Towcester 17/03/11

It was all shaping like another wintry and misty day on the way to the meeting, but once there, the clouds thinned and the sun even made a token effort. Whether that quite justified compere Matt Chapman claiming it was a warm day when one runner got a bit hot and bothered is very dubious, but it was very different to the previous day a little to the east.

Going: Good to Soft (Good places)

race 1: Bet On The Cheltenham Festival toteplacepot Mares' Novices' Hurdle [2m 5f]

1: Francesa     2: Genny Wren     3: Victrix Gale

Winner owned: The Glazeley Partnership 2, trained: Henry Daly, ridden: Jake Greenall

This race featured two massive form turnarounds, as Francesa put a severe drubbing behind Genny Wren in the dustbin bag of history by a solid fourteen lengths, and Victrix Gale allowed fourth placed My Viking Bay to get 46 lengths closer than when they ran in a weird two finisher affair at Folkestone. The whys and wherefores? Francesa is clearly in much better heart now that Henry Daly has unearthed the root of the evil that had been cursing his string. Genny Wren ran well but spoiled that with scrappy jumping, which itself contributed to her surprisingly being unable to quite last home. Victrix Gale had achieved little form-wise, and should not have been an odds-on shot, whereas My Viking Bay returned to something like the form that had deserted her in recent races.

An extravagant attack on the last hurdle by Francesa

race 2: Bet On The Cheltenham Festival totejackpot Handicap Chase [3m 0.5f]

1: Atherstone Hill     2: Lonesome Boatman     3: Wide Receiver

Winner owned: Colin & Co, trained: Robin Dickin, ridden: Charlie Poste

A lowly 0-90 affair, but Atherstone Hill at least came into it with a run of good form that went 212. It was on ground like this or softer, but today he was topweight, whereas the hot streak came carrying no more than 10 stone 11 pounds. The heftier burden made not an iota of difference, and once he began to ease clear at the third last, there was no threat emerging behind him. Lonesome Boatman began to close gradually as they turned into the straight, which got a smattering of crazed optimists excited but the effort did not last as far as the final fence. After being strongly ridden with more than a lap remaining, Wide Receiver deserves some credit for at least having the good grace to not stop completely - allowing him to pass the total stragglers. Heezagrey has landed a race this season, but he was in all sorts of trouble with a long way to go and may have set some sort of record for the slowest time recorded from the second last fence to the line.

Delgany Gunner leads Atherstone Hill with a circuit to go, a state of affairs that lasted not much longer

race 3: totetrifecta On All Cheltenham Festival Races Handicap Hurdle [2m]

1: Valid Point     2: Kadouchski     3: Liberty Seeker

Winner owned: WE Sturt, trained: Jim Old, ridden: Rhys Flint

This was an eerily uneventful race until the last hurdle intervened. Valid Point was in front and clear, when he faltered and drifted left approaching it. Having flopped over, he had lost all momentum, which opened a small window of opportunity for Olympian, who had travelled well in the race and lost his own impetus slightly when pecking two out. He made a worse error at the last, which left the race irretrievably in Valid Point's grasp, and also cost him a place, as the slowly staying on Kadouchski and Liberty Seeker both waddled past. Kadouchski's out of the blue win last time had been attributed to a low weight, but it did not work for him this time (perhaps softer ground had been a factor as well).

race 4: totepool Flexi Betting At The Cheltenham Festival Novice Chase [2m 3.5f]

No Finishers

The race: Zhukov and Cengiz fell at sixth, leaving a duel between the market leaders. Identity Parade tended to jump left and drift left under pressure. She got clear in the straight and was helped take a more direct route by the rail. This may have intimidated her as she wavered approaching the last, almost refused, and fell as she lacked the impetus to clear it. Radharc Na Mara showed a neat sidestep to avoid Identity Parade (having unwisely gone around much of the last lap on her left side), but as she preserved her own integrity, jockey Peter Toole kept going in a straight line, as the laws of motion suggest he ought to, and was unable to levitate himself back into the saddle.

Aftermath: The inflexible rules prevented remounting, so the race was declared void. After being checked over by officials, Adrian Lane was allowed to get on board Identity Parade and walk back to unsaddle, coincidentally passing the finishing post en route. More controversial may have been blocking a remount on Radharc Na Mara, who did not fall at all, and whose jockey seem unscathed, apart from a possible wrist injury incurred when punching the ground. The horse herself had galloped off into the distance, alleviating some of the pressure, but not changing the fact that a well intentioned rule has been poorly implemented.

race 5: totepool Cheltenham Festival Betting At totesport.com Hunters' Chase [2m 6f]

1: Double Mead     2: Orient Legend     3: Pass The Parsel

Winner owned & trained: Mrs KR Smith-Maxwell, ridden: Alex Dunn

After the chaos of the previous race, the hunter chase passed without incident, producing a bloodless victory for the favourite, Double Mead, who had not been entirely trusted in the betting market. Two previous course winners flopped, with Blaze Ahead coming into this race in poor form and living down to it, and Ballygalley Bob looking even slower than he did before going pointing. This allowed Orient Legend to trudge into second, the same position that he has occupied seven times in points, compared to two wins. Pass The Parsel is not a trustworthy jumper of fences and that trait conceivably cost him second place in this.

Orient Legend and Blaze Ahead (2) show the way to Ballygalley Bob (1), and the mostly hidden Pass The Parsel and Brightwell. Double Mead is stalking them with smug confidence.

race 6: Beat The Bookies With totepool Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle [2m 3.5f]

1: Gouranga     2: A Stones Throw     3: Hippodrome

Winner owned: Group 1 Racing (1994) Ltd, trained: Tony Carroll, ridden: Robert Kirk

A 0-95 race, but one which perhaps predictably attracted horses in that grade that are not currently at the peak of their limited powers. The one exception was A Stones Throw, who was beaten nine lengths in achieving a career best result of fourth at Catterick recently. That led to him being favourite, but when the race came, he was his own worst enemy. Periodically looking like he was ready to stop completely, he livened up late in the race and outstayed most of the oppo, but by then Gouranga had established a decisive lead. Her two wins in 2009 were over further, and her form had declined so much that last time she was sulking and under pressure even before a loose horse roughed her up, leading to her calling it a day. She was still only a 15/2 chance, which says plenty about the rest of the runners. 

Plus Points  

Francesa (race 1): No fluke, and she could improve further as her yard gets into gear.

Genny Wren (race 1): Had an off day, and can still find a race to open her account.

Lonesome Boatman (race 2): A winning pointer, he has not yet delivered under rules, and at age 11 opportunities will be limited, but on this evidence, they will exist. Or perhaps "it will exist."

Valid Point (race 3): Ran in four novice hurdles, three poorly, but delivered on his handicap debut. The rating of 97 did not seem a gift, but he ran up a sequence on the flat, and a hurdling repetition is not beyond the imagination.

Liberty Factor (race 3): Has won his share over the years, but the most recent ones have been sellers and when he drops back to that level, another age defying triumph is possible.

Identity Parade (race 4): If she recovers from the trauma of her fall, she looks like she would want to be running left handed anyway.

Double Mead (race 5): After a good record in chases 21223137, she has returned to pointing as enthusiastically as she did in her younger days. More hunter chase success is on the cards. 

Sovereign Spirit (race 6): Has run some real stinkers until doing a lot better last time at Exeter, and was not disastrous here either. There could be another brief moment of glory beckoning at the lowest level.

Down Arrows

Victrix Gale (race 1): Was badly over-estimated for this, and awarding excuses could lead her to being too short in the betting again next time as well.

Delgany Gunner (race 2): Won a pair of lowest tier events and had gone up nineteen pounds as a result. The slog up the hill was not certain to suit him, but the he looked like the hot streak had been terminated before that became a factor.

L'Eldorado (race 3): Did win a bumper here, and suddenly landed a hurdle at Market Rasen last time, but has a habit, shown today, of wanting to lead from the off, and coming to a grinding halt once headed.

Gifted Leader (race 3): From an in-form yard, and having shown signs of returning to his best last time, he returned to his earlier poor form here, which involves no connection to being gifted or wanting leadership.

Gouranga (race 6): Found the race unfolding greatly to her convenience, and probably will not replicate this result if future races do not develop in the same fashion.

A Stones Throw (race 6): Has some ability, but not much inclination to make the most of it.