BELL TOLLS FOR HEMINGWAY
Hemingway can reverse recent form with Wick Powell to land the 32Red Casino Handicap at Newcastle tomorrow.
Kevin Ryan’s three-yearold has seen only limited action to date but with just four runs under his belt so far, there could be any amount of improvement still to come.
His juvenile campaign last year was a mixed bag, with a narrow Pontefract victory bookended by two defeats at York, although the latter eclipse came in what is one of the most competitive sales events of the year.
Given a break following that defeat, Hemingway returned to action at Gosforth Park earlier this month when beaten three and three-quarter lengths by Wick Powell when in receipt of 5lb.
The winner was far too well treated for Hemingway to land a meaningful blow but given that was his first outing in 204 days, it would not be unreasonable to expect him to have come forward since then.
Hemingway will be getting 15lb this time, which puts him in a very attractive position indeed, even allowing for a bit more to come from Wick Powell.
Good Run shaped with promise when winning at Newcastle back in November and despite a bit of a break in the interim, he is still the pick for the Betway Stayers’ Handicap.
Twice a winner in 2015, Good Run was beaten out of sight by Imperial Aviator in his only turf start last May and was then off the track until that Newcastle run.
Gelded in the interim, he looked a different animal as he overcame a lessthan-perfect passage to win in style.
Artscape should find a starting mark of 75 well within his compass in the 32Red.com Handicap at Kempton.
Quite a keen-going sort, he could be even better if he can learn to settle.
Chidswell can bring up a hat-trick for Nicky Richards in the Howdens Joinery Chase at Haydock.
He took a couple of runs to put all the pieces together but his second places behind Cloudy Dream and Forest Bihan now read quite well given those two both turned out at Cheltenham last week.
In slightly easier company, though, Chidswell has thoroughly found his groove, sluicing up by 37 lengths at Sedgefield at the beginning of February before scoring a game success at Ayr at the end of the month.
Given a short break to get over two quick runs, Chidswell can shrug off a further 6lb rise in the ratings.
The Nipper is a mare on the up and she can strike again in the Howdens Joinery Mares’ “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.
She won as she pleased at Newcastle recently, supplementing a previous win at Lingfield, and even 12lb of penalties may not be enough to stop her.
Multiculture has won two of his three outings in this country and can further augment those statistics in the Howdens Joinery Novices’ Hurdle.
He cantered home six lengths clear on his debut for Philip Hobbs, but then bumped into High Bridge at Newbury last month, with the winner performing adequately as an outsider in the Supreme last week.