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Plumpton 18/09/11 |
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Ladies Day at Plumpton. A day in which we can be astounded in the human being's amazing capacity for self delusion. On the upside, there was an extra beer tent, selling Hepworth's fine products, but to make the most of it, the centenary rockey, much lauded on inception, had disappeared. The other plus was that the compere for the day was Matt Chapman, rather than the idiot Thompson, and eventually someone reminded him that he had a microphone, so did not need to shout. The only real downside was filling the centre of the track with crud, rendering the action at Britain's best viewing track largely invisible. The question is asked again - is it promoting the sport or encouraging once a year attendees to return if they are distanced from the action? The ones that leave in a huff after not winning the best dressed competition are accepted as being a lost cause. And why was there no competition for "best t-shirt with a subtle film quote for a design." There was only one winner in that race. As for the main events, there was a curious mixture of head-bobbers and cakewalks, with nothing in between. Mmmmm, cake. Going: Good to Firm (Good places) Race
1: SIS Live Juvenile Hurdle [2m] 1: Alfraamsey 2: Colebrooke 3: Sinadinou Winner owned: Tapestry Partnership, trained: Sheena West, ridden: Marc Goldstein By mid-September, horses that had not yet been able to win a juvenile hurdle ought to be drifting out of contention as slightly better prospects come into the frame, but that was not the case here. Alfraamsey (three times placed) and Bathwick Scanno (twice runner-up) appeared to have nothing to fear from the newcomers, led by Daddyow (flat rating 71, but still a maiden, and stamina suspect). The pre-race chat seemed to bring up confidence about Colebrooke, even though the form of his Market Rasen fourth was working out really quite miserably. The race itself was cakewalk number one, as Alfraamsey kicked on round the rail bend and soon had the race in the bag. He was not great at the last, but at that point Sinadinou's stamina had expired and Colebrooke was closing too slowly to be a factor.
Alfraamsey with energy to spare after the race Race
2: Plumpton Athletic Juniors Novice Hurdle [2m] 1: Trovare 2: Arab League 3: New Code Winner owned: John Connolly, trained: Amanda Perrett, ridden: Leighton Aspell By Plumpton standards at this time of year, this may turn out to be an OK race. The field of fourteen consisted of two interesting newcomers, and five who had not matched flat promise over jumps but were too inexperienced over jumps to write off just yet. Trovare won, pinching the race by a nose from the game Arab League. Having been spurned by Leighton Aspell on debut, in favour of a lower rated flat horse in the same ownership, Trovare had unseated when making a wild dive at the fifth hurdle that day. He avoided such nonsense here, and used his abundant stamina to edge out the runner-up on the head bob. Arab League attacked at the third last, but failed to burn off the most serious opposition. He showed good guts to almost cling on for victory despite the failure of his tactical masterplan. Insert your own Yom Kippur War (or similar) reference at this point. New Code was well beaten at Kempton on his other hurdle racing experiment, but had won since on the flat, and looked more like the sort of horse here that could be expected on form demonstrated in the lesser code. Inef, winner of a mile muddy maiden in France and a 1m 2f handicap in Britain, just faded from the second last, but did nothing obviously wrong.
This close at the end. Trovare (nearside) out nods Arab League. New Code has accepted an honourable third. Race
3 1: Or Sing About 2: Justabout 3: Breaking Silence Winner owned: Adam Day, trained: Seamus Mullins, ridden: Andrew Thornton An eventful end to the staying chase, as Call At Midnight kicked on from the third last, and seemed to have sewn the race up, only to come a cropper at the last. She did hamper Justabout, who lost a lot of momentum at a time in the race when he seemed too tired to rally. This enabled Or Sing About, previously sticking on in apparent vain, to sneak past into the lead. At this point the casual observer can only guess what happened. Either an enraged Justabout dug deep into the reserves of indignant energy normally ignored to genuinely fight back to within a short head of victory. Or alternatively, Or Sing About was at the limit of his own gas, and just clung on with the fuel gauge on empty. The winner does seem to raise his game a little at Plumpton, but the runner-up is hugely inconsistent, and it is impossible to predict whether his next race will see him motivated or demoralised by what he experienced today. Or motivated/demoralised by one of the random events that affect him on a regular basis.
Or Sing About - adrenalin rush from the victory having quickly worn off Race
4 1: Mr Harmoosh 2: Farleigh House 3: King Brex Winner owned: Ashley Head, trained: Sheena West, ridden: Leighton Aspell Another easy win for a Sheena West runner, and given that Mr Harmoosh had looked a bit lacking on stamina on his first two runs, this effort and his last one, at Newton Abbot probably show the effect of a stable coming into good form, as in neither case has he looked likely to fold before the two miles was up. He had earlier been fourth in a red hot race at Huntingdon, and the joint runner-up that day, Farleigh House, ran another good one, but never convinced that he was going to reel in Mr Harmoosh this time. King Brex usually has a cheekpieces and a tongue tie, but traded both in for blinkers here. He performed better, but was just like Farleigh House in being a fraction short of threatening. With second down to eighth barely five lengths apart, there was a bit of a barging match for room, of which Great Esteem seemed to lose out the most, but perhaps he was happy to use that as an excuse.
Mr Harmoosh - lacking a touch of magnanimity in victory Race
5: MDJ Services Ltd Novice Handicap Chase [2m 4f] 1: Tae Kwon Do 2: Clu Agus Cail 3: Ladyvie Winner owned: JH Frost, trained: Tim Vaughan, ridden: Richie Killoran A rather convincing victory for Tae Kwon Do, who was travelling much better than the opposition on the back straight and exerted his superiority as they turned passing the railway station. As he had jumped safely and without unnecessary spectacle, there was not much likelihood of something stopping him in that sphere either. By operating much more efficiently than the rest, he was able to avoid any inconvenience from the drop down in trip. The risk for anyone thinking of following him next time is that his last chase was in a fairly weak event (depth-wise) and he was raised seven for a narrow loss in that. The handicapper's trigger finger must be very itchy after this performance. Clu Agus Cail found a very dodgy chase to win on her first try, and for the second time since she was put well and truly in her place. However, after having been outpaced at times, nobody could fault her effort, and a little race could come her way again. After stumbling into a soft, but hard to lose race last time, Rock Me was back to his old discombobulated self as a chaser.
Right to left we have Ladyvie, Captain Knock, Mut'ab, Clu Agus Cail, Rock Me, Island News (hidden) and Master Darcy. So that will be every runner except for the actual winner... Race
6: Create Your Wedding At Plumpton Pavilion Handicap Hurdle [2m] 1: Zelos Diktator 2: River Rhapsody 3: Musashi Winner owned: GA Jackman, trained: Gary Moore, ridden: Ryan Moore This race was a seller last year, and some sort of campaign is needed to restore it to it's rightful status. Everyone email the course. Now. A tricky and competitive race for a nine runner handicap, but having looked set for a blanket finish as they swooped on the second last flight, Zelos Diktator found a reserve of strength that was far too much for the opposition to handle. He had not in the past seemed at ease on ground this quick, but today it was clearly no problem. River Rhapsody had avoided good to firm conditions in a shortish career so far, yet he also gave no sign of it being a huge problem for him. Musashi won this race last year, and gave a good account of himself again. He does not win very frequently, but all the time that he can stick to bottom grade handicaps, he gives his supporters a run for their money. Pobs Trophy looked very well in the paddock, and was in and out of the lead all the way. As they turned into the final bend, he was still going the most smoothly, but he did not find as much under pressure as some of his opposition, and ended up fourth. Race
7: Glitz And Glamour Marquee Handicap Hurdle [2m 5f] 1: Winning Show 2: The Good Guy 3: Surfboard Winner owned: Roger Alwen, trained: Chris Gordon, ridden: Tom Cannon When Surfboard went clear on the railway bend, it looked as if it would be another easy winner to close the card, but as it turned out, he had gone too early, and he began to be reeled in after the second hurdle from the finish. Winning Show, who had been behind Surfboard at Newton Abbot and was another winner whose happiness with the ground was open to pre-race doubt, emerged best of the pursuit, having been more patiently ridden throughout than the pace setting The Good Guy. Surfboard clung on for third, at the expense of Final Flyer. Having looked a bit of a nightmare ride up to now, the first time visor brought about a sharp improvement from Before Bruce. Time will tell if it was a one-off or a long solution. Plus
Points Arab League (race 2): Did everything right bar have his nostrils flared as they passed the post. He won between 1m 5f and 2m on the flat, so whilst a longer race ought to be no problem, he should cope with all but the speediest of two mile hurdle tracks as well. Inef (race 2): Might just have been missing a touch of experience, but could also have found the uphill finish too much. Watch for a better opening on a less testing course. The Society Man (race 2): With the first four clear, he was very much best of the rest, but on only his second British run he showed his first real sign of encouragement. Handicaps and longer distances appear to be his route forwards. Ajool (race 2): Running for the first time since May, she stayed up with the main challengers until turning from home, dropping away gradually, and losing a couple of places after the last. There have been positive aspects to all three hurdle runs, and a handicap mark beckons. Dancewiththedevil (race 4): Debuting for a new yard, he ended up last of the main clump, but did not run at all badly. One to keep the mince pies on, as since his Irish bumper debut back in 2006, this is only his third run on a properly undulating track - the inference being that it is not his preferred type. River Rhapsody (race 6): No wins so far, but he seems quite adaptable and is creeping up on a success slowly. The Good Guy (race 7): Had a whisker defeat and a win about a year ago, but after some patchy efforts was already down below his rating for those good days. His recent runs suggest that another success might not be far off, the last four having come on left-handed, sharp, level courses (mostly called Fontwell). Sweet Seville (race 7): Won a Fakenham three miler in January, so this would have been on the short side for her, and her tune up flat run after a summer break had been nothing to write home about either. Under the circumstances, she did well enough (sixth) to be interesting when next upped in trip. Down
Arrows Bathwick Scanno (race 1): Seemed to lose interest passing the stables, and dropped from the front to rear in no time at all. Sinadinou (race 1): Has now sandwiched a pulled up with a couple of thirds, but her stamina seems not to be up to the task at all. Call At Midnight (race 3): Definitely threw the race away when she faltered into the last and fell, but she had been wobbling on the edge of doom as a chaser before, and it would be unwise to assume that she will be able to set the record straight next time. Unless it is a hurdle. Breaking Silence (race 3): Continued his recent sequence of racking up encouraging form numbers by posting performances that barely deserve them. Aghill (race 3): Ran in snatches, and whilst eminently capable as far as talent goes, there are mental issues, and they are rising. Great Esteem (race 4): Looked to be baulked on the run to the last, costing him a place, but he does have a bit of history of making life difficult for himself, so another day is not certain to see him fare better with a clear run. Akinndi (race 4): Offered positive glimpses in the course of getting handicapped, but his first attempt in that type of race did not pan out any more effectively than novice hurdles. Ladyvie (race 5): Attracted plenty of support when beaten by the erratic Intac on her chase debut, and flopped again here, but probably in a more discouraging fashion. One to be wary of, as she travelled with notable lack of sweetness. Master Darcy (race 5): Unseated rider on his chase debut before being thrown in a couple of novice chases out of his depth and finishing tailed off. After a nine month break he marked his return with a series of mistakes and is looking a risky proposition in chases, even at his correct level. Final Flyer (race 7): Was having his fourteenth run since the start of March, and has in that time managed one win in a seller. Since that moment of wonder, his form has been mostly dismal, and patience is advised before deciding if this close fourth is a return to maximum sparkle or a one-off in a weird race. Tegan Lee (race 7): Settled nicely at the back, in touch with a decent pace, and was asked to make her move with a lap to go. This prompted her to whack the eighth, and be varied degrees of inept at the ninth, tenth and eleventh. By the time she got her act together for the last hurdle, it was too late. She has more raw ability than this result indicates, but needs to apply some common sense. UK-Jumping Selections Farleigh House (race 4): Ran OK, without being overly dangerous, and still looks like the nature of chases suits him better Beaubrav (race 4): Is out of practice at hurdling, having been busy on the flat (four wins earlier this year). A bit disappointing to be only sixth, but every chance that he can raise his game next time, as a mistake two out cost him dear, and seemed to rattle him enough to make the hard work of the last as well. |
