FEBRUARY 2012 HORSES

6 year old chesnut gelding     (Dream Well – Ma Reilly)     54140776

The brief career of Dirty Bertie is a salutary lesson in not being too obvious at the wrong time. His three bumper runs were on good to firm once and firm going twice, and he fared well in the two defeats before a Towcester win. Obviously the ground precluded these races from being elite affairs, but he could do no more than get stuck in as he did. Obviously placing too much emphasis on the first word of his name, as a hurdler Dirty Bertie was raced first on good to soft (ran surprisingly well considering the ground), good (well beaten), then good to soft (well beaten in a race that has worked out very well) and then good to soft again (disappointing in his first handicap). His last effort was on soft, back in novice hurdle company, and he was again comfortably seen off, but by now the suspicion is that the target is to get his handicap mark down below three figures ready for when the ground is in his favour again. The first inclination is to stick to class 5 races, but on quick going races that are nominally stronger than that can easily cut up to a winnable standard.

Handicap hurdles, up to 2m 2f, on good to firm or firm ground, rated up to 100

FERGALL     (Seamus Mullins)

5 year old brown gelding     ( Norwich – Gaybrook Girl)     4-365

An interesting challenge is in the process of arising for Fergall. How to take advantage of some promising efforts in bumpers and novice hurdles, which may indeed catch the handicappers eye, but his fellow runners are doing their best to undermine the predicted merits of what he has done. So if you see a horse traipsing about outside the BHA offices wearing a sandwich board with “The End Is Nigh” on one side and “Fair Rating For The Wilsford-Cum-Lake One” on the other, you should guess who it is. Fergall’s most notable run was at Taunton in his first hurdle, as he passed plenty of opponents that he had cautiously watched through the first mile and a half from the back, and his next race, a two miler at Wincanton, seemed likely to be too much of a speedster’s event anyway. In the end, even if the jolly as disappointing on the day, he finished seventeen lengths behind a horse rated 142, and had the fourth not caused chaos two from home, he may have been closer still. As noted, handicaps are the likeliest outlet, but he could win a novice hurdle that is shunned by the bigger yards. Watch for a possible right-handed preference as he is yet to be tried the other way round – coincidence or more to it?

Hurdles over 2m 3f or more  

Fergall (5) grinds to a half at Taunton, as 2011 fades from view. On the upside, he is doing this after the line

INKBERROW ROSE     (Tom Gretton)

8 year old bay mare     (Glacial Storm – Inuit)     2563/756131-9P28

With a sire name Glacial Storm and a dam named Inuit, there are a million and one avenues to pursue a witty name for Inkberrow Rose. Or is this subtle warning that her home tome of Inkberrow, deep in the wilds of Worcestershire, has a particularly savage microclimate, one that has inexplicably evaded the attention of weather-related documentary makers all over the nation. Back in the good old days, this would have been well worth a spoof Wikipedia entry. So, factually incorrect witterings aside, how does Inkberrow Rose attract the interest of jumps fans? A simple left hand/right hand split. Going left handed, she has a record of 1128. Going right handed, her history is therefore 256375639P. In her bumper career she was forced to go to Sandown once (for the mares’ series final) but the other three were at Towcester, and whilst it may have seemed that the stiff climb to the line was helping Inkberrow Rose, it now seems more likely that the direction of the racing was stopping her doing even better. Once hurdles were put in the way, she has only once lost by less than thirty lengths in that direction. Stick with her on anti-clockwise courses, and give her a chance in chases as well. So far she has only raced on good to soft or slower ground, and that does look to suit, so will presumably continue.

Handicap hurdles or handicap chases, on a left-handed course, over 2m 7f or more

JEANRY     (Arthur Whitehead)

9 year old bay gelding     ( Marathon – Envergure)     P605454/12303-2

As the form figures show, his initial hurdling efforts, which came after a three year break since he was a flat horse in France , did not show Jeanry in the greatest of lights. Second time around, he was much wiser, and a smattering of good results peaked with a short-head pipping of Lord Landen at Worcrester. A loss of only ¾ length at Bangor was almost as meritous, as it did seem that 2m 1f on soft ground would be too short and too muddy for Jeanry, based on what we had seen up to then. He did not return until December, when he made his chase debut, also at Bangor . Second, beaten nine lengths, was solid, especially as he did not enjoy the best of luck in running. But since then, it has been made to look a wondrous effort. Quincy Des Pictons (1^st) has two wins since, Arctic Ben (4^th) has one win since, Drom (5^th) has two wins since, Oscar Close (pulled up) has one win since. Rigadin De Beauchene (fell) has one win since. And like Jeanry, the third placed horse has not raced again. For a bog standard 0-105 handicap chase this is an absurd degree of success, which suggests that Jeanry can achieve better things as chaser than he did on the flat or hurdling.

Handicap chases between 2m 3f and 2m 6f, rated up to 110

THE RED LAIRD     (Neil King)

9 year old bay gelding     (Kayf Tara – Sekhmet)     9130/4854/3144-2

History tells us several things about The Red Laird. Firstly, he has until late April to fit in three more runs and make it a normal season. Secondly, he fulfils the theory that a horse who runs well (in this case won) a bumper at Plumpton is not to be rushed. In races, in life, in anything. Thirdly, he really does thrive on a muddy waddle – perhaps a muddled wadi as well, but the opportunity has never presented itself. Fourthly, he really does want to go left handed. In four runs right handed he has lost by 39, 44, 72 and 31 lengths. In nine goes the correct way round, he has two wins, and an average margin of defeat of fifteen lengths, which has been regularly bettered since he got a better grip on the hurdling concept (and never greater than 25 lengths with hurdles in the way). Fifthly, no race distance is too far. Even a Middle Eastern endurance race would be thinkable, with the double benefit of answering the “muddled wadi” question. Almost sixthly, so shall we say five and a halfly, he seems to appreciate undulating tracks a bit better than level ones, although the latter are not a terrible hindrance. All that remains to find out is whether he is a career hurdler or a skilled latecomer to chasing. In the right conditions, follow him in both.

Handicap hurdles or handicap chases over 3m 1f or more, on a left-handed, undulating track on soft or heavy

The Red Laird remaining fairly cheerful after his Plumpton second at the end of Jan12

ZENNOR     (Tom Symonds)

5 year old bay mare     (Doyen – Salanka)     524

Despite a flat rating of 77, Zennor did get pitched in at the deep end for a couple of listed races in that sphere. She was third of six in one of them, at Chester , but well and truly put in her place at Toulouse . However, she did switch to hurdles with the sort of credentials that made her an interesting recruit, as long as she kept to a realistic level. And it was the second part of that equation that proved difficult. Her first two novice hurdle runs were at Lingfield, which usually attracts a reasonable standard of competitor, and big fields as well, but Zennor managed to wash up in a couple of above par races. In the first, she caught the eye in being fifth, having abandoned her preferred front running tactics, and for the next she was back to blazing a trail, one which was too hot for all but Elegant Touch. First and third have won since, but some a bit further back have not fared so well, even when lobbed into handicaps. Zennor herself had a minor regression, in a novice hurdle that appeared quite a good standard for Plumpton, but is not working out so strongly. This could work very well in keeping down Zennor’s rating, which her second race could have put in the 120s – not insurmountable, but an awkward starting point. Given her aggressive racing style, less testing conditions will probably work best. Time may show smaller fields are a plus as well, but there is currently no evidence for that.

Handicap hurdles up to 2m 3f, not on soft or heavy, rated up to 125

Zennor tries all the way to the line, refusing to succumb to the gloomy mood that the weather may have inspired