Huntingdon 31/08/09

Sometimes racecourses do the dumbest things. There has been debate about Newbury erecting a stage so that nobody could watch any racing, but Huntingdon made two smaller scale dopey decisions. Firstly, with a big and eager crowd, and course commentator Lee McKenzie trying to be inclusive to people of all degrees of racing experience, the horses exited the chute at the far end of the course, and went away from the stands to the start about 100 yards away. For all the people with too much clutter and/or kids and relatives, or inadequate navigation skills to find the paddock, cantering in front the stands might well have increased their sense of involvement, and likelihood to return. Similarly, the course no longer offers a reduced admission to OAPs. These are, of course, exactly the sort of people they will be missing for midweek meetings in the school terms, and if the attendances are hit as a result, the course deserves it.

Going: good to firm

Race 1: eventguard.co.uk conditional jockeys' Selling Hurdle [2m 4.5f]

1: Hard And Fast     2: Come West     3: Mycenean Prince

Winner owned: Ms J Loylert,  trained: Tim Vaughan, ridden: Richie Killoran

If there is a website still in existence that can match UK-Jumping for it's admiration of selling hurdles, then it remains beyond our horizons. So, when this one is described as being about as nondescript as can be imagined, that carries weight. All eleven runners had earned handicap marks, none leapt out as beneficially anomalous. Hard And Fast is no better than 50% well named, but of the possibles, he had least experience and found the required improvement to win, having been tapped for toe three out. Come West found some form again, after three hugely woeful runs on the bounce. A minor shock, which hardly reverberated around the world, was Toss The Caber's failure to make the frame, which he had achieved in 11 of 16 previous hurdles - some non-sellers. But with Iron Hague and Mycenean Prince in the field there were just more non-winning Placepot heroes in the races than the places could fit in.

Whatever the post-race debate, Hard And Fast will not be excluded from it

Race 2: TurfTV Betting Shop Service Handicap Chase [2m 0.5f]

1: Joshua    2: Majy D'Auteuil     3: Ravenscar

Winner owned: Don Cantillon Racing, trained: Don Cantillon , ridden: Leighton Aspell

A moment of sublime Aspellicity, as the four year old in the two mile madcap chase was cajoled into a narrow success after looking a bit tired when not spot on at the second last fence. There were a few hounding the youngster, and had there been an exploitable weakness, one would surely have found it. Majy D'Auteuil has been in good form this summer, but he did seem poised to pick up another win on the run-in. Did Joshua rally or did Majy dodge? Ravenscar excelled himself to be third, holding off fast finishing Tarboush, who has clearly benefitted from two warm up runs - understandable after going missing from action for five years. Chase debutant Desert Lover was not greatly impressed by the experience, nor we with him.

Joshua does pretty well for a horse that has a mini-twin growing from his right ear

Race 3: Under 18s Come Free At Huntingdon Maiden Hurdle (Div I) [2m 0.5f]

1: Press The Button     2: Wester Ross     3: Seader

Winner owned: Brian McAtavey, trained: Jim Boyle, ridden: Steve Craine

This appeared to be the stronger division, and it produced an impressive winner, as Press The Button was indeed button pressed at the last and left the oppo toiling. He is a much better (and in form!) flat horse than often appears this early, so more wins ought to be possible. Wester Ross ran well in defeat, again, and hopefully has consigned the burst blood vessel on debut to history. Seader was beaten by a horse of no known previous talent last time, and in this tougher assignment, tried to nick the race from the front. He was not good enough, but his effort once headed could not be faulted. 

Race 4: Under 18s Come Free At Huntingdon Maiden Hurdle (Div II) [2m 0.5f]

1: Another Trump     2: Agente Romano     3: Penyfan Dawn

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

Another Trump was making a UK debut after three thirds and a fourth in Ireland. They had all come in huge fields, so the fact that he remained a maiden was more than offset by the sheer quantity of horses that had been unable to beat him. The only question mark was the unfamiliar fast ground, although watching recent meetings over the Irish Sea, perhaps that ground was the whole point of him being here. Another Trump triumphed with oodles in hand, and the positive for Agente Romano was that he avoided the pitiful cave-in shown at Stratford last time, although his debut short head loss to Mission Control promised so much more. The only other one to finish ahead of the pace setter was Penyfan Dawn. That pacesetter was Shavoulin - tailed off only previous hurdle, 0 from 19 on the flat, so not the kind of horse to be finishing behind (if you are trying).

Race 5: Mix Business With Pleasure At Huntingdon Novice Chase [2m 4.5f]

1: Red Admiral     2: Robert The Brave     3: Unforgettable

Winner owned: TA Swerling, trained: Charlie Mann, ridden: Noel Fehily

An impressive looking win, coming from well off the pace, secured the glory for Red Admiral. and jumping decided it. He was continually spot on, whereas Robert The Brave went invariably left and Unforgettable got every fourth fence wrong. As soon as Noel Fehily opted to join the leaders, the race was his to lose. Come Out Firing has won a chase but usually comes out fluffing it when the big fences appear, and so it was today.

Race 6: Huntingdon Racecourse Handicap Hurdle [2m 0.5f]

1: Weather Front     2: Tora Petcha     3: Dark Energy

Winner owned: Mrs N Unsworth & R Greenway, trained: Nigel Twiston-Davies, ridden: Paddy Brennan

This race was a warm-up cavalry charge for the charge-plus that would end the meeting. Even coming to two out, plenty were still in contention. Weather Front had occluded the issue of form analysis by being awful in four of his last five runs, but this return to the top implies that he is prepared to make an effort every third run. That sounds off-putting, but last year's winner Dark Energy is only really making a show once every five, although there is the odd blip. As Tora Petcha is usually only enthused by sellers, there have to be one or two question marks over the race - especially for well backed Esteem (seventh). If that all sounds a bit downbeat, remember that Kingscourt Lad, 11 years old and having run 46 under Rules, was fourth at 33/1, earning him £185, but with fourteen runners, nothing for his each-way backers.

Race 7: Racing UK on Channel 432 Handicap Hurdle [3m 2f]

1: Orchard King     2: Amazing Valour     3: Nigwell Forbees     4: Thirtythreeblack

Winner owned & trained: Alison Thorpe, ridden: Richard Johnson

With a bright sun in the eyes, the wind getting up and blowing around the copious amounts of dust and litter, plus a huge field, very few people could have seen this race unfold with any degree of certainty. All Orchard King had to do to win was replicate his best form and remember not to come second - the latter part of the equation being problematical prior to this as both a hurdler and pointer. This time he managed it, although Paddy Brennan seemed to be having to trick Amazing Valour into closing rather than ride him out. Montevetro, a four year old, showed up much better in his first handicap, but did not appear to last out the final quarter of a mile.

Plus Points

Come West (race 1): Burst back into sufficient life very suddenly to be worth a second look in sellers and claimers

Ravenscar (race 2): Out of the handicap, and jockey putting up overweight, on a trip that he never managed a win over in his not-so-speedy youth and on going a touch too fast. A solid enough run to think that two and a half miles on good or softer could turn out even better.

Wester Ross (race 3): Must have a race in him - it's just a case on finding the time and the place.

Clipperdown (race 4): Had a shocker of a debut hurdling and a non-trier of a follow-up today, although a boxing match at the third last did not help. Terrible form so far, better might well be in the offing.

Magnitude (race 4): Was given something of an educational in rear, but even with room, there was imperfection in his jumping, so it was probably needed - and after winning his first two on the flat, has enjoyed 13 straight losses. Will jumps be the tonic he needs?

Down Arrows

Majy D'Auteuil (race 2): Answering the question in the text above, it looked like he shirked it today - in fairness that has not been the case in recent races, and maybe he just needs a break.

Duty Free (race 3): Was surprisingly short in the betting after four previous hurdle defeats, not always in the strongest races, and his limitations were ruthlessly exposed.

Robert The Brave (race 5): Is there or thereabouts at this level and badly tailed off when up in class, with nothing in between. Having established that the standard was OK, he blew it by jumping left. Although a chase winner a Market Rasen, it is a right-handed course where the chasers have the rails on their left. Ah-ha!

Unforgettable (race 5): Fell on his chase debut in Ireland, and showed himself to have made only limited learning in the jumping area since.

Amazing Valour (race 7): Seemed a good case was building to pull up at halfway, but as others stopped, he inherited a place and refused to do a tap more.

UK-Jumping Selections

Mid Valley (race 4): Ran the kind of solid race in fourth behind a talented winner that makes you wonder why he has been in staying flat races all summer