Jeremy Grayson continues his winning ways with more tips
Cultram Abbey (7-1), Britanio Bello (4-1), Quill Art (3-1) and The Dutchman (11-4) from Jeremy Grayson’s February selections have already scored next-time wins. Here are more that can hopefully follow suit.
MUSSELBURGH, FEBRUARY 7 Good to soft, becoming soft) 1m 7f 182yds 0-140 Handicap Chase (class 3)
Nobody goes out of their way to breed 2m chasers deliberately – they just evolve – but that increasingly looks to be THE GREY TAYLOR’S true calling despite a dam side that suggests trips of up to 3m4f might not go amiss.
A 23l fourth in this competitive event reads better than the bare form, as Brian Ellison’s seven-year-old could never dominate in quite the manner he’d prefer and was likely goaded into plenty more than ideal. An all-the-way Carlisle beginners’ chase winner last October and still relatively lightly raced both for the season and over fences in general, the Royal Anthem gelding wouldn’t necessarily make appeal as a Grand Annual long-shot with the early pace likely to be even more fiercely contested, but another contest of today’s magnitude looks eminently attainable granted sufficient peace up front.
1m7f124yds Listed Handicap Hurdle (class 1)
Some or all of the combination of his early over-keenness (perhaps understandable after 10 months out), a sharper track than strictly ideal and an error two out contributed to CARDINAL WALTER’s defeat in this typically deep renewal of the Scottish County Hurdle, but this 2.75l third still rated a most solid seasonal return and one it shouldn’t prove beyond him to improve on when getting enough of the basics right.Not overburdened on a mark of 139 ahead of this initial attempt in handicap company and unlikely to incur a raise given the marks of those to beat him, a pair of novice wins last term around Doncaster give a surer indication of the sort of course that will continue to suit Nicky Henderson’s charge best, with a return to good ground unlikely to represent any great hardship either.
3m2f139yds Hunters’ Chase (class 3)
Staying the Foxhunter trip can’t have been on the minds of PENA DORADA’s earlier connections when this son of Key Of Luck bred for trips of 1m2f or shorter originally started out on the Flat for Alan Jarvis in summer 2009, yet over six years on this nine-year-old proved here that setting a generous, disputed lead on soft ground is indeed something which he can keep up for well over 3m2f.
Coming up less than a length short to a runner from the Christine Drury yard which enjoys a 38% strike rate with its hunter chase runners is no disgrace whatsoever, and corroborates further the impression given by two Cartmel handicap chases last summer that sharp, turning tracks suit the needs of Alan Brown’s pride and joy particularly handsomely. There are openings in this sphere at the Cumbrian venue in the summer, but an equivalent contest at a Kelso or Perth can be grabbed in the meantime.
MUSSELBURGH, FEBRUARY 8 (Soft)1m7f124yds NH Maiden Hurdle (class 5)
It probably wasn’t the early duel with the
eventual winner that ultimately did for THEATRICAL STYLE here, but rather the combination of an inadequate trip on ground deeper than he likely cares for. A plodding-on near-8l third wasn’t a disappointing effort in the circumstances, and Donald McCain’s dual good-ground bumper winner ought to find an opening in handicaps once/if the wet winter ever reaches an end.
The Alhaarth gelding’s two weakening efforts at 2m4f-2m5f last autumn shouldn’t be judged too harshly in the context of future prospects, even though they were registered on a more conducive surface; coming as they did after a 14-month absence, and in quick succession at that, there’s a strong chance both outings were needed.
2m7f170yds 0-100 Handicap Chase (class 5)
Training steeplechase winners wouldn’t feature as prominently on the mission statement for Patrick Holmes as it did his former boss Peter Beaumont, and in turning out here FOOT THE BILL became just the sixth runner over fences for the Middleham handler this term.The Generous gelding’s turn may be nearing once again, however, judged on a 3.5l dead-heat third well worth viewing in a positive light given it was recorded on ground almost certainly still an increment slower than ideal nowadays (you’d have to go back over six years to find his sole win on anything comparably slow, in an Irish Point). This defeat to a rival rated just 2lb his superior surely can’t result in too big a hike from his current career-low mark, and a slight step back up in trip wouldn’t inconvenience if his Catterick success over an extended 3m1f at the end of 2014 is any guide.
SEDGEFIELD, FEBRUARY 9 (Soft, heavy places) 2m3f188yds 0-100 Handicap Hurdle (class 5)
Harvey Smith’s eye for a bargain doesn’t often let him down, and nor will it in the case of recent £3,800 purchase CHARLIE WINGNUT if this very encouraging 2.5l second on stable debut is built on sufficiently. Twice a winner during a three-year tenure between the flags for Philip Rowley prior to the Bridgnorth handler’s closeseason refreshing of his Pointing string, the son of Westerner’s strongest form around the likes of Brampton Bryan, Tabley and Bangor had hinted at a preference for righthanded venues; but the anticlockwise orientation of Sedgefield was coped with perfectly adequately here, increasing options once more. A current low-90s mark looks generous based on the pick of his previous hurdling form for Nicky Henderson, and drier ground than encountered here wouldn’t inconvenience.
2m5f28yds 0-120 Handicap Chase (class 4)
Another inmate of the Sue and Harvey Smith yard, albeit one of somewhat longer standing, BENNYS WELL isn’t getting any better over fences after 32 spins over them but ought not need to ascend new heights in order to register a seventh chasing success next time out off a mark currently 6lb below his last winning one. A Beneficial gelding with stamina to spare over this sort of trip having made all over nearly 3m3f at the Co. Durham venue in the past, defeat this time isn’t hard to lay at the door of the harassment he encountered periodically for the lead as opposed to, say, a going type which he generally handles with ease. Give him another look next time whilst remaining weighted to strike, especially if entered in a contest otherwise bereft of pace influences.
HUNTINGDON, FEBRUARY 11 (Good to soft, soft in places) 3m1f10yds 0-110 Handicap Hurdle (class 4)
STILL TOGETHER’S Irish maiden Point
victory last March may have been gained by outstaying a rival (one to have gone unbeaten in three contests in Devon and Cornwall this winter, incidentally) on heavy ground over the usual 3m trip, but the extra yardage of this staying contest looked a bridge too far for now stamina-wise, even allowing for better underfoot conditions.
Nothing else was travelling as well three flights from home, however, and it’s not hard to conclude that a drop to 2m6f or even 2m4f might give the son of Alkaadhem the best prospects of defying what had looked a challenging initial handicap mark in the short term.
Chasing remains an option for the David Pipe inmate, albeit the immediate family isn’t especially blessed with expertise over Rules fences.
2m3f137yds Handicap Hurdle (class 2)
Effectively a 0-145 handicap (with no ratings ceiling) and a well-stocked one at that, one of the most noteworthy performances was ultimately recorded by a non-finisher. Prominent for a long way prior to becoming outpaced before two out and unseating at the last, ONE FOR THE GUV’NR did enough to confirm that his ability probably remains fully intact following a ten-month absence, but also that his future may now rest over further than even today’s trip despite having twice scored over a sharp 2m only a year ago; certainly that requirement would be consistent with that of a number of the Oscar gelding’s siblings and damside relatives. Effectiveness on good as well as soft ground ought to keep option open for Nicky Henderson’s son of Oscar well into the spring, regardless of how it develops weather-wise.
KEMPTON, FEBRUARY 12 (Soft, good to soft in places)2m5f Novices’ Hurdle (class 4)
A big price for a Philip Hobbs novice hurdle runner, albeit in a good race and following a 15-month absence, ATIRELARIGO still looked to hold every chance of causing a surprise until found out by mistakes at the final two flights. That might yet hint at some deeper issue where jumping cleanly under pressure is concerned, but it’s just as likely a relative unfamiliarity with British hurdles and/or ring-rustiness lies at the heart of the matter for this acquisition from French handler Philippe Peltier. A return to fences will presumably follow at some stage for this Le Lion D’Angers 2m1f chase winner, but a smarter strategy for the time being may be to continue to try to exploit his novice hurdler status.