Fontwell 06/09/09

The only problem is that anyone indoors and thus unable to hear announcements is rather lacking in sources of information. Going is the obvious one, but with Richard Johnson suffering an injury a day earlier, jockey changes was the other. Having been on something of a roll over the summer, the championship runner-up six potential rides performed with uniform dismality. Every cloud has an –off-grey lining?

There were two pony races after the jumping, and in the first a bookmaker was offering 2/1 Stambrook Marquesa. By time I was informed that the pony had a career record in the vicinity of 35 runs, 32 wins, it was no offers. The power of information indeed. She won very easily.

Back in it’s heyday, there was a “Far Side” cartoon in which two spiders put a web over a children’s slide with the caption ‘If we pull this off, we’ll eat like kings.’ Well, today a small spider was observed to have caught a medium sized moth in a web, and was confused and unable to handle it. Not for the first time, Gary Larsen’s work fails the test of real life.

Going: Good to firm (good in places)

Race 1: David Lloyd Worthing Juvenile Novice Hurdle [2m 2.5f]

1: Talimos     2: Blue Dynasty     3: Wee Sonny

Winner owned: AE Frost, trained: David Pipe, ridden: Danny Cook

Without wishing to come across as overly harsh, this race proved that we are not done with woeful juvenile hurdles yet. Talimos was tailed off on his debut, and whilst the addition of a visor and an aggressive ride from the front helped, did he really improve that much, or was the effect amplified by the terrible showings of his rivals? Blue Dynasty was the only one with any real size for jumping, but both his three year old flat runs had been weak. Today he was in serious trouble four from home and simply stuck on very slowly when Wee Sonny and the tiny Dalrymple failed to get the trip.

Race 2: The Happy 60^th Birthday Michael Claiming Hurdle [2m 4f]

1: Pilgrims Lane      2: Heir To Be     3: Soviet Sceptre

Winner owned: The Oak Partnership, trained: Paul Nicholls, ridden: Nick Scholfield

The complexion of the race changed four out, when leader Rathrockscourt pitched on landing - his nose went down, and bum came up to smoothly eject Hadden Frost via the space where the horse’s neck had recently been. Impossible to survive, and the best the rider can hope for is to not land face first. After this Pilgrims Lane ambled into a comfortable win, showing gratitude to his trainer for allowing him to step away from those beastly fences. Heir To be battled on to grab second on the run-in.

Race 3: Fontwell & Southbourne Physiotherapy & Hydrotherapy Clinics Handicap Chase [2m 6f]

1: Milesian King     2: Mr Big     3: Prophete De Guye

Winner owned: Norman Thomas, trained: Lawney Hill, ridden: Wayne Hutchinson

As races go, this did not look anything out of the ordinary in advance, but the crowd got very noisy as  six turned for home with a chance, and three horses (two well up in the betting) finally went head to head over the last two fences. Milesian King took it up at that point, but Mr Big, who had hit five out hard when passing the long time leader, refused to give in, possibly motivated by having Prophete De Guye, a model of consistency, nipping at his tail.

Race 4: McCarthy and Stone Leading Retirement Builders Novice Hurdle [2m 2.5f]

1: Lady Hillingdon     2: Consulate     3: Moment Present

Winner owned: Hurl’n’ball Syndicate, trained: Paul Gilligan, ridden: Tony McCoy

A competitive race, featuring three previous winners, associated with what seemed to be strong summer form lines, but all (horses and form) having a few black marks for consistency by them. They were mugged by a visiting Irish mare whose official rating as a little behind them, but who had probably been running in stronger races – the market made her clear favourite. Lady Hillingdon in the end was an impressive winner, always having the beating of the obvious dangers Consulate and Moment Present - the latter may be better suited by the bare minimum as a jumper. After making the running, Pelennor only lost fourth place in the closing stages. He has an array of encouraging runs to his name, often whilst his yard has struggled for form, but whether is poised for success is another question entirely.

Race 5: Harry Chivers Handicap Hurdle [2m 6.5f]

1: Deadline     2: Intersky Music     3: Dawn At Sea     4: Home

Winner owned: Hanford's Chemist Ltd, trained: Alison Thorpe, ridden: Noel Fehily

Picking the bones of the form of the this eighteen-declared, sixteen-ran event was like explaining double entry book-keeping to a parrot. The parrot would occasionally make utterances that gave reason for hope that he understood, but it was deceptive and both accountant and parrot lose the will to live before progress is made. And for a while, it seemed as if Noel Fehily was in the same boat, but at some point between the last two hurdles, his parrot, Deadline, understood, and took wing. In the meantime, Intersky Music looked to have nabbed a winning lead, only for Deadline to collar him with a comfortable five yards to go. Dawn At Sea took fifteen attempts to win a hurdle, and was immediately put up eleven pounds. That seems to have anchored her for now. Good Parade was having only his second UK run, and came from Ireland winless. He did quite well until two out, then faded badly. He looks too slow for shorter, and, for now, lacking stamina for races suitable for his speed - but that can be rectified with time.

Isintshelovely (18) takes on Ocean Du Moulin for the early lead, watched by Beaufort, Home and Classic Fly - once a failed prog rock band, now runners in a handicap hurdle.

Race 6: Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger Beer Handicap Chase [2m 2f]

1: Good Old Days     2: Star Galaxy     3: Present Oriented

Winner owned: Mr & Mrs RK Ellis, trained: Kim Bailey, ridden: Peter Toole

This was only a 0-85 race, and with a penalty for a win earlier in the week, Good Old Days was lumbered with 12 stone 4 pounds. The ground had come right for him, and although the recent win was only his second, and previous visits here were a bit discouraging, he was very well handicapped on form of only a couple of years ago. And it should not be overlooked how feeble the opposition were. Star Galaxy has changed yards, but has now not won in 35 tries, and Present Oriented is a force hurdling at Market Rasen, and has never got to grips with chasing. So, only a half decent effort was required, and Good Old Days gave that and more. Rounding the home turn, Cartier Opera was the only danger, although not going as well as the winner, but his effort imploded after a bad mistake at the open ditch three out. He has only managed six indifferent runs in six years since coming from France, but it may be significant that Venetia Williams has persevered with him.

Race 7: Bet365.com Handicap Hurdle [2m 2.5f]

1: King Of The Titans     2: Laconicos     3: Olivino

Winner owned: Mary Roche, trained: PL Gilligan, ridden: Charlie Wallis

The main events ended with the second P. Gilligan of the day training a winner, and King Of The Titans finally opened his hurdle account, after eight vain tries since winning a bumper at Killarney. And he did it with a style and ease that could only be tempered by bearing in mind that this was the fiftieth race without a win for Laconicos. The runner-up appeared to stay on gamely, which suggests that those near him, Olivino and Sagarich, the latter having set a fast pace, were struggling to get all the way to the line. In fifth was Ghaill Force, another maiden with five less glorious failures to his name than Laconicos, and as he also appeared to run above himself, the performances of all bar the winner look very iffy. Making his UK debut after three midfield runs in Ireland, the paranoids that feared a plot made Carey's Road a short priced favourite, but he ran a stinker.

King Of The Titans is king for the day

Plus Points

Heir To Be (race 2): Well seen off in the end, he had been off track for three months, and despite eight wins over hurdles, he has never managed it after anything near that sort of gap.

Rathrockscourt (race 2): Had been very free in front and there was no telling whether he would have got home, but he should still be competitive in sellers, claimers or very low grade handicaps.

Morestead (race 3): Four year old chasers over this sort of distance are a rarity, but he set off in front and did well until stopping quickly when headed four from home. At some point the combination of trip and ground will come right for him – as long as the abrupt loss of position is not a sign of a physical problem.

Old Peak Road (race 3): Was there or thereabouts all the way, but was outpaced a touch rounding the home turn. At the final fence he was slightly hampered and began to tie up, losing the remaining possibility of making a place. As he won a three mile hurdle in Ireland, stamina should not have been the problem, and when he is in better form a low grade handicap chase could be won.

Bob’s Your Uncle (race 4): Does not try hurdles very often, but his strong finish after a cautious early ride suggests that he has sufficient aptitude for the job.

Musashi (race 4): Being named after the join-biggest battleship ever built, it was expected that Musashi would be a huge, unsteerable boat of a horse, possibly being harassed by American bombers. In fact he was quite normal sized and ran on fairly well for sixth – note for handicaps.

Intersky Music (race 5): Did lose a race that looked won, but that was more of a plus for Deadline, and he saw off the rest of a big field with ease.

Down Arrows

Talimos (race 1): Will struggle to find such feeble competition again

Blue Dynasty (race 1): Made up a lot of ground from two out, due to an idling leader and stopping placed horses. Highly flattered by the result.

Prophete De Guye (race 3): Has chase form of 413233223 and jumps soundly, but again ran solidly without looking like he would have the zip to poke his head in front.  Normally the suggestion would be soft ground, to slow up the oppo, but he appeared to struggle with it during occasional experiments over hurdles.

Sacrilege (race 4): Had made hard work of winning a novice at odds of 1/4, but did better in his follow up, beating Consulate. He was tardy at the start, and ridden more or less from the moment he crossed the line.

Consulate (race 4): Very good on the flat, he is proving far from invincible in below average hurdles, and although he turned the tables on Sacrilege, the fact that he managed to lose to him at all is beginning to look a bad showing.

Dune Raider (race 5): Smashed up the first flight, and either picked up a knock, or surrendered immediately as a consequence. Highly unimpressive.

Good Old Days (race 6): Is in good heart, but it will take a miracle for Kim Bailey to pick out another opportunity as easy as this, but the betting could be unduly influenced by two consecutive wins.

The Local (race 6): Another very well in on his old form, his current yard is in the doldrums, but he ran much worse than in a couple of recent slightly better races, and there appeared more to his failure than trainer form.

Laconicos (race 7): One of his better days, but probably no great corner has been turned.

UK-Jumping Selections

Ocean Du Moulin (race 5): Ran much better than of late, and was only run out of a long-priced place after the last. Assuming that the loss of fourth is not a symptom of a physical issue, it looks as if he is edging into form.