Sandown 08/01/11

This meeting used to be highlighted by the 3m 5f Mildmay & Cazalet Memorial Handicap Chase, but when there was a run of mild winters and no abandonments, it became clear that we did not need seven high quality staying chases in ten days after Chritsmas. Alas, the Sandown one was amongst those that fell by the wayside, which was a shame as it usually came out as the most exciting and interesting, bar the King George. 

The key feature for this meeting was the ground, which led to a morning inspection that was survived despite heavy overnight rain. Thus the main target in the races was to find runners proven on heavy, and there were not that many of them around.

Going: Hurdle - Heavy, Chase - Soft (Heavy places)

Race 1: 32red.com mares' Hurdle, Listed race [2m 4f]

1: Banjaxed Girl     2: Alasi     3: Silver Gypsy

Winner owned: Jill Scott, John Phillips, Sarah MacEchern, trained: Nigel Twiston-Davies, ridden: Sam Twiston-Davies

Banjaxed Girl had not been out of the first two in her initial ten hurdle runs, but had seen the sequence broken when she stepped out of mares only company last time. Today it was back to normal, setting off in front and even when coming under pressure at the end of the back straight, she proved as infuriatingly difficult to pass as a German en route to a sausage festival. Silver Gypsy in third proved, in being beaten three lengths, that she could nearly bridge the gap from easy wins in so-so novice hurdles to challenging Banjaxed Girl's 153 rating, but Alasi's performance was more mysterious, as she had twice in recent runs been beaten by the winner showing up about a stone worse, and of the two, Alasi was the least likely to be at home in the mud.

Race 2: 32red Poker Juvenile Hurdle [2m 0.5f]

1: Music Of The Moon     2: Lamps     3: Professeur Emery

Winner owned: The Ivy Syndicate, trained: Tom Tate, ridden: James Reveley

Twelve went to post for this, and the only competence that they had amassed on heavy were a pair of mile and a half flat wins. Missionaire had nabbed one of them, but he had tried hurdling already and looked like it had totally bewildered him. The other was Music Of The Moo, who was debuting over jumps. He was hampered at the second, when in rear, and ambled round gently there until making eye-catchingly smooth progress from three out. He caught manic pace setter Professeur Emery before two out, but ploughed through that hurdle and only edged in front before making a similar pig's ear of the last as well. He had enough energy to go on from that, probably helped by the Prof tying up, but had a minor scare as Lamps (tailed off of both hurdle runs) finished like a train, and reduced the gap to a length and a half. Favourite Comedy Act had won on good to soft at Plumpton, but found these conditions a slop too far. 

Race 3: 32red.com Handicap Chase [3m 0.5f]

1: Nicto De Beauchene     2: Quattrocento     3: Leading Contender

Winner owned: Exors of the late PM de Wilde, trained: Victor Dartnall, ridden: Andrew Glassonbury

Having hit the front with a good jump at the second, Nicto De Beauchene appeared to be setting a really quite genteel pace in front, but it was plenty quick enough for the mud, as the oppo was gradually worn away, and he skipped off into a sixteen length win in the end. This was his fourth win, all three mile chases, and came on the back of a pretty decent third at Newbury, which should not be too demoralising for the oppo, except that they lost so comprehensively, and the erratic Quattrocento came out best of them, who was an unlikely candidate to excel in such conditions, even more so after having delayed the start with a tack problem. Leading Contender unseated when running well on his comeback from injury in the same race as the winner contested at Newbury, and confirmed that he has returned in sporting mood with this result. Youngstown ended up favourite, presumably as much on the fact that the mud was ideal as anything else. He ran really well for a long way, but just found the uphill slog to the line a bit too much. Not really an exciting effort, but nor so bad to be discouraging. It just is. And as we all know, when something just is, it can only change if we alter our perception of reality. 

Race 4: 32red.com Tolworth Novice Hurdle, Grade 1 [2m o.5f]

1: Minella Class     2: Megastar     3: Toubab

Winner owned: Deal George Kelvin-Hughes Nicolson, trained: Nicky Henderson, ridden: Barry Geraghty

Most of us will have to live a long time to see an uglier Grade 1 race* than this, but with only five runners and Minella Class' win in a Naas bumper the only soft ground form on offer, what else could be expected? In a charitable frame of mind, well done to those that turned out and gave it a go, but it is hard to believe that there is only one decent mud-loving novice hurdler in the country. The victory was hard work for Minella Class, without him ever looking like the others could catch him from two out unless he did something idiotic. Perhaps a bit more surprisingly, Megastar did cling on for second, travelling extremely slowly at the moment that he crossed the line.

* Or watch American flat racing without falling asleep.

Race 5: 32red.com Handicap Chase [2m]

1: Cornas     2: Tchico Polos     3: Oh Crick

Winner owned: The Gascoinge Brookes Partnership III, trained: Nick Williams, ridden: Leighton Aspell

A competitive race, with two-thirds of the field proven or likely to act on the ground. The race was won with a glorious stalking Leighton Aspell ride on Cornas, a Grade 3 Limerick winner in the autumn, and a very decent fifth in a Grade 1 at Punchestown last spring. Under those circumstances, an SP of 14/1 when rated 148 was a nice surprise for his supporters - subsequent defeats behind today's rivals were by margins far from irreversible. Tchico Polos, who is best right handed, put his Cheltenham fall behind him and lost with honour intact. Oh Crick last won in April 2009, and this third place equalled his best result since. Despite the proven lack of results, he is still six pounds above his highest winning mark. Riguez Dancer, who has form on very testing ground, was a bit laboured and sluggish in fourth. The market plunge horse, Fiendish Flame, led for a long way, and faded from the third last, whilst French Opera, who harrassed him up front, weakened rapidly from the railway fences at the end of the back straight. This was his first run since last spring, which will not have helped, but the regression from going smoothly to a floundering mess was a bit too sudden to overlook next time. 

Race 6: 32red.com Handicap Hurdle [2m o.5f]

1: Mille Chief     2: Sophies Trophy     3: Zazamix

Winner owned: McNeill Family, trained: Alan King, ridden: Robert Thornton

In advance this race gave every sign of being the usual two mile handicap hurdle unfathomable cavalry charge, but nobody had told Mille Chief what was supposed to happen, and he turned it into a complete cakewalk. The margin at the line was six lengths, without him being at all extended. This was a shame for Sophies Trophy, as without Mille Chief, he would have been an equally clear, but rather more stretched, winner. Approaching the last, Kudu Country was the most likely to complete the frame, but the belated rally of Zazamix nicked that token honour from him. 

Plus Points

Silver Gypsy (race 1): Failed to show herself on a par with the winner, which was a realistic ambition after two impressive novice wins, but did well enough to show herself a very respectable threat in mares only races.

Mizzurka (race 1): Did well in bumpers, and after losing comfortably to Silver Gypsy in her hurdle debut, got beaten a neck by an enemy rated only 97 next time. Although she is potentially better than that, she ran the risk of ruining a friendly handicap mark in this. In the end, she ran well enough for a long way to be encouraged, but lost by enough not to do too much rating damage. 

Music Of The Moon (race 2): Showed the capacity to be rather decent on heavy ground, but he is going to have to jump much, much better to make the most of that ability. Even jumping at all will be a nice start.

Leading Contender (race 3): Won an uncompetitive Taunton novice chase (the unreliable Topless was second), but otherwise has been at his best left handed, so third here was an acceptable effort.

Red Merlin (race 4): Last of five, he seemed to be drained hardest by the ground, and deserves another chance.

Tchico Polos (race 5): Has come into his own on right-handed courses, and it is also beginning to look like a two mile chase with a stiff finish (e.g. Sandown, Exeter) suits very well.

Mille Chief (race 6): Comprehensive winner under top weight, looking like the horse he has always been reputed to be.

Sophies Trophy (race 6): Bumped into the wrong oppo today, but ran a nicely solid race in the circumstances.

Tiger O'Toole (race 6): Is an out and out fast ground horse, so fifth was a very decent run, all things considered.

Down Arrows

Alegralil (race 1): Started her career on a winning spree but has now gone on a run of 725U1F6, and there was just a hint here that her confidence and/or enthusiasm may be wavering a little. Certainly not one to be taking short prices about.

Sea Change (race 2): Rated in the 80s on the flat, he was ridden along as early as the third. An inauspicious start over jumps, and the only chink of light is to hope he can improve on better going.

Whitby Jack (race 2): Showed enough on the flat to be an interesting switch to hurdles, but jumped far too badly to make an impact and pulled up. The ground could have contributed, but he was too much a fish out of water to consider that was the sole reason.

Appleaday (race 3): Last won a couple of years ago over course and distance on soft, and ran his last good race also at course and distance. His jumping was sloppy, and in the end he unseated. Another wrinkle in a spell of rather apathetic efforts.

Horner Woods (race 3): Ambled along comfortably enough on the outside, but the response when asked to challenge was completely absent. He was well off of the boil in three runs last season, and has started this one in the same vein.

Toubab (race 4): Has not really turned performances into wins, and even allowing for conditions, his response when asked to make a challenge was more feeble than is considered good for a racehorse.

Oh Crick (race 5): A quiet spell since May 2009 has not really seen an appropriate ease in his handicap mark, and this narrower defeat is unlikely to have helped in that respect.