Friday, October 07, 2016

A chance in Chepstow's Silver Trophy

After a long summer at grass I've only recently come back in; I'm a little backward at present and will be slow to come to hand this term...

After an absence of nearly four years racing returned to Hereford yesterday and was widely covered in the media. Newton Abbot's card this afternoon featured a couple of decent races (the well-touted Old Guard, sent off 1/5 favourite, sprawled on landing at the first and was immediately pulled up.)

The National Hunt season steps up another gear with Chepstow's two-day Jumps Festival on Saturday and Sunday. Until fairly recently there was an outside chance Colin Tizzard would let World Hurdle winner Thistlecrack take his chance in Saturday's totequadpot Novices' Chase - the stable star isn't quite ready yet and would probably prefer a little more cut underfoot.

Other highlights on Saturday include the Silver Trophy and the toteexacta Handicap Chase; on Sunday the Persian War Novices' Hurdle features while the opening juvenile hurdle should prove informative.

Lil Rockerfeller, beaten some 20 lengths by Annie Power in the Champion Hurdle last March, stands his ground for the totepool Silver Trophy (Saturday 4.25) with the result that six of the fifteen declared race from out of the handicap. Neil King is quite bullish about the horse in the Weekender, naming Ascot's Long Walk Hurdle and then the World Hurdle as targets.

Sefton Novices' Hurdle winner Ballyoptic is another with the World Hurdle in his sights. 

Of those carrying the correct weight, Tea In Transvaal, Forever Field and Who Dares Wins each have a recent run to their name so may possess a fitness edge. Who Dares Wins was desperately disappointing in the Triumph Hurdle - he has to be better than that - while Tea In Transvaal boasts previous winning form at this course.

All that said, Court Minstrel carried 11-12 to victory in this race last year and I'm taken by Neil King's pen-picture...

'He's had a summer at grass which has done him the power of good as don't forget he's still only a relative youngster. He was so enthusiastic doing a day's hunting last week and he filled me with optimism for the season.'    

At around 12/1 Lil Rockerfeller is the each-way suggestion.

1 comment:

GeeDee said...

Ballyoptic (9/2) won the Silver Trophy; selection Lil Rockerfeller was a non-runner.