13:35 Ascot

Sunday 24 March 2024

All13:3514:1014:4515:2015:5516:3017:05

Ascot Racecourse Supports Sensory Room Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race)

Off time: 13:35 | Winning time: 4m 38.06s

Ballyfinn^t¹²¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Rex Dingle| T: A J Honeyball

12/1

£65,000 5-y-o, Flemensfirth gelding. Dam unraced out of 2m-2¼m hurdle winner Boro Bow. Runner-up in an Irish point and promising start when fifth in a good C&D novice in November. Sure to build on that and he's in the mix.

Form: P52-5

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Bare Meadows⁸⁵⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 11-7| J: Jonjo O'Neill Jr.| T: J & A O'Neill

28/1

€45,000 3-y-o, second foal, dam, ran once in bumper, half-sister to useful hurdler/very smart chaser (stayed 29f) Deep Purple and useful hurdler/smart chaser (stayed 23f) Conquisto. Runner-up both starts in Irish points, though that was back in 2021.

Form: 22/

Catch Catchfire

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: C J Todd| T: Ian Williams

200/1

€62,000 3-y-o, Dartmouth gelding. Half-brother to fairly useful hurdler Unwin Vc and fair hurdler Pay The Pilot. Dam unraced half-sister to useful hurdler (stayed 25f) Lord Generous. Market should prove a useful guide but he starts out in a hot-enough affair.

Form:

Easter Icon²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Isabelle Ryder⁽¹⁰⁾| T: G Brown

200/1

Dam half-sister to fairly useful hurdler (2m winner) Vision Clear. Fair handicapper on Flat (stays 17f), won at Wolverhampton in February, not seen to best effect last time. Tough task on hurdles debut.

Form:

Geezer Rockstar⁸³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: J J Burke| T: H Fry

14/1

Won 13-runner Taunton bumper on debut in April. Fair form when beaten just under 15 lengths into fourth on his hurdles debut at the same venue but proved to be a disappointment at Exeter when last seen in January.

Form: 1-4P

Jasper Boy¹⁰⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: James Davies| T: N J Gifford

150/1

£17,000 Kapgarde gelding. Half-brother to French hurdler/chase winner Celtic Dream. Shaped like a stayer in his bumper on the AW in December so no surprise he's upped in trip for this hurdles debut.

Form: 7

Marvellous Mick^p1⁶⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Harry Cobden| T: P F Nicholls| BF

9/1

Cost six figures as a store and looked a fine prospect when justifying short-priced favouritism in a bumper in December 2022. Disappointing both starts since, jumping badly on hurdles debut in January but headgear goes on and he has to be capable of better.

Form: 1-75

Old Time Chaser⁵⁰⁵

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

7/2

€13,000 3-y-o, third foal: half-brother to dual bumper winner/fairly useful hurdler Carnfunnock (2m-19f winner), stays 3m, dam unraced. Third sole start in Irish points in 2022. Hasn't made it to the track since but he's in excellent hands.

Form: 3-

Rum Cove^p1⁶²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Tabitha Worsley⁽³⁾| T: N J Gifford

250/1

Looks limited. Headgear on.

Form: 0PP

Strutter^h⁵⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: James Bowen| T: N J Henderson

25/1

Well backed and promising start over hurdles when second of 18 at Newbury in December. Folded tamely at Huntingdon a month later and now goes up in trip.

Form: 8-420

The Winslow Boy⁶⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Benjamin Poste| T: T Symonds

66/1

Showed more than he did in his bumper when fourth of 12 in a maiden hurdle at Hereford in January, not unduly punished. Likely to build on that, but this is a better race.

Form: 5-4

Vincenzo^t1³⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Sam Twiston-Davies| T: S Thomas| OR: 124WS

7/4

Placed on the second of 2 starts in bumpers and built on a promising hurdling debut after 11 weeks off when second to an above-average prospect at Warwick (19f) in January. Another sound effort over C&D since and a tongue tie now on after a breathing operation.

Form: 42-324

Zanndabad^t⁵⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: S Bowen| T: A J Martin| OR: 117

3/1

Useful Flat form but finished well held on first attempt at Fairyhouse in November, not helped by jumping errors. Much more like it when runner-up at Musselburgh last month despite making mistakes again but he has the raw ability to win a maiden hurdle. Back up in trip.

Form: 745-02

Non-Runners

Idefix De Ciergues²⁹

Weight: 11-7| Age: 6

T: Miss R Curtis J: Non Runner

Vision De Maine⁶¹

Weight: 11-7| Age: 5

T: D Pipe J: Non Runner

Forecasts

Vincenzo (7/4), Zanndabad (3/1), Old Time Chaser (7/2), Idefix De Ciergues (7/1), Marvellous Mick (9/1), Ballyfinn (12/1), Geezer Rockstar (14/1), Strutter (25/1), Bare Meadows (28/1), Vision De Maine (33/1), The Winslow Boy (66/1), Jasper Boy (150/1), Easter Icon (200/1), Catch Catchfire (200/1), Rum Cove (250/1)

ZANNDABAD could do with brushing up his jumping but there's definite scope to do better in this sphere based on his Flat ability, so he's awarded the tentative vote in what is an open race by maiden hurdle standards. Ballyfin performed with credit in a warm C&D race last time so he's a threat, along with Vincenzo on the back of a breathing operation.