Thin gruel for Northern racing fans this week with a
dismal card at Sedgefield followed by pretty poor stuff at Wetherby. Not much
to go at but one or two notes of interest.
The meeting passed an inspection but they by-passed the
final fence as they did for so many meetings last season. There wasn’t much
punting appeal although I wanted to make the trip up the A19 to see a handful
of horses for the first time this season.
Sedgefield
Huehuecoytle looked a very difficult ride when winning a
bumper at the track for D McCain last season but he’s a really well related and
is a fine stamp of a chaser in the making.
Once again his greenness/attitude was very much in attendance
as he wandered around at many of the obstacles. However he had poached a good
lead at the second last with the rest apparently going knowhere. Under a very
hard drive Huehuecoytle was not helping his jockey at all and they were nabbed
close home by McCain’s Whitsundays, who looked quite a nice animal beforehand.
I can’t help but think that softer hands might have got the
K Dalgleish horse home. I’m no jockey (obviously) but there didn’t seem any
need to get stuck into him so soon in the straight – if anything the runner-up
could have done with some company. And for a rider of Harding’s experience it’s
surprising he left a gap up the favoured running rail for the eventual winner
to come through.
Sue Smith’s Karisma King once again looked a difficult sort
in the prelims but he settled a bit better over this longer trip and stayed on
pretty well. He should now get a mark, as should Agentleman who didn’t seem to
get home but is another who looks sure to do well in handicaps, and on better
ground.
Not A Bother Boy delivered for a second time after I had
given up on him prematurely, when the yard probably ran him back too quickly
second time up. He’s just a big baby and is only doing what he has to do.
This wasn’t a strong race again and Heron’s Mill looks one
to avoid after failing to get home once more. He’s every inch a chaser but the
way he keeps stopping suggests he still has a problem. Silver Dragon is a
proper monkey and ran on again after dropping the bridle, while Thatildee
probably ran to his Hexham form.
Mixboy was not a horse I took to last year as he’s pretty
small and didn’t take the eye at all. Although he didn’t carry my money you
would have to say he looked a better animal here, stronger and better in his
coat.
The money came for Blake Dean but he’s not a horse I could
EVER back. Without wishing to be rude the horse is a complete shit, as
advertised when coasting to the front two out at this track last year only to ‘turn
it in’.
Now I may be preaching to the converted here but backing
these perpetually disappointing animals is the short cut to skintsville. Sure
enough the little horse spat it out a mile from home before consenting to run on again to nab third and frustrate
layers in the place market.
Orchard Road won a weak race here last year but he remains
on an 8lb higher mark and didn’t get home in the manner of a horse with a
possible breathing issue. He looked fit enough, while Baraboy is surely nailed
by the assessor now.
Whiskey Chaser was nominated as one of my five to follow and
opened his campaign with a turgid display. The way he stopped suggests there
may be a problem, although the track and trip certainly would not have been in
his favour. But it was too bad to be true and fitness didn’t look to be an
issue.
The penny appears to have dropped with Verko, who has always
looked as though he could develop into a horse better than his basement mark.
He appeared to pick up the pieces in a shocking race at Hexham but after
getting outpaced again here, stayed on stoutly like an improving horse.
He looked very healthy, unlike stablemate Roxyfet who is
normally a perky sort but was very flat in the prelims and ran as though this
was one run too many in recent weeks. For a young horse he has a ton of
mileage.
McGregor’s Cottage is a very well related filly and a nice
stamp of a horse who took the bumper with ease. The form of Moonshine Ridge’s bumper win on good ground didn’t
look up to much but this leggy sort appeared to go on this much deeper terrain alright,
probably more that she ran into one. Final Fling ran on okay into third to back
up his debut effort and although I’m not fond of the yard ought to be up to
winning a staying event when sent over timber.
Wetherby
An uninspiring fixture back down the A1 with the long
odds-on Bon Enfant duly landing the opener despite a minor scare from the
Hammond-trained Dakota Grey, quite a nice looking horse who wasn’t at all
flattered by this performance. He was very straight for this but it was a good
start.
Leanna Ban is a strapping chaser who will come on plenty for his run in
third and again he looks one to keep onside if they can find some decent ground
this winter.
Mossies Well took on Mysteree in the novices handicap chase
and the long-absent Russell-trained gelding was not short of fitness beforehand.
The son of Gold Well stays all day and took advantage of a couple of mistakes
from his rival. There’s a suspicion Mossies hadn’t fully recovered from his
Hexham run three weeks ago, although he could have come up against a very well
handicapped horse going places.
It was hard to fancy any in the staying hurdle but fair play
to Native Optimist who has proved me wrong in no uncertain terms. Gifted a couple
of weak races at Hexham, I thought the handicapper had been very harsh but he
just loves this deep ground and as is often the case he looked in great heart
before the race.
It was full of disappointing sorts although there was
a chink of light for Forty Crown, who looked better than usual and the blinkers had
appeared to put a spring in his step. He travelled like a dream before failing
to get home (not for the first time proving he doesn’t stay). I’ve no doubt if
this was run over 2m4f he would have won well, but now the cat’s out of the bag
and it remains to be seen whether the blinds will work as well a second time.
The feature race was very trappy but the shrewdies got it
right when the money came for Clan William, by far the least exposed of the
field. I wasn’t sure he was up to Class 3 but under another fantastic Danny
Cook ride he made all in a race full of prominent racers.
The one to take from this is Sleepy Haven, who shaped like a
very well-handicapped horse. However, it is to be hoped they revert to timber
with him as he really doesn’t have the scope for fences and made numerous minor
errors. The Candlish yard is cold as ice but the horse looked in great nick and
when the kennel returns to form he should be backed.
I’ve knocked the aggressive tactics employed on Vendor since
he has returned to the track and it was pleasing to see Cook sit off the pace
before putting the handicap hurdle to bed early in the straight.
Unfortunately the price was not one that interested me after sustained support although
it was hard to put anything up against him. Cooper once again got rather wound
up beforehand and this tiny horse had run his race by the time the race began
in earnest. Sa Suffit and Stopped Out both looked and shaped as though the race
would bring them on.
Another horse I have got wrong this term is Special Wells,
who failed to stay on this first go at 3m in the handicap chase. In truth he
made bad errors at the first down the back on both circuits but to be honest
you can’t keep making excuses for horses. Things haven’t gone his way and
although he looks far too good a horse not to succeed at this game, the jury is
out – big time.
In reality this did look a penalty kick for Courtown Oscar
who has always looked a gorgeous big horse and he jumped superbly out of this
ground. These conditions serve him best and he’s just the type to keep
improving. The partnership with JR is a match made in heaven. The Toft was an
interesting recruit but he looks very slow and showed nothing.
I was very interested in the well bred Jack Lamb in the
bumper and although he was backed off the boards I was a little disappointed in
his appearance, as although a nice type was quite leggy and immature. He looked
ill at ease on the ground and was well beaten by Applaus, a good strong horse
who paid tribute to the horse it finished behind at Carlisle trained by D
Elsworth.
And so ends a week to forget. We can only hope that the weather relents in the coming weeks otherwise it's going to be a long old winter.
On a more positive note I'm planning to put some selections up on the blog before racing. The bulk of my profit comes from handicap chases and I'm going to focus on these over the coming months. Hopefully readers will enjoy these previews and benefit from the advice given.
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