Fontwell 15/11/09

Having endured the wet and windy couple of days leading in to this, the crowd at Fontwell was destined surely to be a touch on the bleak side, as the human race is rapidly evolving an inability to cope not just with bad weather, but the milder aftermath of it as well. 

In the day's Post, there was a long interview with Carl Llewellyn, in which he observed, topically for the meeting that saw plenty of young riders given chances with Cheltenham having sponged up the big boys, that today's riders are much better prepared than when he started out. This does his contemporaries a bit of a disservice, as there could not have been much room for riding and practice once all the other animals had been crammed into Noah's Ark. 

Returning to the realms of real life, his point was well illustrated here, with some good rides in conditions that were hard without being visibly very wet, only the last race was run at a unsustainable pace early on, and the inexperienced horses were mostly to blame. After England's efforts in the last two internationals, stupidity and bad decision-making in sport is something of a current bugbear, so a verbal explosion could have resulted had there been any today. Due to experimenting poorly with a new camera, no pictures are up for this meeting. Please desist from excessive weeping.

Going: Heavy (the "waterlogged in places" clause in the advance going had disappeared!)

Race 1: Chancelloroftheformchecker.co.uk Novice Handicap Hurdle [2m 6.5f]

1: Raise You Five     2: Aconitum     3: Pete The Feat

Winner owned: JP McManus, trained: Jonjo O'Neill, ridden: Richie McLernon

This could have been a stereotypical novice handicap full of previous nons. Non-triers or non-talents. However, a recent 22 length win meant that Dew Drop Inn, under the statutory seven pounds penalty, was an odds-on chance. Things were not totally straight forward, as the win was over 3m 2f on good, so if any of the others blossomed, there could be an upset due to the very different racing circumstances here. And after Dew Drop Inn weakened quickly from two out, the sudden unveiling of talent came from Raise You Five, last seen at Aintree finishing thirty lengths behind a subsequently successful stable companion in a novice hurdle. Prior to that, she had been done well and truly by 62 and 56 lengths, after a debut loss of 92 lengths (when 57 lengths behind Aconitum, and slightly worse in at the weights with him this time). Apart from witnessing one of the most spectacular form turnarounds of the season, it was a fairly uneventful race, although the tone was set for the day as despite a very careful pace, plenty of horses really struggled to last up the rising ground on the run-in.

Race 2: John Rogerson Memorial Beginners Chase [2m 2f]

1: Mount Oscar     2: Quartz De Thaix

Winner owned: Mrs Jean R Bishop, trained: Colin Tizzard, ridden: Joe Tizzard

A fairly unexceptional novice chase was enlivened by an enjoyable display from Mount Oscar, who got in a rhythm early, jumped well and showed what can be summarised as a boing, boing, whizz performance. He has shown bits and bobs of form over much further, but an aggressive ride dropped in trip seemed to suit. To balance the perspective, Quartz De Thaix did not make an inspiring chase debut, and Helium only managed to do so for 1m 6f. The other two rivals were out of contention with a lap or more to go.

Race 3: Tote Quadpot Claiming Hurdle [2m 2.5f]

1: Bureaucrat     2: Flowerbud     3: Olivino

Winner owned & trained: Milton Harris, ridden: Charlie Poste

With one of the runners proven on the ground having chosen to be third in a better race a day earlier and give this a miss, this claimer began to look extra-weak, and the fall of Gracechurch at the third left no obvious candidate to succeed. Bureaucrat, who normally avoids wet ground as if he suffers from Instant Trenchfoot Syndrome, stepped up manfully to win, at the expense of Flowerbud - whose two previous races had seen a massive novice hurdle defeat and a slightly less discouraging one in a claimer. Olivino is as mud averse as Bureaucrat and the hurdling Zimbabwe that ran here (the staying chase one turned out at Market Rasen) is as solidly put together as a horse made from matchsticks by someone with no glue to hand.

Race 4: Tote Exacta conditional jockeys' Handicap Chase  [2m 6f]

1: Ayemdee     2: Colonial Jim     3: Ere Alfie

Winner owned: Mrs Sylvia Darlington, trained: Jonjo O'Neill, ridden: Richie McLernon

A four runner race which featured two chase debutants and an exceptional winning ride which will almost certainly lack the credit it deserves because it was not at Cheltenham. Ayemdee had staggered into the frame in an iffy bumper and a bad hurdle race, and some very sticky jumping made it look as if even that may be beyond him this time. Ridden from a long way out, there was no real response, but as his three rivals began to tire badly Robbie McLernon showed a bit more persistence than his four legged friend and somehow ended up in front on the run-in. The sudden appearance of Ayemdee in front of him did wake Colonial Jim up a bit, just not quite enough to regain the lead. Ere Alfie was tailed off until Kappelhoff slowed to a walk from two out.

Race 5: Tikram Handicap Hurdle [2m 2.5f]

1: Dontpaytheferryman     2: Tullamore Dew     3: South O'The Border

Winner owned: Koo's Racing Club, trained: Brian Ellison, ridden: Kyle James

Brian Ellison ventured south with two runners, confusing followers of long distance travellers by having both of them looking possible winners. In the end, this valuable twelve runner handicap hurdle proved far less competitive than expected, as Dontpaytheferryman and Tullamore Dew were clear of the field two from home, and although the lack of a recent run caused the latter no apparent inconvenience, Dontpaytheferryman was stronger, if only by a neck. Not bad for a horse that has bounced around in the lowest grade and was beaten in a seller two runs ago. South O'The Border was outpaced at the sixth, but battled on with some purpose to pinch third narrowly. With his wins having come at Perth twice and Taunton (and both tries here were uninspiring), there is a suspicion that Fontwell is not his track.

Race 6: Tote Super7 Southern National Handicap Chase [3m 4f]

1: Peut Etre Sivola     2: L'Aventure     3: The Gangerman

Winner owned: Third Time Lucky, trained: David Pipe, ridden: Tom Scudamore

This is sort of a fake marathon as it is run over only three hundred yards or so further than the normal staying chase distance at Fontwell, but the combination of trip, going and sharp track might have been expected to produce a fairly short list of possible winners. But kudos to the large array of trainers who had the weather forecast spot on and saw their tight track, dour, lumbering mudlarks* in the right place at the right time. Rather like the last race, a big field handicap did not prove as closely contested as expected. Rounding the final bend at the far end of the course, seven were still tagged 'close enough if good enough' but when push came to shove, Peut Etre Sivola proved greatly superior and got clear without much visible effort to do so - having the minimum weight in the testing ground did him no harm either. L'Aventure had led, been headed a lap out and ceased to travel sweetly in protest, but stayed on late to regain second. Tom Molloy put in a monstrous effort on The Gangerman, who was struggling to get going from the moment the tapes went up, and as unlikely as it seemed, L'Aventure's late rally deprived him of second. He has both his wins and a short head second on heavy ground, but a sharp track probably does not help him one iota. 

* Regular readers will appreciate that for UK-Jumping, to be called a "dour, lumbering mudlark" is a major accolade.

Race 7: Tote Swinger Maiden Hurdle [2m 4f]

1: Casual Garcia     2: Ashmolian     3: Hopeful Start

Winner owned: Ne'er Do Wells II, trained: Nick Gifford, ridden: Liam Treadwell

With two staying wins on the flat, Casual Garcia seemed set to make his mark over hurdles, it just seemed more likely to have been on better ground, such as that he was beaten on in his two previous runs. The mud held no terrors for him at all, nor for Ashmolian, who could not cope with the winner but was heading to pinch second from Rockandahardplace when that horse fell at the last. The error was due to being tired after going on to freely early in the race, when he and Striking Viking dashed clear after the entire field was a touch hesitant when the tapes went up. Whilst lots of people feel that his stable mates can be prone to an overly easy time of things early in their racing career, Hopeful Start is definitely trying, just not very effectively at the moment, as he seems to get beaten just over twenty lengths, irrespective of who he is up against.

Plus Points

Sporting Medic (race 2): Caught the eye as a chaser to be before the race, but ran rather dismally once it got under way. He had been off over a year, and his win in Ireland was on firm, so maybe the conditions were never going to be his magic sponge.

Tullamore Dew (race 5): Has taken on some good horses in novice hurdles, and as this run will have pushed up his rating yet further in defeat, he must be due (ha!) a try over fences.

Ray Diamond (race 5): Looked overpriced at 50/1 in his ideal conditions and after making the running, seemed to have seen off all but the first two. He was deprived of third in the last couple of strides, and has the occasional great effort in him when it is muddy.

Elite Land (race 5): Never got near his triumphant stable mate, but seems to be on a competitive rating when everything falls right for him.

Peut Etre Sivola (race 6): Has three staying wins in degrees of mud now, despite being only six, and even after the handicapper has raised him, it is not hard to imagine this horse repeating today's effort from a low weight in a stronger race. 

Sound Accord (race 6): Looked in splendid condition before the race but top weight and six months off got the better of him. This was only the fourth handicap he has ever run in, and a tally of 8P86 is not jaw droppingly grand, but there is something to be won with him, even if it is the 2009 Shiniest Coat in Edgecote Award.

Rebel Melody (race 6): Won a couple of races in the spring by jumping notably well, so it was a surprise that he ruined his return last month with a fall. This was not his ground at all, but he did show that a lack of any traumatic stress after his accident, and normal service may well be resumed. 

Down Arrows

Dew Drop Inn (race 1): The race may have been too soon after the Hereford win - or was he having his one day in the spotlight last week.

Quartz De Thaix (race 2): Sometimes watching the horses from behind can give an interesting perspective, and he was seen approaching the fences straight, but then going right on his take off stride. This was not leading to wild jumps, but seemed to indicate a horse not having the peace of mind with the job he was having to do.

Helium (race 2): Began by making a fair go of things on his chase debut, but after a bad mistake (wanted to say he ballooned it, but it was a serious wallop) at the eighth, his jumping wobbled and he ceased traveling well, eventually pulling up.

Bureaucrat (race 3): Won despite the mud and was following up a seller win by a nose and three lengths against horses officially 32 and 39 pounds badly in. Suffice to say, even on the right going he is not running to his official mark of 129.

Kappelhoff (race 4): Rated 74, he is still 8 above the highest of his three winning marks. But at the age of 12, and with a good record fresh plus a career tally on good to soft or easier ground at Fontwell of 313P213 (amazingly solid for a horse of his level), he may not encounter such an ideal opportunity again.

L'Aventure (race 6): Has fallen down the ratings and run some adequate placed races in the meantime, but her last actual win was the 2005 Welsh National - the only time, it should be noted, that Leighton Aspell rode her.

UK-Jumping Selections

Pete The Feat (race 1): As feared, did not get home in the conditions, but ran quite well again until the last furlong found him out dramatically.