Plumpton 09/05/10

Going: Good to Firm

Race 1: Tom, Ella and Sophie Maiden Hurdle, Div I [2m]

1: Ardmaddy     2: J'Adhere     3: Randomer

Winner owned: Blue Crocodile, trained: Gary Moore, ridden: Josh Moore

The glorious inconsistency of the division system meant that this very run of the mill maiden hurdle was split into two jog of the mill maiden hurdles. Onemix was favourite for division one, Nicky Henderson’s good form offsetting the unexceptional ability shown by the horse in a couple of runs so far. However, Onemix was quite disgusted at the level his trainer had chosen to pitch him at and chose to dispose of his jockey as the tapes went up in silent protest. Standing down by the last hurdle afforded no view of the start, and the course was unusually lacking in helpful replays, so it was not clear whether a third party was involved. This left a fairly easy race for Ardmaddy to pillage, at the expense of the well backed J’adhere. Both of these runners have been peppering the frame quite regularly, but Ardmaddy has done most of his mild seasoning over course and distance, and following that line of thinking paid off for those that blindly back Gary Moore hurdlers here, at better odds than those loyalists are used to receiving.

Onemix (10) had already shown what he thought of the requirements at the start, but once he saw how much fun was being had by Randomer (6) and Goring Two, a policy u-turn was performed. Alwaysonthemove (1) is clearly appalled by it all

Race 2:  Tom, Ella and Sophie Maiden Hurdle, Div II [2m]

1: Blue Eyed Eloise     2: Gulf President     3: Al Amaan

Winner owned: Chocolate Factory, trained: Brian McMath, ridden: Andrew Glassonbury

This division looked to be run at a far more breakneck pace than the opener, but the final time was only a second quicker, despite having two horses in a tight battle for the spoils. Blue Eyed Eloise had been a good third on the flat last time, after a two year absence, and her hurdle form in 2007 showed even more encouragement for anyone happy to assume all the ability had been retained. Gulf President pushed her every inch of the way, and they were about four lengths ahead of the 112 rated Al Amaan, and another seven clear of 100 rated Navajo Nation, which gives a decent guide to the standard of the race.

Race 3: Alan Watson 50th Birthday Handicap Hurdle [3m 1.5f]

1: My Matilda     2: King Raven     3: Hail The King

Winner owned: LG Kimber, trained: Lawney Hill, ridden: Tom Scudamore

Another good scrap between the first two and it saw My Matilda outlast King Raven to bring her form for the current yard to 1B1 – a huge improvement since she stepped up to very long distances and stopped running in chases, where she pulled up every time. King Raven’s stamina was unproven over this far, but the pair were well enough clear of the field to say that he got the trip and handled his first try on fast ground. Favourite was Geography, a proven stayer whose yard is heavily amongst the winners, but it was a brief contribution here as he fell at the second.

Race 4: Vi Nichol 90th Birthday Novice Handicap Chase [3m 2f]

1: Ethiopia     2: Oamaru Stone     3: Plane Painter

Winner owned: Nick Elliott, trained: Bob Buckler, ridden: Nathan Sweeny

Ethiopia took his record at Plumpton to played two, won two, as he made a winning start over fences, thanks to a solid round of jumping and a gritty insistence on not being passed in the final straight. He did jump right two out, which tempted Oamaru Stone to switch to the rails side, but Ethiopia covered that route and kept in a roughly direct line to the post from that point whilst ensuring that the gap was slightly narrower than one horse width, ending up with a wide enough margin at the finish to think that the result would have been the same whatever route Oamaru Stone had tried. The runner-up had been one of the first to come under pressure, but he did at least appear to respond to it. Plane Painter, who looked to be dropping away leaving the railway bend, actually stuck at the job quite well, and was right on their heels at the finish – it would have taken a much longer race for his dull matt finish to have borne fruit. After this race the bar singer did "Sympathy For The Devil," without making it exactly clear who she was having a pop at.

Race 5: Blubebell Railway 50th Anniversary Claiming Hurdle [2m]

1: Marodima     2: Bazart     3: Just Mossie

Winner owned: Coles & Garbett Families Partnership, trained: Jamie Snowden, ridden: Tom O'Brien

Marodima had forty pounds plus in hand of his three rivals, and yet was still uneasy at long odds-on, presumably due to having only struggled home in a slightly better four runner claimer last time. He skipped clear on the turn around the top of the hill and left the two surviving opponents for dead, Rosoff having unseated at the fourth. The race was less exciting than that description makes it sound…

Race 6: Stewart Nash 60th Birthday amateur riders' Handicap Hurdle [2m 5f]

1: There's No Panic     2: Canni Thinkaar     3: Tarabela

Winner owned: The Stewart Family, trained: Paul Nicholls, ridden: Ryan Mahon

Canni Thinkaar won this race in 2006, and was in such sound recent form that it was a minor surprise that he was not favourite for a belated regaining of the title. The market was headed by There’s No Panic, who proved there genuinely was not any by winning a little more easily than the four length margin implies. From the second last There’s No Panic seemed to be responding to pressure whilst Canni Thinkaar had come to the end of his tether, and only just held Tarabela at bay for second. The winner pinged the final flight, the runner up could not. Game over. All your base belong us.

Race 7: Brian Spencer Memorial Handicap Chase [2m 4f]

1: Take A Mile     2: Pilgrims Way     3: Putney Bridge

Winner owned: Mrs G Elliott, trained: Seamus Mullins, ridden: Jimmy Derham

Having been an unlucky loser here last time, when a slipped saddle caused all sorts of chaos in the riding department (and he still may have won had his rider managed to cling on at the last in defiance of all laws of physics and common sense), Take A Mile just about made amends, holding off Pilgrims Lane, who travelled well on the level bits, e.g. the run-in, but found the fences slowing him down quite a lot. This was Take A Mile’s fifth jumps win, and first in a chase – quite conceivably not his last, even allowing for foibles of the two harassing him close home. A jump out to the right nearly cost the winner dearly, but had Pilgrims Lane been slicker at the last two, the result would have been different irrespective of that.

Race 8: Susanna Hall Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race [2m 2f]

1: Dirty Deal     2: Willy Be Lucky     3: Karoshdee

Winner owned: KC Trotman, trained: John Flint, ridden: Tom O'Brien

Only one debutant was amongst the eleven runners, but there was plenty of misbehaviour in the paddock, a few having a buck and kick, and then Combat King planted himself when about to be mounted, causing a traffic gridlock as the jocks were trying to get on board. In the collecting area Cloudy Wager went off the rails, deciding her new hobby was charging round the space backwards. Impatience? Wind in their tails? Joy at a weekend free of a government? All considered, the field jumped off remarkably tidily, and went off at a sedate pace until the riders became more trusting of their partners' intentions and felt happy to up the speed a lot. Dirty Deal had shaped with some promise on all three runs, and went that step further today, despite her best effort up to now having come on heavy, bordering on unraceable. Willy Be Lucky was the newcomer and paddock pick. Having made good progress descending the back straight, his inexperience showed when he had to work hard, but it was a solid start to his career. Karoshdee is named to be trouble (think Waco and cults), and had followed a decent third on debut by unseating at Towcester due to horrible steering problems. She again showed that there is raw ability to work on, and has been relatively sane on her two left-handed runs.

Given the uproar prior to this, the lure of the camera was bound to be too much for one of them - in this instance it was Rapid Exit. The others appear quite sensible. Apart from Karoshdee (tail on the go in the centre). Dirty Deal is on the orange and black hoops.

Plus Points

Randomer (race 1): Caught the eye in the paddock, but his form in 2010, after over a year and a half off was extremely discouraging. He stayed on for third, despite a bump at the last as he tried to overtake Alwaysonthemove, and he is not one to rule out of a longer distance handicap. In 2008 at Punchestown (not the festival) he was a 19 length eleventh of nineteen to Cousin Vinny, which at least shows a hint of ability.

Pursuit Of Purpose & Cubism (race 2): Finished fifth and sixth and both appeared to excel themselves in doing so. Pursuit Of Purpose showed zero skill on the flat and was tailed off on his hurdle debut, whereas Cubism hinted at a little talent on the level in Ireland , only to jump shockingly on his hurdle debut at Ascot . There is handicap hurdle potential in both of them if today’s improvements are sustained.

Hail The King (race 3): Returning from nine months off, he ran pretty well until the heat was turned up at the third last and he could not respond. He has only won twice in fifty-three races, the last time being 2006, but 0n this showing he remains an each-way/Placepot stalwart.

Plane Painter (race 4): Came into this with experience in chases which involved form of P32U62, where only five horses in total had been behind him in the completed races. This ground was faster than he had previously experienced and if he repeated the effort on good or good to soft, a win is not a total flight of fantasy.

Tarabela (race 6): Had gone 221 in races leading up to this, yet climbed only eight pounds on the handicap. Her rider was significantly less experienced than the two in front of him (1st ride under Rules), and although the pilot acquitted himself well, Tarabela has another win in her back on a level playing field, despite not always travelling as comfortably as ideal.

Cloudy Wager (race 8): Very green at times before the race, and from a yard badly out of form, fourth was a very decent result in the circumstances, as she is almost certainly capable of much better.

Down Arrows