Fakenham 23/05/10

Sometimes you have to be naive to anticipate a surprise. For instance, the Discovery channel are plugging heavily a new series about Unsolved Mysteries, highlighting the presenter going in search of the Ark Of The Covenenant. Sorry to ruin it for anyone, but if he had found it, we surely would have heard something about it by now. On the same channel, the makers of "Into The Dragons Lair" show concern in the tasters that "it might prove fatal." The smart money says it was not. And today was rather like that, with favourites or strongly fancied runners mopping up the lot.

Going: Good to Firm

Race 1: The Champion's 60:60 Charity Challenge Novice Handicap Hurdle [2m 7.5f]

1: Ashmolian     2: Play A Cord     3: Grand Article

Winner owned: The Secret Circle, trained: Zoe Davison, ridden: Gemma Gracey-Davison

An interesting race as despite the trip, there was not much evidence in the formbook of stamina abounding for many of the runners. Buailteoir definitely got the trip, Ashmolian probably did, and then it was into wing and prayer territory. Unsurprisingly, the early pace was sedate but when things wound up a mile out, the field was quickly scattered, and at the second last only the three placed horses remained serious contenders. Ashmolian was plugging away at the time without making any dent on a two length deficit that the naked eye could pick out. However, Grand Article wilted approaching the last, and Play A Cord gave up on the run-in, allowing Ashmolian in by short head. Coming off of a win earlier in the week, Ashmolian pinched a second narrow one thanks to his stamina, but did Play A Cord throw it away? Maybe, but on a scorchingly hot day, on an uphill finish and over a trip maybe a quarter of a mile too far, she could well have just come to end of her physical tether when left tantalisingly in a winning position.

With the quality of photography expected of this site, the picture includes every runner except the held up winning favourite. Front to back they are Aega, Grand Article, Buailteoir, Play A Cord, Nishnash (4), Smart N Sharp and Fort Royal.

Race 2: The Light Dragoons Handicap Chase [3m 0.5f]

1: Mutual Respect     2: Feeling Peckish     3: The Iron Giant

Winner owned: RER Williams, trained: Evan Williams, ridden: Paul Moloney

As odd as the previous race was intriguing. It only concerned Mutual Respect and The Randy Bishop before they had entered the final lap, the pair clear and having got all of their rivals struggling. The lead had changed hands a couple of times, but when Mutual Respect kicked on at the second last, the race was over in a few strides, and The Randy Bishop weakened so badly, that two previously tailed off runners shuffled him down a couple of places. To put the form in context, Feeling Peckish, whose yard is badly off the boil, is now 0/71 in all racing, and this was only his second time as runner-up in 54 tries over jumps. He is a known quantity, and that unit of measure probably has the prefix “micro.” And after he made a promising start over hurdles, followers of the selections on UK-Jumping will know all about The Iron Giant – and that is not a fond memory!

Race 3: Rex Carter Memorial Handicap Chase [2m 5.5f]

1: Dead Or Alive     2: Quarrymount     3: Cool Roxy

Winner owned & trained: Tim Vaughan, ridden: Richard Johnson

The race produced a cracking finish, with three horses battling away in the last half mile. Quarrymount, whose jumping was generally better today than his normal awkward method, had made the running, and was looking like he may hang on until having the bad timing to peck at the last, allowing Dead Or Alive the foot in the door that was needed. All three runs that Dead Or Alive had offered this Spring were barely deserving of the name, but only the latest had been of comparable distance and going, so there were possible excuses for two of the flops. Living legend at the venue Cool Roxy, who has come down the weights a little, was always nipping at the first pair’s heels, but could not get past. It looked like the sort of run that could translate into yet another win at the track with a further wee drop in class, but it was announced afterwards that this was it for a career, and got a huge round of applause for having achieved that landmark. Wait until the next small field, one finisher chase at the track, and he will no doubt be moping in his paddock thinking about what might have been.

Quarrymount leads Dead Or Alive and Cool Roxy, the first two oblivious to the long term impact of their good performances.

Race 4: Betfair Novice Hurdle [2m]

1: Moonstreaker     2: Wicklewood     3: Renege The Joker

Winner owned: Wordingham Plant Hire, trained: Charles Pogson, ridden: Adam Pogson

Late withdrawal of Alhaque left a race that was a formality for Moonstreaker, as long as he coped with a not obviously needed drop in trip, much quicker ground and a course that does not really suit. The latter two circumstances caused him to jump right for much of the race, but he was far, far too quick for his rivals on the bits between hurdles. Wicklewood followed up being placed in a rogue-laden seller by going one better in this. In twenty-two flat runs he never managed even a place, so however it is regarded, he does not give the race a shiny, exciting look.

Race 5: Happy Birthday Today Linda Taylor Beginners Chase [2m 0.5f]

1: Treaty Flyer     2: El Presidente     3: Ruby Valentine

Winner owned: Atlantic Racing & Ron Huggins, trained: Alison Thorpe, ridden: Johnny Farrelly

The pressure of following up her 2009 exploits, which were seven wins in a year, had been getting to Treaty Flyer, and based on her two earlier tries in the arena, another bash at chasing seemed a bit of a speculative search for a solution. She put aside the bitter memories and completed a polished round of jumping to rack up an easy victory - there are races to be won if that is maintained but there will not be many attractive prices on offer at this time of year. El Presidente tried to make a race of it but was beaten by a better horse. It was a big improvement on his chase debut – thrown in at the deep end in a handicap chase and tailed off.

Any decent site would have a caption competition for Galley Slave (2) and Edgefour (3).

Race 6: Ray Atherton Memorial amateur lady riders' Handicap Hurdle [2m 4f]

1: Moon Melody     2: Abulharith     3: Ruby Isabel

Winner owned: RER Williams, trained: Evan Williams, ridden: Isabel Tompsett

The lady amateurs had a real treat, getting to compete with each other in a race specifically framed to attract a gang of horses that could be described as a motley bunch. Moon Melody has won before, but would rather not do, and had been successful in that ambition 28 times in a row before this. Albuharith might have worried him out of it had he not hung towards the stands side on the run-in, and he showed a second straight improved performance, amazingly coinciding with his qualifying for handicaps. Ruby Isabel was much closer to the winner than she accustomed to being, but the idea unnerved her and she did not really battle on as hard as is ideal in the latter stages. She had nosed in front with three-quarters of a lap to go, and perhaps needs to be delivered 23/32 of a lap later. A 21 length ninth to Somersby in late 2008 suggests that ability is (was?) there, even if much of what she has done since is less eye-catching. Of those out with the washing, Call Me Sir needs much further and softer so can be forgiven, whereas Ghaill Force should have loved this, but gave his horde of Placepot-friendly followers a punch in the gut. 

Plus points  

Grand Article (race 1): From an out of form yard, he failed to get home over a much longer trip than he has tackled before. A couple of solid runs in defeat in 2009 make his current rating of 82 look a workable one.

The Randy Bishop (race 2): Seems to want soft ground two milers, so this piece of form can be considered to endorse that view. The first time visor appeared to do the trick early on, and the loss of second is hopefully a stamina issue and not a sign of impending mental implosion.

El Presidente (race 5): It was been a little while since he showed much of a spark, but the drop in class showed that he is not a lost cause at a low level, and it was far from certain that the fast ground was ideal. His yard is creeping up the cold trainer list as well, so in the circumstances, he did not do at all badly.

Down arrows

Buailteoir (race 1): Was second favourite, despite having pulled up three times (all chases) and been beaten 89 and 85 lengths (soft ground hurdles) in his last five runs. The ground was clearly expected to make a huge difference, but the goose was cooked when he fell three out and if a complete reversal of conditions that produced failures has little effect, what will?

Mutual Respect (race 2): Jumped better than in some of his chase efforts, and produced a win which was his first since a bumper success in December 2006. It would be rash to assume that whatever had been blocking him from adding to his tally is suddenly fixed.

Mattaking (race 2): Had won his last two races (over a year apart), both on the course, and had seen off today's enemies The Iron Giant and Feeling Peckish in doing that. Perhaps it was the hot weather, but he was in a churlish mood from the start, and whilst another win was not a gimme, failure to even compete seriously was a big backward step.

Commemoration Day (race 3): Conditions were in his favour, but he failed to have his morale boosted by having dropped back to a mark that he has won from. Cause for celebration does not appear to be imminent.

Edgefour (race 5): Making her chase debut, everything looked suitable apart from Treaty Flyer and El Presidente seeming to be more naturally rapid at the trip, and being much higher rated hurdlers. The fact that the two no-hopers (rated 78 and 62) had passed her before she pulled up was a very bad way to open her bid for chase glory.

Ghaill Force (race 6): Was prominent in the betting, based on a close defeat last time at Exeter, but for all the times he has made the frame, he is now 0/54, and has managed to lose a race to Laconicos.