Lingfield 12/12/09

Having scheduled a rare turf bumper, it was, along with the hurdle races abandoned, but the way the ground often goes with the water running off of the dirt track, just having a jump meeting here today was a plus. Having put the pointless events at either end of the card, we had five serious chases in the middle. Oddly, no two miler was put on, and given the lack of sponsors for some of the last minute arrangements, maybe naming a race for a good cause or two would have been worth it, instead of the less inspiring use of the course name at every opportunity.

Hot on the heels of the news that a juvenile sunfish had been found on a Norfolk beach some 3,000 miles from the place that they are normally accidentally beached (yobbish youths apparently are a big problem in sunfish communities), there was the equally unexpected event of Tony McCoy washing up on the sand at Lingfield, in preference to Doncaster or Cheltenham, and it resulted in hysterical rushes to back all of his mounts. He had three winners, at 11/8, 8/13 and 5/4, which meant that those backing all six rides (five started favourite) in singles made a 4% profit - nowadays that really is better than putting it in a bank.

Another thing that starts today is UK-Jumping's latest "steal someone else's idea, and do it on the cheap" feature. As grabbing a grand seems a tall order, it is Pillage A Pony For Charity time, which, we are advised to remind, does not involve theft of any livestock whatsoever. In this case, the aim is to raise £25 for charity over the course of the week, relying on stupidly small stake bets.

Pillage A Pony - Day One

Lingfield Placepot - invested 24 lines at 20p, with Magot De Grugy a banker in race 2, and two horses in every other race. One 20p line was returned. Layout: £4.80, return £4.76 = LOSS of 4p. Not a great start.

Also, a 10p win patent on Magot De Grugy (3rd), Plum Pudding (4th) and Sailor's Sovereign (pulled up). Layout 70p = LOSS of 70p. Needless to say, had these three prevailed, the target would have been achieved on day one, and this nonsense could have quickly been ended. The horses and riders that saw fit to defeat these fine creatures have that on their conscience.

Not invested - a single penny on Seaxnot in the 12.24 at Crayford, which he won at 3/1.

Running total: -74p, and optimism wavering

Going: Chase - Heavy, Bumpers - Standard

Race 1: lingfieldpark.co.uk Junior Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race [2m]

1: Open Day     2: Maggie Aron     3: Mabel Tasman

Winner owned: JP McManus, trained: Jonjo O'Neill, ridden: Tony McCoy

ZZZZZzzzzz. Open Day was not a cheap yearling, so connections would presumably have been wanting him to win this in the comfy style that he did as a bare minimum, as the three rivals that had already experienced racing had shown nothing to frighten Open Day. The rather tiny Maggie Aron did not run at all badly, and Mabel Tasman stayed on late, to deprive Marleno of a place - he tied up after pulling hard early on and challenging Open Day for the early lead.

Race 2: Marriott Hotel Opening Spring 2010 Handicap Chase [2m 4.5f]

1: Senor Shane     2: Captain Tidds     3: Magot De Grugy

Winner owned: L Gilbert, trained: Chris Gordon, ridden: Charlie Studd

There must be, literally, several people waiting for the sponsors headline event to occur, but they did get an exciting ten runner chase to fill the yearning for hotel opening. Senor Shane made the running, at quite a fair pace in the conditions, but when everyone was expecting him to drop away, the pack found it difficult to close him down. Two out the race seemed in the bag, but Captain Tidds rallied very well and only lost by a length in the end, helped by the winner hanging left up the run-in. Senor Shane had been below par since joining his current yard, and there was a doubt over his ability to handle the ground, but a first time visor lit him up sufficiently to overcome these issues. The runner-up has been inclined to make expensive mistakes in his chases so far, but one in mid-race was too far out to be blamed for the failure to get up. Magot De Grugy likes to make life look difficult, and having been labouring along for much of the way, he seemed ready to be out of the frame, before staying on again for third. He is quite consistent, in an unconvincing way.

This might not have been so close if Senor Shane (10) had run as directly to the line as Captain Tidds. Mind you, the angle of many things in this picture seem to disturb the harmonic perspective, and for once, the photographer is almost blameless.

Race 3: Lingfield Handicap Chase [3m]

1: Gunship     2: Mayeul     3: Me Julie

Winner owned: MW Hoskins, trained: Catherine Hamilton, ridden: Jimmy Derham

Seven set out, and cresting the final hill, the trio that finished 1-2-3 had control of the race, with the first two travelling better than Me Julie, who had top weight and was the Tony McCoy ride. In the end, Gunship travelled best for the longest, but the persistence of Me Julie (unproven at the trip) and Mayeul (still winless, runner-up for the sixth time now in 22 runs) was admirable, but vain, and had the winner gone for home earlier, his stamina would probably have ensured a wider margin win. After a solid start chasing (form of 3641) it all went pear-shaped (UPPPU), and an attempt to liven him up in points was a bit hit and miss as well - Open wins and failures to finish. 

Race 4: December Novice Chase, Grade 2 [3m]

1: Burton Port     2: Massasoit     3: Bench Warrent

Winner owned: Trevor Hemmings, trained: Nicky Henderson, ridden: Tony McCoy

Four were declared, but with useful looking Weird Al winning a day earlier at Cheltenham, a full turnout was not expected and we only got three runners. After the small fields debate in the Racing Post a day earlier, a possible explanation (not cherry picked by the handicappers) came half an hour after this - or would have done had the mare in question not been a non-runner. Wychwoods Legend won her first chase, a six horse race, beating a 79 rated opponent by five lengths. A clearly below par 122 rated rival (with one win in 26 chases!) was fourth. Her latest hurdle rating was 117, but her highest winning mark in that sphere was 105. Today's mark? 125 - an often wrong assumption that a horse is instantly as good over fences as it had worked it's way to being over hurdles. In the same race Pass Me A Dime last won in November 2006. After being beaten 115 lengths and following up with a fall, an unseated and a pulled up, he is finally back down to a rating 2 (two!) below that long distant winning venture - along the way he got put up three for the race he fell in!!! Or go back half an hour, where Me Julie ran. She had been raised from 90 to 95 for winning a six runner, three finisher race at Ffos Las on her chase debut, after six of the seventeen fences were omitted. And the mark of 90 was awarded after one run in a handicap hurdle, in which she was beaten eighteen lengths from 87. To adopt South Park's Chewbacca Defense - "it just DOESN'T make sense." And the question is not whether these races fail to produce sufficient betting turnover (it is not EVERY race's reason to be), but whether the horses are actually learning enough from them for tougher late season challenges?

As for the race? Bench Warrent led, was headed approaching three out, Burton Port kicked on, and Massasoit stuck his head in the air when asked to fight on, probably in vain.

Race 5: 2010 Fixtures At lingfieldpark.co.uk Handicap Chase [3m]

1: Ballyfoy     2: Pipo De Re     3: Nicto De Beauchene

Winner owned: MK George, trained: Jamie Poulton, ridden: Mattie Batchelor

The first time that the field came up the home straight, a couple of awkward leaps left Ballyfoy a detached last of the quintet and a prime candidate to pull up. By the first in the back straight, Mattie Batchelor had somehow cajoled Ballyfoy into a greater sense of social responsibility, and edged the lead. It took plenty of niggling and nudging all the way, but under a ride of heroic proportions, Ballyfoy clung on in there all the way to the line. He is probably one to be very wary off but there is a case for the defence that he just got flustered. Very easily, perhaps. Pipo De Re was going significantly better than all at the top of the hill, but could only plod on under pressure. Nicto De Beauchene was beaten miles only a week earlier, and at least ran a fair bit better this time.

Front to back it is Pass Me A Dime, Nicto De Beauchene, Pipo De Re, Plum Pudding. With a lap to go, Ballyfoy was not deemed an essential participant in any pictures.

Race 6: Lingfield Park Novice Handicap Chase [3m 2.5f]

1: Victorias Groom     2: Princeful     3: Gabreselassie

Winner owned: PH Betts, trained: Lucy Wadham, ridden: Leighton Aspell

Basically, this race is unsatisfactory form-wise, as the novices bypassed four fences in the back straight due to the sun, jumping only ten in the end. Whilst one runner is not a solid statistical base, the wide margin win by Victorias Groom suggested that after a brief suspension of on-course activity while the horses were ailing, Lucy Wadham's yard has turned the corner quite quickly. The winner had contrived to start his chase career with three consecutive "unseated rider" outcomes, but then got back on the straight and narrow with a fourth and a run of third places. This brought his record at Lingfield to 2311, and he probably would prefer that the new year jumps fixtures here do not suffer their usual fate of waterlogged abandonment. Princeful did not appear to do anything wrong apart from struggle with the downhill gallop after the fourth last, and as his stamina was a touch doubtful, the ground lost there to Victorias Groom was never going to be recouped.

Race 7: Night At The Oscars Christmas Parties Maiden Open National Hunt Flat Race [2m]

1: Voltigger Hill     2: Boa     3: Keltic Crisis

Winner owned: Group Clean Ltd, trained: Charlie Mann, ridden: Tony McCoy

Even with plenty of form to go on - only three newcomers in a field of fourteen - this lacked appeal as a betting medium. As it turned out, Voltigger Hill's superior turf form was replicated on sand. Boa had run at Cheltenham last time, but with sights lowered, she ran more like her half-decent Uttoxeter debut. Keltic Crisis, one of the debutants, could be backed on grounds of topicality, and got the better of his stablemate Maelstrom Sea for the minor placing. There was a kerfuffle at the start, which resulted in King Kieren effectively refusing to race, but as the low sun prevented the start being seen in real life and on the big screen, it could have been a previously unknown disruptive Taleban from south-east Surrey for all we know.

Plus points  

High Jack (race 2): Has been totally off the boil, and there were doubts if this was an ideal track (all wins at Towcester) or going, but he did pretty well until the second last fence, before ending up fifth. He may be easing back to form.

Pacco (race 2): Off for 7 months prior to this, he tends not to run well fresh, so fourth here counts as a solid comeback. He also has a good record carrying a high weight in the mud (three of his four wins were lugging 11 stone 5 pounds or more).

Gunship (race 3): Can pick up another race or two in the mud from a low mark, even if supporters have to endure some off-days along the way.

Pipo De Re (race 5): Has put a chase debut fall behind him and keeps running well without actually winning. This was a good opportunity that got away, but rather than look a dodgepot, he gives a vibe that it will come right for him one day.

Princeful (race 6): Ultimately a touch disappointing, but back down in trip and/or a level track might eradicate the hindrances.

Gabreselassie (race 6): Looks like he could fare better when there is a lot less give in the ground.

Down arrows

Ouragan Lagrange (race 2): Would have been instantly upset that the race was not at Fontwell, but he is not convincing as a chaser even there, and ran extra poorly in this.

The Hardy Boy (race 3): Despite five Plumpton wins, he did open his account at Lingfield, and with ideal ground and a now workable handicap mark, it was only his stamina that was questioned. He ran quite badly, struggling long before the trip became an issue.

Kahyasi Jack (race 3): Jumped badly again, and now has chase form of UFP. Surely a return to hurdles beckons?

Great Tsar (race 3): A beaten favourite on both runs since joining Tim Vaughan, he did manage to avoid being the jolly today, but it did not help him run any better. He is not being especially great or tsarish at the moment.

Massasoit (race 4): Despite being doomed to probably defeat anyway, his attitude when asked to try and worry the favourite out of success left a lot to be desired.

Ballyfoy (race 5): Looked set to down tools, until persuaded otherwise, but on a different day he could go through with the surrender.

Pass Me A Dime (race 5): Ran down to the level of some recent disappointing efforts. 

Lupanar (race 6): After one or two jaded runs over hurdles, he looked to liven up a little on his chase debut, but this time his jumping went to pieces in the second half of the race, and when he nearly came down at the third last, his goose had already been cooked.

UK Jumping selections

Mr Prickle (race 2): A sharp track like Lingfield is not his thing at all, and he ran indifferently. At the right venue, he can bounce back.