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An absurdly warm day
for the time of year, and if was largely uncomfortable, not helped by the
bright and lower sun shining right into the eyes of people watching the
racing. Certainly it appeared far more fun at drizzly Kelso. Wit the
ground being so quick, some of the runners may have to be patient to get
another chance to experience similar.
Going: Good
to Firm
Race
1: TurfTV Novice Hurdle [2m 0.5f]
1:
Perpetually 2:
Camerooney 3:
New Code
Winner
owned & trained: John Ferguson, ridden: Paul Moloney
A betting minefield. A couple of capable but
inconsistent winners, matched up against some interesting non-winners
whose flat form meant that improvement could not be ruled out, plus flat
converts rated 63, 70, 83 and 87. The question mark was the number who had
been below par in their most recent runs. In the end, one of the new
arrivals delivered the goods. Perpetually (out of Set In Motion, and thus
a reminder of one classic Homer Simpson admonishment: "Lisa! In this
house we OBEY the laws of physics.") had won his first two on the
level, but lost the last nine, three of the last four quite heavily. This
new stable and exciting adventure piqued his interest, will it be
sustained or will the pattern of decline from a good start be repeated.
Camerooney ran in bumpers in 2006/7 - on one occasion promisingly - and
lost a selling hurdle quite badly when switched to jumping things. Since
then he has had a fair flat career, and carried the improvement over to
this. Right minded people live in terror of stupid coalition government
puns the first time he unseats his rider. New Code got stuck in, but did not have the pace to bother the first
pair. Of the previous winners, Bullet Man was fifth, and Art Broker was
already out of contention when his traditional blunder at one of the late
hurdles knocked him further back.

Perpetually
(dark, dark colours) about to swoop on Camerooney (green and yellow). New
Code, on the right, just held off If I Were A Boy for the minor place.
Race
2: Brampton Handicap Chase [2m 4.5f]
1:
Max Bygraves 2:
Kikos
3: I'm A Legend
Winner owned:
John Perriss, trained: Kim Bailey, ridden: Charles Green
A betting minefield. Even with only five runners. Max
Bygraves won very easily, kicking on approaching the third last (still
over on the far side here) and never really looking as if anything other
than himself could unhinge the tactics. He is usually one to catch
fresh - nearly five months off here - and that was a reason for forgiving
a loss of form in the spring, but he also had a fairly inexperienced rider
on board, and no convincing history of acting on quick ground. Those who
judged the scales of form balancing in his favour might have been expecting a
better SP than 7/2. Kikos was definitely a bit more lively on his ideal
ground, with a chance of an uncontested lead and on a track he has often
appreciated. A bit more, but still not at his zippy best. I'm A Legend
found the fast ground knocking him out of contention and Wake Board pulled
himself to the front and was out of puff late in the race, made worse by a
couple of mistakes. The final runner, Songe, was another on the wrong
ground, and also still needing to prove himself as a chaser, despite two
days earlier this year when he got everything right - a dramatic opposite
of most of his experience over fences. After several careful but safe
jumps had given him a bit of a gap to make up on the winner, he fell at
the second last. Without doing that, it would have looked like the going
caught him out, and been deemed a mostly positive run. Our survey
said..."Uhhhhh-uuuhhh."
Race
3: Huntingdon For All Your Wedding Needs Juvenile Hurdle [2m 0.5f]
1:
Alfraamsey 2:
So Is She
3: Artisan
Winner
owned: Tapestry Partnership, trained: Sheena West, ridden: Marc Goldstein
A betting minefield. The admirable but exposed
Alfraamsey found himself in a race against one horse that had run over
hurdles - with no encouragement - and seven hurdling newcomers. The only
pair of those that were any better than him on the flat were Buxfizz (lost
his way horrendously in 2011) and Kingston Tiger - blundered and pulled up
at the second today. That left Alfraamsey with nothing tougher than his doddle
at Plumpton, as the well backed Artisan never looked like reeling him in
after being restrained, some would say excessively, in rear. So Is She was
best seen at 7f on the flat (albeit very early in 2011), but after being
headed at the last, due to a notable error, she fought back and outstayed
Artisan for second, which implies that different tactics for the favourite
would not have
changed the result against the ever more assured winner. As for So Is She, it was a
interesting demonstration of enhanced stamina, but whether she is good
enough to exploit it is questionable. And by next summer she will be a
three miler at this rate.
Race
4: Huntingdon Novice Chase [2m 0.5f]
1:
Ultimate 2:
Australia Day 3:
That'll Do Nicely
Winner
owned: Dan Gilbert, trained: Brian Ellison, ridden: Danny Cook
A betting minefield.
An announcement before the race of "in the next five minutes anything
can happen" would not have been out of order. It began with a false
start, in which crazed Australia Day jumped the first fence to avoid
running over the flag man. What we know of him is that he is a headless
chicken of a front runner, and inevitably he responded to popping it
neatly when it did not matter by thumping the same obstacle when the race began for real.
What is also evident about Australia Day is that he earned his 157 hurdle
rating on days when getting an uncontested lead, and he does sulk if that
is not available - jumping like a platypus was perfectly foreseeable. Pullyoufingerout bit the bullet and tried to induce a
dummy spitting. Having already seen off one 150+ hurdler that has flopped
in chases, he could not repeat the act. For most of the race, he jumped
left and it would simply have been a case of blaming the layout until a
heavy fall two from home, which leaves him with some recovering of his skill and
confidence to do. Ultimate, like the others mentioned usually seen front
running, proved amenable to being asked to stalk the leaders, and
eventually inherited first by retaining some common sense. The question he
has to answer is how he would fare in a slower run race - front runner or
sensibly restrained - and how it may impact his jumping.
Race
5: huntingdon-racecourse.co.uk Handicap Hurdle [2m 4.5f]
1:
Mohanad 2: Dark Energy 3:
Mumbles Pier
Winner
owned: Heart Of The South Racing, trained: Sheena West, ridden: Marc
Goldstein
A betting minefield. A field of eleven, produced a
shortlist of seven, and all of that septet were added with reservations.
The race was going to fall to whichever horse performed nearest to the
encouraging but elusive maximum standard that they have shown in the past.
Mohanad proved to be the anointed one, and as he won such a race a mite
comfortably, he does look to be finding his best form. Although his rating
has fallen a little from it's peak, this win could result in much of that
gain being swallowed up. Dark Energy was not one of the shortlist as he has
always appeared to be an out and out two miler, and occasional monkey when
his mood was not spot on. The way he closed threateningly
in the home straight, only for the effort to peter out at the last
suggests that he may endure a bit more than the minimum these days, but
not really this far. After finding no benefit from cheekpieces, Mumbles
Pier was sparked up by the use of a visor - but for how long can the trick
keep repeating?
Race
6: Book Your Christmas Party At Huntingdon Handicap Hurdle [3m 2f]
1:
Iris's Flyer 2:
Safe Investment 3: Upper Deck
Winner
owned: Martin Tucker, trained: Barry Leavy, ridden: Danny Cook
A betting crazy
golf course, not helped by two
non-runners leaving a field of seven, most of whom would generate far more
faith as each-way options than as winners. Iris's Flyer ended up a ready
victor, defying a history of never going quite this far and generally
avoiding right-handed tracks. In truth, it did not take an awful lot to
make his mark in this, as the three proven stayers all flopped.
Gallimaufry was both sloppy in her jumping (again!) and sluggish in the
runs between hurdles, Moon Melody was not on a going day and Commanche
Dawn posted another mediocre run - first time blinkers making no
improvement. Maybe the runs that have looked like a steeping stone to
better results ARE the better results. Safe Investment (by Gone West, out of Fully Invested: how
prescient would it have been to have called him Greek Bonds), could not
defy his inflated handicap rating, but also may not quite have lasted this
trip as he was not as strong on the run-in as the winner.
Plus
points
New
Code (race 1): Found the minimum trip on really quick ground a bit too
much, but did not fare badly. Watch for a step up in race distance, or
trying two miles on a stiffer track or easier ground.
The
Fonz (race 1): Rated in the high 80s on the flat, he was a touch scrappy
in his jumping, but was only seriously wrong at the third last, where
there appeared to be some jostling for position going on as well. This was
not a defeat to lead us to write him off. There is a commentator out there
dying to go "Eyyyyyy" when he passes the post in front.
Billion
Dollar Kid (race 1): Had an odd flat career, winning two 7f races as a two
year old, but mostly running over shorter as he got older. That did not
make him the ideal hurdling candidate, but after settling in rear for most
of the race, he overtook a few stragglers under less than manic handling.
He may never cut it, but is definitely worth tracking towards handicap
hurdles, in case his flat
strategy was a horrible miscalculation.
Max
Bygraves (race 2): As mentioned above, well worth a second look when returning
from a break, but he normally prefers good going to stuff this quick.
Ultimate
(race 4): Adapted well to chases, and despite the chaotic nature of the
race, he seems to have the skills required to follow up.
That'll
Do Nicely (race 4): Caused the original false start, and was not the
quickest away when it counted. Having been at the rear, he never got into
the race, and was well beaten, but jumped soundly and was not as nippy as the main trio as a hurdler. Look
out for him when thrown into more realistic
standards.
Bun
Oir (race 5): Debuted with a second at Punchestown, and has been beaten
encouragingly narrowly at Kempton for his current yard. Sadly, the rest of
his career has not lived up to that twin pronged potential. This was his first try
at two and a half miles, and instead of looking happy with the slower oppo,
he made hard work of it, before keeping on for fourth. Look out for
headgear to be added, as it could wake his ideas up sufficiently.
Upper Deck (race 6): Has cured his early jumping
incompetence, but is struggling to find the ideal trip. What we had seen
so far meant that 3m 2f looked unlikely to be the answer, and so it
proved. A drop back to something around 2m 6f seems worth a another try.
Down
arrows
Bullet
Man (race 1): Looked good in his earlier win here, but has otherwise been
a less impressive performer, and is one to tread a little carefully with.
If this race turns out to be a corker - don't laugh, it is possible - then
maybe he needs to avoid undulating courses.
Songe
(race 2): Showed his limitations as a chaser, i.e. jumping, here, and a
fall will not have helped his confidence.
Wake
Board (race 2): Beat one other finisher last time, when inheriting a lost
cause from a faller, and yet had been put up a pound! That was not the
issue today, it was the mental instability that means you never know what
he is going to offer on a given day. In theory, the lack of opposition
should have pointed to a good one here.
Australia
Day (race 4): Several press previews suggested that his hurdling technique
made him a good chasing candidate, but he has never appeared to have had
any composure, and his jumping was aggressive and erratic here - some big
leaps, more blunders. Well worth opposing, especially if any rivals have
the speed to take him on.
Herschel
(race 5): Attempting the distance for the first time, he got involved in a
duel for the lead which scuppered the chances of both horses. He seems at
present to be stuck between trips - not quick enough for 2m, but lacking
the patience for this sort of race. And 2m 2f at Fontwell has not been the
answer either.
Gallimaufry (race 6): Was a plus point two runs ago, but
the flaw that was excused then (poor jumping) is becoming a bit too
repetitive.
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