PTP's for Drew Holmes in recent years (Tranwell winner in April 2017); well beaten on rules return at Huntingdon in February.

Form: 2P1/43-5

Jonagold^p,t⁸⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 11-10| J: Adam Wedge| T: Evan Williams| OR: 96| D

8/1

Scrambled home off this mark at Warwick (2m4f, good) in September, and possibly hasn't quite approved of racing over longer trips since; short-listed on the basis of tackling some very limited looking opponents today.

Form: 621554

Chasma^p²⁰

Age: 9| Weight: 11-9| J: Harry Bannister| T: M & D Easterby| OR: 95| D

4/1

6lb lower than when winning at Southwell (2m4f+, good) in November 2017; ran her best race for a while at Leicester recently (third) and seemingly has conditions (drying) in her favour.

Form: 603753

Bocasien Desbois^p³⁰

Age: 8| Weight: 11-6| J: Danny Cook| T: M Todhunter| OR: 92

5/2

Entitled to be reasonably competitive off this sort of mark based upon his early season placed efforts at Kelso (2m5f+ to 2m7f+); possible that a recent hurdles spin at Catterick will have blown away a few cobwebs.

Form: 2UP325

Outnumbered^p1¹⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Sean Quinlan| T: C Grant| OR: 90

13/2

11-race maiden; has yet to convince over fences (0-6) and is in free-fall down the weights; nothing to lose by trying the combination of first-time cheekpieces and a sound racing surface.

Form: FP366P

Harleys Max³⁴⁶

Age: 10| Weight: 11-4| J: James Corbett⁽⁵⁾| T: S Corbett| OR: 90| CD

33/1

Ideally suited by his local track but arguably much less so by these quick drying conditions; 1lb lower than when beating the bone-idle rules maiden Under The Red Sky by a nose over C&D in January 2017; rarely seen since.

Form: 42P12/F-

Younoso⁴³

Age: 8| Weight: 10-9| J: Ross Chapman| T: Miss T Jackson| OR: 81| CD

9/2

4lb higher than when justifying favouritism in a desperately weak Class 5 handicap over C&D in January (good to soft); has bombed out big style - never fluent - at Musselburgh since and difficult to enthuse over.

Form: 77-3314

Duhallowcountry^b¹⁶

Age: 13| Weight: 10-0| J: Joe Williamson⁽⁷⁾| T: V Thompson| OR: 71

33/1

Rolled back the years with a power-packed late charge in an incident packed race at Sedgefield (2m+, soft) just over a fortnight ago; frankly it's anyone's guess as to whether or not he'll replicate over today's longer trip.

Form: 443861

Scorpo^b¹⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 10-0| J: Philip Armson⁽⁷⁾| T: V Thompson| OR: 68

16/1

20-race maiden; made the frame over an extended 3m2f at Sedgefield in February; very difficult to consider from outside of the handicap proper; stablemate of the veteran Duhallowcountry.

Form: 443355

Forecasts

Bocasien Desbois (5/2), Chasma (4/1), Younoso (9/2), Bafana Blue (11/2), Outnumbered (13/2), Jonagold (8/1), Scorpo (16/1), Harleys Max (33/1), Duhallowcountry (33/1), Klepht (40/1)

A very weak and disappointing Class 5 handicap chase which isn't really befitting of a Grade 1 jumps track like Newcastle. Mick Easterby's Chasma has plenty in her favour, namely the trip and ground, whilst a recent hurdles spin at Catterick could potentially have blown away a few cobwebs for Bocasien Desbois. However, Vale of Glamorgan trainer Evan Williams saddles a couple of runners on today's Newcastle card, and his Warwick winner JONAGOLD rates as the somewhat forced advice. Fairly weighted, he should appreciate dropping back in trip and should find this race a fair bit weaker than some of those he has contested down south.