Friday, July 08, 2011

Long distance information?

Regular readers will know that during this Flat season I'm trying to concentrate on horses with NH form running in races beyond one and a half miles. Two recent results caught my eye - in Doncaster's opener last night Sendali (5/1), second in an Aintree handicap hurdle on his penultimate run, beat Heart Of Dubai (13/2), winner of a Cartmel novice hurdle last month, while earlier this afternoon French Hollow, winner of  a Market Rasen bumper two years ago, took York's one and three quarter mile Global Trading UK Responsible Packaging Handicap at odds of 66/1. Needless to say, I backed none of the aforementioned beasts.

Two long distance races tomorrow - York's John Smith's Silver Cup at 2.40 (not to be confused with the John Smith's Cup run at the same venue some 35 minutes later) and Chester's toteswinger Handicap which is due off at four o'clock.

Twenty are declared for the Silver Cup; the going is currently reported to be good. The Betchworth Kid finished tailed off behind Fame And Glory in the Ascot Gold Cup last time; this listed handicap represents an easier task. Alan King's gelding has his share of weight here; fourth in Newbury's totesport Hurdle reads well - he subsequently finished down the field in Sandown's Imperial Cup three weeks later before bouncing back to take a 14 furlong listed Flat race at Nottingham. Woolfall Treasure, once owned by Harry Findlay, was rated 128 over hurdles and finished down the field in the 2009 renewal of the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. He is potentially very interesting if fit enough on this seasonal debut but there's a suspicion connections might be using this as a prep for the forthcoming Glorious Goodwood meeting. La Vecchia Scuola has been out of form this term. Of the other runners, it's worth casting an eye over the Northumberland Plate form and remembering that Her Majesty The Queen's Tactician was withdrawn from that race on account of the ground. Rock A Doodle Doo heads the market and has been tipped up by several commentators; the winner has come from the top two in the market on four occasions in the past five years. The Betchworth Kid isn't the most consistent of performers but Coral stands out with a quote of 33/1 this evening; The Betchworth Kid is the each-way suggestion.

Ten of the five day entries for Chester's toteswinger Handicap had form over the sticks (including former Philip Hobbs charge Comedy Act and earlier York winner French Hollow) but only two make the final cut - Descaro and Beat The Shower. The former has hurdling form in Ireland as well as England and was beaten just under six lengths by Tim Easterby's game mare Bollin Judith last time at York; Descaro re-opposes five pounds better off tomorrow and on tonight's tissue price (12/1) offers better value - first time cheekpieces last time are replaced by a first time visor here. Beat The Shower won a Hexham handicap hurdle last summer; that day the gelding came from behind to stay on and take the spoils - that style of running isn't best served by this tight track. I shall take an each-way interest in Descaro.     

1 comment:

GeeDee said...

A plum draw in stall 1 for The Betchworth Kid (28/1) but, despite having 'conditions to suit' according to Jim McGrath, the wretched beast was slowly away and didn't pick up much speed thereafter, eventaully ploding home thirteenth of the eighteen runners. In a nutshell - he ran like a drain.

Descaro (9/1) fared a little better, making headway two from home but the two at the head of affairs had it between them on this tight track, Colour Vision (11/2) beating Never Can Tell (9/2) with the selection staying on for third ahead of Beat The Shower (10/1) in fourth.