12:15 Ascot

Friday 24 November 2023

All12:1512:5013:2514:0014:3515:1015:45

Ascot Partners 'National Hunt' Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race)

Off time: 12:15 | Winning time: 4m 41.99s

Ballyfinn^t1³⁰⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Rex Dingle| T: A J Honeyball

40/1

£65,000 5-y-o, Flemensfirth gelding. Dam unraced out of 2m-2¼m hurdle winner Boro Bow. Maiden Irish pointer, runner-up last time (Jan 28). Wears tongue strap.

Form: P52-

Bataillon²¹²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Mr D Maxwell⁽³⁾| T: P Hobbs & J White

40/1

Showed fair form when runner-up in a pair of minor events at Toulouse last spring. Has since joined a good outfit and needs a look in the betting.

Form: 722-

Beat The Bat²⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: J J Burke| T: H Fry| BF

6/4

Useful bumper winner who made a highly encouraging start to his hurdling career after 7 months off when runner-up at Chepstow (19.4f) 24 days ago. Open to improvement and has leading claims.

Form: 210-2

Champagne Twist²²⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Kielan Woods| T: B Pauling

16/1

Picked up for £60,000 after getting off the mark in Irish points at the third attempt in April. Yard going well and requires a market check.

Form: 3F1-

Ideal Des Bordes¹⁹⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: N de Boinville| T: N J Henderson| BF

3/1

Won his sole start in points and shaped promisingly behind a pair of subsequent winners in a Warwick bumper in May. Type to do well over hurdles for top yard.

Form: 1-3

Meetmeatthearch²⁴⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 11-4| J: Tabitha Worsley⁽³⁾| T: R Rowe

250/1

Winning pointer who had a breathing op prior to pulling up on his Rules debut at Newbury in March. Easily passed over.

Form: 51/P-

Pep Talking²⁴³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Charlie Deutsch| T: P R Webber

100/1

£54,000 5-y-o, Pether's Moon gelding. Brother to fair 17f hurdle winner Big Blue Moon, and half-brother to useful hurdler Flashing Glance. Dam (h100) bumper/19f hurdle winner. Easily beat sole other finisher second start in points (Mar 26).

Form: 21-

There's Claude²¹⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Nick Scholfield| T: P Gundry

300/1

£30,000 5-y-o, Nathaniel gelding. Half-brother to 2 winners on Flat, including 1½m/13f winner Daydreamer. Dam 7f-1½m winner. Placed all 3 starts in points/point bumper in spring-2023 but starts out under Rules in a warm-looking race and can only be watched.

Form: 323-

Welcom To Cartries³⁴⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: H Cobden| T: P F NichollsWS

6/4

€80,000 3-y-o, No Risk At All gelding. Half-brother to 4 winners, including useful French hurdler/chaser Chegei Has and fairly useful French hurdler/chaser Nabuco Has. Easy winner of sole start in Irish points (Dec 2022) and has joined top yard subsequently. Had breathing op.

Form: 1-

Willsburg²⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 11-3| J: Tom Cannon| T: O Signy

50/1

Half-brother to smart chaser Wyck Hill and made the ideal start when landing a Warwick bumper in March. Ran below that form after 7 months off in a deeper race at Cheltenham but the step up in trip should suit now hurdling.

Form: 1-6

Non-Runners

Montys Soldier²²⁹

Weight: 11-4| Age: 5

T: Christian Williams J: Jack Tudor

Forecasts

Beat The Bat (6/4), Welcom To Cartries (6/4), Ideal Des Bordes (3/1), Champagne Twist (16/1), Montys Soldier (25/1), Ballyfinn (40/1), Bataillon (40/1), Willsburg (50/1), Pep Talking (100/1), Meetmeatthearch (250/1), There's Claude (300/1)

BEAT THE BAT made a highly promising start to his career over hurdles when runner-up at Chepstow last month and, with the performance backed up by the timefigure, he has to be considered the one to beat. Ideal des Bordes shaped well behind 2 subsequent winners in a Warwick bumper in May and appeals as the type to do well over hurdles for his top stable, with Welcome To Cartries another to take seriously having joined Paul Nicholls following an easy point success.