FESTIVAL DAY 1

This was my first visit to the track since a very busy evening meeting in 1994, and apart from some new stands and updating the contents of the remaining, the course has very much run on the principle of not fixing what ain’t broke. Viewing from down on the rails remains excellent as long as you are right on them. The food in the Bindaree Café was well above par, especially the Victoria Sponge, although it is a bit under gunned on the coffee output front. An alternative for a good coffee is the giant orange that mainly dispenses fruit juice. It really was there, or the sponge cake had been spiked. Guinness was not great, but presumably it does not get used often enough. One possibly unique feature of the track is that having shoe-horned the cars into a fairly small space, the parking people are there to manage the efficient departures as well!  

As for Perth itself, the restaurant recommendation is Duncan's In Perth (Duncansinperth.com), the maddest pub found Greyfriars Inn (filled to the rafters with 38 people in it, but the Friar's Tipple is excellent) and the cheapest the Dickens (£2.35 for a pint of Guinness).

Late rain producing soft ground meant that there was a little run of defections, but as the full card included 99 runners, losing some along the way hardly ruined the sport.

Attheraces.com Free Instant Race Replay Maiden Hurdle, Div I [2m 4½f]

1: Russian Trigger     2: Mr Preacher Man     3:Pigeon Island

Winner owned: Russian Partners, trained: Victor Dartnall, ridden: James White

Only a handful struggled home on the going, but Russian Trigger set the tone for what was a good three days for the south-west corner of the country and Victor Dartnall in particular. Russian Trigger developed upon a promising debut run, where a price of 66/1 in a weak race suggested that he had not been setting the world alight at home, and this was a big leap forward. Mr Preacher Man is becoming a regular in the frame and is proven over further but he never really looked like winning. With the yard’s losing run already reaching ominous proportions, this looked the one time not to be following the Twiston-Davies team at Perth, and Pigeon Island became number one in a line of disappointments.

Guinness Novice Handicap Hurdle [3m ½f]

1: Mumbles Head     2: In Dream’s     3: Red Scally

Winner owned: Jill Day, trained: Peter Bowen, ridden: Tom O’Brien

Mumbles Head smashes up a little chunk of Scotland on his way to winning

SBJ Nelson Steavenson Novice Chase [3m]

1: Caribou     2: Lankawi     3: First Look

Winner owned: It Wasn’t Us, trained: Oliver Sherwood, ridden: Dominic Elsworth

A good, if surprising, effort from the winner, as Caribou had only won in the past around about two miles. There trip was no problem, as Lankawi had a slight lead at the last and ran on gamely, testing Caribou’s stamina fully. Pace setter Fast Forward in fact faded fast from the penultimate fence, losing the minor placing to First Look, who was in a bigger, tougher field than he has seen so far and was also stepping up in trip. The insanely expensive Royal Rosa was in contention when he pulled up three out, presumably with something amiss.

John Smith’s Handicap Hurdle [2m ½f]

1: Lennon      2: Charlotte Vale     3: St Pirran

Winner owned: Andrea & Graham Wylie, trained: Howard Johnson, ridden: Johnny Farrelly

As with the last hurdle race, the going should have put a stop to the winner’s prospects, but Lennon shot clear of pack early in the straight and never looked like being reeled in. There was nothing wrong with the effort of Charlotte Vale, but she looks like two miles is too sharp for her, although she is another whose yard is on a losing streak. St Pirran was very tired in the end, but he lumbered up the run-in well enough to hold Michabo off, and it was his best run in quite a while, whilst not being a prompt for an imminent win. Some other long distance travellers were given a bit of a brush off this time, Seribase being fifth, further behind than was expected, Wingman never got going after whacking the first and Climate Change stopped after a lap. After Wingman’s run, Gary Moore withdrew his other runner on the day and Zimbabwe was a non-runner twenty-four hours later. That is a very long trip to be aborted!

Lennon shows them the way to the line, ably directed Johnny Farrelly, who may be auditioning for a Crimean War re-enactment society. Charlotte Vale is bemused into  defeat, but holds St Pirran and Michabo, then Seribase

Stanjamesuk.com Handicap Chase for the Scottish Memories Cup [2m 4½f]

1: Patricksnineteenth     2: Incas     3: King Of The Arctic

Winner owned: Large G&T Partnership, trained: Paul Webber, ridden: Tony Dobbin

After a couple of lacklustre comeback runs, Patricksnineteenth finally added to his tally accumulated in a good novice chase campaign three years ago, with a thoroughly honest performance back at what seem to be his best trip, but his cause was helped by a getting the clearest run on the flat. Incas, who looked very well in the paddock (as did most of his stablemates in the three days), also did well in a better class of race than he is used to, by staying on strongly to pinch second as King Of The Arctic drifted left on the run-in. The third had been left in front at the last, but sacrificed pole position by his inability to hold a straight course. He did not concede many lengths geometrically, but the momentum lost was vital. Do L’Enfant D’Eau kept on from miles back to end a run of very shoddy form where he had seemed as if he was doing the Enfant De Large Gin. The horse that led into the last was Irish visitor Huncheon Gale, who looked tremendous before hand. Held up off the pace, he cruised from the back to the lead four out, kicked five lengths clear and seemed set for glory. King Of The Arctic looked to have reeled him in two out and a horrendous blunder at the last sealed his fate. The tactics had failed anyway, but it was a decent run all the same.

A giant glowing ring intimidates a group of ponies as they jump the water. This is the splendid view from the khazi roof. Patricksnineteenth is at the front in the orange cap.

Mike And Pat Are Getting Married amateur riders’ Handicap Hurdle [3m ½f]

1: Prince Adjal     2: Inn From The Cold     3: Emperor’s Monarch

Winner owned: C Storey, trained: Sally Forster, ridden: Alex Merriam

This was not the greatest contest of the week, but Prince Adjal made a procession of it to give Alex Merriam, whom I normally watch in points in the deep South, his first win under Rules. Inn From The Cold was a meek second, with Emperor’s Monarch keeping on from miles off of the pace for third. Another hold up horse was Obligee De Sivola, who did get into serious contention, only to find little when the screw was turned. In a bad few days for the Twiston-Davies yard, What Do’In was the lowest point, having his first reminder after less than a quarter of a mile.

Attheraces.com Free Instant Race Replay Maiden Hurdle, Div II [2m 4½f]

1: Brickies Mate     2: Or De Grugy     3: Selection Box

Winner owned: Mrs Eugena Porter, trained: Ian Ferguson, ridden: Johnny Farelly

Like the first division, surprisingly few managed to eke out a completion and over the last couple of hurdles they were quite strung out. Brickies Mate proved to be the most determined and strongest although he was a 33/1 shot as his previous runs, with hints of ability, were still some way off of winning form. Or De Grugy was runner-up for the fourth race in a row, which is a bit ominous. Another rank outsider was third, Selection Box having been thrashed in a bumper on his only run. This was better but nothing to yet get carried away about. In the preliminaries Closed Shop looked to have the tank-like build that was required for this but he was a beaten fourth when he took a very heavy fall at the last. Hopefully this will not have done too much damage to his confidence for the future. Just Jaffa was the only other finisher, and the pulled ups included some who ground to a halt very rapidly in the straight.

Closed Shop (3) and Pinch Me Silver (13) are in early command, but Johnny Farrelly on Brickies Mate (red, grey sleeves) is making a mental note to come back and pick up a pound coin dropped by the hurdle. Or De Grugy is one of the red hats.

Ones to Note

Charlotte Vale: Yard badly out of form, but she ran OK over what appears an inadequate trip

King Of The Arctic: Another solid effort in the 2.5 mile chase

Ones to Avoid

Gunadoir: Has had several good chances, and is from a yard that usually gets it’s youngsters at their best sooner rather than later

What Do’In: Nothing at all on today’s evidence

Or De Grugy: Second four in a row, and looked horribly one paced

UK-Jumping Selections

First Look: Had a chance two out in the novice chase but did not seem to get home in a longer trip than is usual for him.