Tag Archive for: Kempton

Dan Skelton gearing up for trainers’ title push

Dan Skelton will be giving it his all to win the trainers’ championship after adding to his brilliant Cheltenham Festival with winners at both Uttoxeter and Kempton on Saturday.

Fresh from being the standout British trainer in the Cotswolds, when saddling a career-best four winners over the four days, he edged ahead of Paul Nicholls in the trainers’ standings when keeping the ball rolling across the cards on Saturday.

However, he is predicting a tough battle to end his former Ditcheat boss’ stranglehold on the trophy and is hoping he has the right horses in reserve to run at the latter end of the season.

Dan Skelton celebrates the victory of Protektorat at Cheltenham
Dan Skelton celebrates the victory of Protektorat at Cheltenham (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I will give it a good go to win it and Paul will give it a good go to defend it and it will have to be worked for,” said Skelton.

“I will give it a go, but what I won’t be doing is running horses unnecessarily. Horses like the bumper horse, Royal Infantry, it’s correct for him to finish his season now, so I won’t be asking horses it is inappropriate to do so to come out. However, those that are, will.”

Skelton saddled a double at Uttoxeter thanks to the victories of Santos Blue and Gwennie May Boy, while Boombawn made a successful return from 302 days off the track in Kempton’s Read Nicky Henderson’s Exclusive Unibet Blog Handicap Hurdle.

The progressive seven-year-old was once again showing his love for Kempton having struck in Listed company at the Sunbury track in October 2022 and after travelling with real enthusiasm in the hands of Harry Skelton, the 13-2 chance dug deep to hold off the rallying Titan Discovery at the finish.

He told Racing TV: “We had him ready for the Silver Trophy at Chepstow in the autumn, but it was an unusually wet autumn and then we had him ready two weeks later for somewhere that went soft or heavy and in the end I just sent him home to one of his owners, Sarah Faulks, and she just gave him a week off at home and freshened him up.

“We got him back around Christmas time and he’s just been aching for this bit better ground. I know it’s not officially good today, but it’s a lot better (than it has been) and he’s entitled to be progressive – what you saw at Aintree (on his last start) showed you he was going in the right direction.

“He will have Aintree, Ayr and Sandown on the last day of the season on his agenda and we might even consider going over fences with him, depending on the time of year and if there are any races we can get him in.

“If it got to May and he was beyond the rating ceiling to get into a novice chase, we could even take him to France.”

Grey Dawning was one of Skelton's Cheltenham winners
Grey Dawning was one of Skelton’s Cheltenham winners (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA)

Meanwhile, Skelton is hopeful his quartet of Festival winners will be a part of his arsenal for his title challenge after providing a positive update on their wellbeing.

“They are all really good. Langer Dan just has a little infection in a leg and all the other winners are good. Langer Dan is fine by the way, it is just something that is mentionable,” Skelton added.

“Grey Dawning will probably run (again) at three miles, Protektorat will have the option of two (races) and I would love to step Langer Dan up to Grade One company. Unexpected Party will have a heap of entries and we will see what’s best.”

Henderson seeking answers after Festival disappointment

Nicky Henderson is planning a quiet few days as he tries to get to the bottom of the issue that scuppered his Cheltenham Festival hopes.

With Constitution Hill ruled out of a Champion Hurdle defence the week before the fixture due to a respiratory infection, Henderson’s week got off to an inauspicious start with five of his six runners pulled up on Tuesday.

That prompted the Seven Barrows trainer to rule out a string of leading contenders, with Jonbon missing his Champion Chase date, ante-post favourite Sir Gino sidestepping the Triumph Hurdle and Shishkin ruled out of his Cheltenham Gold Cup assignment due to an unsatisfactory scope.

A handful of Henderson runners did perform with credit at Cheltenham, most notably Champion Hurdle third Luccia, and Persian Time offered a further glimmer of hope when digging deep for a neck verdict in the Try Unibet’s New Acca Boosts Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase at Kempton on Saturday.

Henderson has no entries until Spring Note at Newbury on Friday and will now attempt to establish what has troubled his recent runners.

Luccia performed best of Henderson's Cheltenham runners
Luccia performed best of Henderson’s Cheltenham runners (David Davies/PA)

He told Racing TV: “It has been a difficult 10 days because to be fair, I think we knew before we went there that they hadn’t been running to what you would hope for.

“It’s nice just to sort of close the whole week down, we have nothing else (running) today.

“We probably will have hardly any runners next week and let the whole thing settle down and see if we can get to the bottom of what has been ailing, although it’s difficult to say ailing as they seem to be well, everything checks out right but they certainly checked out wrong at the top of that far hill last week – they couldn’t get over the top of it.

“I think we just take the whole thing apart and try to put it back piece by piece to see if there is a piece missing anywhere. I think there is something missing – there is no doubt about that – they’ve got to keep ticking over and I’d like to go quietly for one week and just let the whole thing die down.

“Everyone has been so incredibly helpful and I really appreciate it. We have just to got to see if there is a piece of the jigsaw missing and I hope it’s as simple as that, but it’s not there in black and white.

“Normally with the blood tests and scopes you can identify a problem – there’s just no sign of an issue. I do think the horses look well, they seem to be well, their work has been good, everything checks out right but they just weren’t performing at all and at the end, we just didn’t run – you were just getting scared to run.

“We will be quiet next week, hopefully we can then kick on to Aintree and Punchestown. There’s a lot still to come and they will come back I am sure. We have got a wonderful team at home and are surrounded by great people and we will get it back on track.

“I think everyone knows what Cheltenham is to nearly all of us and to come out of there like that – we’ve just had some wonderful years but you’re never going to get complacent about it. The amazing thing was the support we have had, everybody has been fantastic and I’m very grateful.”

Persian Time was last seen when pulled up behind Ginny’s Destiny at Cheltenham’s Trials day in January, but after bouncing back to form, a trip to Ayr could now be on the agenda for the gelding, who is owned by the McNeill and Stone families.

Henderson added: “He’s been good at home. On Trials day, he didn’t really want to have a cut at his fences there, then he was much happier today. He was tanking going down to the start and you could tell after the first three fences he was a different horse today.

“He’s a nice fellow and he’s going the right way, so let’s hope we can keep it going. There will be plenty more for him this season I would hope.

“I know Ayr is their (owners) very favourite track so I would think we might be scouring the programme book to see what there is for him there. he ran very well in a novice hurdle up there last year and just got touched off by what’s turned out to be a decent horse – Ayr could be good.”

Sat TV Trends: 16th March 2024

So, that’s Cheltenham over, but this Saturday there is still plenty of racing action as the ITV cameras head to Uttoxeter for the Midlands National, plus they are also at Kempton for a jumps fixture.

As always, we’ve got all the trends and stats for all the LIVE ITV races – we hope they help pin-point a few winners.

Uttoxeter Horse Racing Trends

1.50 – Never Ordinary At bet365 Handicap Hurdle Cl3 (4yo+ 0-130)

Only 1 past running
Trainer Kerry Lee has
Trainer Harry Fry has a 26% strike-rate with his hurdlers at the track
Trainer Emma Lavelle is just 1 from 20 with her hurdlers at the track
Trainer Christian Williams is just 1-from-34 (3%) with his hurdles at the track

2.25 – bet365 Handicap Hurdle Cl3 (4yo+ 0-125) 2m 7 1/2f ITV4

2 previous runnings
Trainer Dan Skelton has a 26% record with his hurdlers at the track
Trainer Harry Fry has a 28% record with his hurdlers at the track
Jockey Harry Skelton has a 37% record riding over hurdles at the track

3.00 – bet365 Midlands Grand National Chase Handicap (Listed Race) Cl1 4m1f110y ITV4

18/20 – Aged 9 or younger
18/20 – Had won between 1-4 times over fences before
18/20 – Carried 10-12 or less
18/20 – Had won over at least 3m (fences) before
16/20 – Won by an Irish bred horse
15/20 – Had raced within the last 8 weeks
14/20 – Had never run at Uttoxeter before
14/20 – Carried 10-10 or less
14/20 – Finished in the top 3 last time out
13/20 – Unplaced favourites
12/20 – Officially rated 135 or less
11/20 – Returned a double-figure-price in the betting
11/20 – Aged 7 or 8 years-old
10/20 – Came from the top 3 in the betting
6/20 – Won last time out
4/20 – Trained by David Pipe
3/20 – Won by an Irish-trained horse
3/20 – Winning favourites
10 of the last 13 winners aged 8 or 9
The average winning SP in the last 20 runnings is 11/1
5 of the last 11 winners were ridden by a conditional jockey

3.35 – bet365 Novices’ Handicap Chase Cl2 3m ITV4

17/20 – Aged 8 or younger
16/20 – Carried 10-9 or more
14/20 – Returned 7/1 or less
13/20 – Came from the top 3 in the betting
12/20 – Had raced within the last 4 weeks
12/20 – Had won between 1-2 times over fences before
12/20 – Never raced at Uttoxeter before
12/20 – Had won over at least 3m (chases) before
12/20 – Placed last time out
10/20 – Unplaced favourites
10/20 – Aged 7 years-old
5/20 – Won last time out
4/20 – Trained by Harry Fry (4 of last 10 runnings)
3/20 – Winning favourites

Kempton Park Horse Racing Trends

1.35 Try Unibet’s New Acca Boosts Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase Cl3 (5yo+ 0-135) 2m2f ITV4

No previous runnings
Trainer Dan Skelton has a 27% record with his chasers at the track
Jockey Harry Cobden has a 21% record riding over fences at the track s

2.10Read Nicky Henderson’s Exclusive Unibet Blog Handicap Hurdle Cl2 2m5f ITV4

No past runnings
Trainer Dan Skelton has a 23% record with his chasers at the track
Trainer Nicky Henderson has a 22% record with his chasers at the track
Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies has is just 2-from-34 (6%) with his chasers at the track
Jockey Liam Harrison has a 40% SR riding over fences at the track

2.45Unibet New And Improved Bet Builder Handicap Chase Cl3 2m4f110y ITV4

3 previous runnings
All 3 winners aged 7 (1) or 8 (2)
All 3 winners carried between 11-3 and 11-6
Trainer Paul Nicholls won the race in 2023 with Complete Unknown
Trainer Dan Skelton has a 23% record with his chasers at the track
Trainer Charlie Longsdon is just 0-from-17 with his chasers at the track
Trainer Gary Moore has a +29 level stakes profit with his chasers at the track

 

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McDowell thrilled with above-par performance from Givemefive

Graeme McDowell was happy to concede defeat to his hero Sir Alex Ferguson, as sporting worlds collided in the Coral Adonis Juvenile Hurdle.

The 2010 US Open champion was represented at Kempton by Harry Derham’s Givemefive, a horse he was obliged to purchase after losing a bet on the golf course to the young handler, and one who McDowell has also persuaded five-time major champion Brooks Koepka to become involved in.

Having impressed his owners watching on from Florida with impressive victories at Market Rasen and Warwick, there was no way the Northern Irishman was missing his biggest assignment to date, calling in at Sunbury on his way to play in the Middle East to get his first ‘in person’ taste of the ownership experience.

While green jackets and Claret Jugs were not up for grabs at Kempton, Givemefive showed all the guts and determination that has always impressed those close to the four-year-old, producing an above-par performance to claim a silver medal.

He went down by the barest of margins to Kalif Du Berlais, with not only Derham’s uncle Paul Nicholls spoiling the party but also the former Manchester United manager Ferguson, who was in Saudi Arabia to watch his Spirit Dancer land a very valuable prize.

“It’s my first experience as an owner live and Harry has made this an unbelievably cool experience,” said McDowell.

“We were gutted but Sir Alex is one of my heroes, so I’m happy to let him have that one there – he looks a hell of a horse as well.

“They think very highly of Kalif Du Berlais and I thought we had it for a second, but it was a lot of fun, it was a great race. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and if he popped his head in front there that would have been dream stuff, but it was a lot of fun.

“There are a lot of parallels to golf and you could get a horse with all the talent in the world, but the wrong attitude and it’s not a champion horse. Givemefive is not the biggest horse in the world, but we love his attitude and his work ethic and the team at Harry’s keep calling him a little dude. That was a hell of an effort.”

Graeme McDowell relished his first taste of Kempton
Graeme McDowell relished his first taste of Kempton (PA)

The three-quarter-length defeat did little to diminish the enthusiasm of McDowell who admitted to being bitten by the racing drug after this first visit to watch his charge.

He went on: “There’s nothing quite like doing it in the flesh, it’s a first time for me and it’s really cool. It’s a bit of a drug and I can see how people get hooked.

“Brooks was supposed to come, we’re on our way to the Middle East right now and on the road for three weeks, so it was tough to get away for an extra day away from the kids, but I really wanted to come and see this race and it was sort of on the way.

“I flew in this morning and I got a little red eye going, but a few beers and I’ll be OK.”

Graeme McDowell (left) and Brooks Koepka on the golf course
Graeme McDowell (left) and Brooks Koepka on the golf course (Kieran Cleeves/Mike Egerton/PA)

McDowell revealed Koepka has also been fully engrossed in Givemefive’s progress from his Stateside base and was immediately on the phone in the aftermath of his Kempton appearance.

“I think Brooks wants a stable full of the things and he wants to know if Givemefive is running in the Kentucky Derby this year!” quipped McDowell.

“It’s been a fun experience and Brooks has enjoyed it, he’s texting through and obviously we’re disappointed but we love the effort from Givemefive.

“I think Brooks was wondering what I was dragging him into. The story is Brooks had won his fifth major last year and we had just got Givemefive and we’d spoken about it and I said to him ‘I think we’ve got a horse here you need to get involved with’.

“We have a WhatsApp group and it’s lighting up all the time and Brooks is texting away.”

Givemefive went down fighting in defeat
Givemefive went down fighting in defeat (PA)

McDowell and Koepka are far from the first members of the golf fraternity to flirt with horse racing, with the legendary Gary Player, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood just a few who have a keen interest in the sport.

Following Givemefive’s progress has proven far from straightforward due to the busy nature of the golfing calendar, but the latest duo to swap their golf clubs for the racecourse have been extremely impressed by the way Derham has made them feel part of his close-knit community of owners.

McDowell added: “There is a big crossover with golf and horse racing and I have spent a lot of time around guys like JP McManus. I think for the guys growing up in the UK and Ireland like myself, then racing is kind of in the blood.

“I got to know Harry through AP McCoy actually and when he was talking about getting his own yard, I said ‘hey when you do, let’s do something together’. I’m so happy for him and he’s such a nice guy with a great team. It’s been great to see his success and also to be a small part of it.

Sir Anthony McCoy and Graeme McDowell on the golf course
Sir Anthony McCoy and Graeme McDowell on the golf course (Joe Giddens/PA)

“I was walking behind Harry coming out from the stables into the paddock and I was thinking ‘this is kind of cool, what you have to do’. You see these guys training at home and getting to see them grow into the athletes they are and then coming out of here and competing.

“We’ve had so much fun so far and Harry and his team have really made it fun and exciting and interactive, living in Florida and still feeling very connected to the yard and the training and everything that is going on.”

In Givemefive, both Koepka and McDowell now have a high-class performer to take them on the next stage of their ownership journey.

Having provided one half of the golfing duo with a day to remember at Kempton, exciting plans for the future will now be formed over a celebratory drink at the 19th hole.

“I’m going to spend some time with Harry because I’ve not seen him since I lost the bet with him in London last year about Givemefive,” said McDowell.

“It was a decent bet to lose and if you are going to lose a bet, it may as well be that one!

“My heart was racing harder than it’s raced for a long time there and with what they think of Kalif Du Berlais and what he could go on to achieve, for Givemefive to hold his own as a smaller horse and to hang in there the way he did shows his work ethic.

“He’s a cool horse and I think we’re going to have some fun with him.”

Forward Plan swoops late to grab Coral Trophy

Forward Plan came from the clouds to deny Al Dancer victory in the Coral Trophy Handicap Chase at Kempton.

Dylan Johnston was positive from the off aboard the grey Al Dancer, making full use of his 5lb allowance aboard the Sam Thomas-trained runner in the three-mile feature.

Despite looking a sitting duck at the top of the straight as half a dozen jockeys appeared to be travelling better than Al Dancer, one by one they began to come under pressure.

Flegmatik, Killer Kane, Bowtogreatness and Blackjack Magic were giving chase but approaching the last, Al Dancer appeared to have them all cooked.

Forward Plan (centre) still had plenty to do jumping the last
Forward Plan (centre) still had plenty to do jumping the last (Steven Paston/PA)

However, despite his chance seemingly having disappeared on jumping the second last, Forward Plan got a second wind and began to make ground and when he met the last running, he had momentum firmly on his side.

Anthony Honeyball’s charge, beaten just a short head in the Great Yorkshire Chase last time out, fairly flew up the run in and came home a comfortable length-and-a-quarter winner for Ben Godfrey.

“This race was always on the agenda for this lad and we were always going to go to Doncaster because we thought it would suit him and it did,” said Honeyball.

“We got beat a nose at Doncaster and you just think ‘are we going to get that chance again?’. But he is a horse who is just progressing nicely and our initial thought today was the going had gone too soft, but he’s proved he does go on it and today was three miles, rather than three-mile-two.

“Doncaster is definitely home games for him and we will be back here with him, that’s for sure. We were always working back from this and you can’t do anything about the weather.

“We were all geared up to run and he’s not going to run again until Aintree, so we thought if the ground is too soft today and that finds us out, at least we’ve got a nice race to go to in the spring where the ground might be better. Now it doesn’t matter what the ground is like at Aintree.

“He’s not very big, but he travels and he’s a handy horse who you can put where you want. I suppose he’s handy for races like this because he can travel away and he has a few gears. You have obviously got to be good enough to have a few gears and he had enough in reserve (stamina wise) to use them.

“Aintree will be next, the race we won with Sam Brown a few years ago.”

Ben Godfrey came in for plenty of praise
Ben Godfrey came in for plenty of praise (Steven Paston/PA)

Honeyball also reserved plenty of praise for Godfrey, who was celebrating the biggest success of his fledgling riding career.

He continued: “It’s one of the biggest wins of any jockey’s career, it’s a £150,000 race and in a handicap what is there worth more than that?

“Ben has been based with us since he claimed 7lb. He just knows the horses and is learning to be cool and calm in a race.

“He’s gaining some great experience in races like this and on this horse in particular and it’s really standing him in good stead. He’s finding himself in the right places quite often which is not an easy thing.”

Lump Sum secures Dovecote riches

Lump Sum confirmed Doncaster form with Fiercely Proud as Sam Thomas’ bright prospect impressed in winning the Coral Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton.

In dominating the Grade Two, the duo paid a handsome compliment to Nicky Henderson’s Jeriko Du Reponet, who had them both behind when booking his Cheltenham ticket on Town Moor.

Lump Sum was sent off the 13-8 favourite and Sam Twiston-Davies dropped his mount out in the rear early on as Fiercely Proud was close to the pace, racing keenly for the in-form Ben Jones.

When he joined Panjari on the turn for home, Fiercely Proud looked to have things under control but Twiston-Davies had bided his time on the favourite and ran out a comfortable four-and-a-half-length winner.

Thomas said: “I’m delighted. We’re not having as many runners as we may be have done in the last season or two and as a trainer I don’t have as much confidence as I should do going into races like that – I was nervous beforehand.

“I was delighted to see the horse transfer that Doncaster form, but he’s a smashing horse and learning all the time.

Lump Sum does not hold any entries in the Grade One novice events at the Cheltenham Festival, but does have options in the County Hurdle and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at Prestbury Park.

Aintree is also an option later in the spring, but further down the line a trip to Ffos Las appears in order to try to fulfil owner Dai Walters’ long-held ambition of winning the Welsh Champion Hurdle.

“We left him out of the novices (at Cheltenham) because of how competitive it is,” continued Thomas.

“He’s in the handicaps and he could still be well handicapped, but that is a decision for Mr Walters and myself to have a chat about in the next week or two.

“Absolutely Aintree could be an option, but there is never any pressure from Mr Walters with any of the young horses and we’ve got a young horse to look forward to for many seasons to come.

“He’s a smashing hurdler for now and we’ll enjoy today before we think about the future. He’s up there with Good Risk At All who is a real mudlark and I just think he could keep going the way he is. He’s such a nice, straightforward one to train at home and is definitely one of the best ones yet. He’s done everything right.

“Our dream would be to try to win the Welsh Champion Hurdle and I know Mr Walters is desperate to win that, so that will be our first target next season.”

Tom Lacey’s Kempton specialist Blow Your Wad denied Paul Nicholls a fourth successive win in the Coral Pendil Novices’ Chase.

Blow Your Wad (left) won at Kempton once more
Blow Your Wad (left) won at Kempton once more (Steven Paston/PA)

Having already won over hurdles at the Sunbury venue, Blow Your Wad then won a competitive event at the King George meeting over fences.

He disappointed behind Nicholls’ Ginny’s Destiny at Cheltenham last time out but fitted with first-time cheekpieces and back on a flat track, he beat Tahmuras by three-quarters of a length, justifying 13-8 favouritism for Stan Sheppard.

“We have run him in Grade Ones before over hurdles but he was a five-year-old taking on six-year-olds, which was probably a bit harsh on him to be fair,” said Sheppard.

“We’ve always liked him and I think he probably has to stay right-handed now because he’s won three times round here. I would say here and Sandown would be where he goes I imagine.

“He’s probably still 10lb off the top races, but with another summer he might improve again because he’s only six and there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

Earlier on the card, Gary Moore and Caoilin Quinn teamed up to go back-to-back in the Coral Racing Club Handicap Hurdle with 9-2 shot Mark Of Gold.

Golden Son wins the Play Coral Racing-Super-Series For Free Handicap Chase
Golden Son wins the Play Coral Racing-Super-Series For Free Handicap Chase (Steven Paston/PA)

Paul Nicholls and Harry Cobden added to their victory in the Adonis with Kalif Du Berlais by teaming up to claim the Play Coral Racing-Super-Series For Free Handicap Chase with Golden Son (10-1), who ran on strongly to land the spoils after the last.

“We half-fancied him a little bit today and you can put a line through his last two runs,” said the champion trainer.

“Cheekpieces just focussed his mind a fraction and he stays well and it was a good ride for a big prize.

“I thought that was the right race for him today rather than the Pendil and it’s good to get him back.

“There’s quite a valuable race back here in three weeks time and he’ll probably come back for that. He’ll improve and keep improving and that was very good.”

There was a shock in the concluding Coral We’re Here For It Open National Hunt Flat Race where Keiran Burke’s Thistle Be The One (40-1) made all for a cosy one-and-three-quarter-length triumph in the hands of Gavin Sheehan.

Honeyball has strong hand in Coral Trophy

Anthony Honeyball has a trio of chances ready to line up in the valuable Coral Trophy at Kempton on Saturday.

Forward Plan heads the group, an eight-year-old last seen finishing just a nose behind Annual Invictus in the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster.

Prior to that, he was a winner on Town Moor when taking the bet365 Handicap Chase over the same three-mile distance, his third victory in eight runs over fences, having only been out of the placings once.

He has now reached a career-high mark of 133, though Ben Godfrey’s 3lb claim eases his handicap allocation and he will run off a competitive 10st 9lb.

“Forward Plan goes quite well on any ground really,” said Honeyball.

“The best of our racing has been on goodish ground with him and our next race for him will be Aintree, so we feel like he’s ready for a race and we’ve got to have a go because it’s such a brilliant prize – it’s worth £25,000 more than the Ultima at the Festival.

“If we had our dream scenario, we would like slightly quicker ground, but he has a light weight, he’s one of the favourites after his run at Doncaster and we kind of feel duty bound to give the owners a chance to win it.

“He loves a bit of decent ground, but there’s no reason why, off a light weight, he can’t run well.”

Stablemate Blackjack Magic began his season in good form when taking the Badger Beer Chase at Wincanton and subsequently came home fourth in the Howden Silver Cup at Ascot.

Much of his best form is on testing ground and he is expected to appreciate the soft going at Kempton.

“Blackjack Magic has proven he is up to this class and he won the Badger Beer,” said Honeyball.

“He will love the soft ground and, in fact, the heavier the better for him, that will suit him a bit better than a couple of the races he has run in this season.”

Honeyball’s third runner is the veteran chaser Sam Brown, who carries a top weight of 12st under Jonathan Burke.

The 12-year-old has some valuable races on his CV and showed he was not losing his enthusiasm when landing the Veterans’ Chase Series Final at Warwick last month.

Sam Brown on his way to winning the Betway Handicap Chase during Grand National Day in 2022
Sam Brown on his way to winning the Betway Handicap Chase during Grand National Day in 2022 (David Davies/PA)

His age and the significant weight he carries may leave him an outside chance, but his trainer is not ruling out a good performance from the gelding.

Honeyball said: “He’s a big outsider at the minute, but that’s only because he’s 12 years old and rated 152 and there’s probably some stats that tell you that is a near impossible task.

“Is he going to win and go up to 156 or 157? It’s probably unlikely, but he is overpriced.

“There’s plenty in his favour, he will enjoy the ground and he doesn’t mind a competitive handicap. He can sit halfway and he has that turn of foot where if he can stay in the hunt approaching the business end, then he can quite come through with a decent surge.

“I don’t think it would be the biggest shock ever, but we have got to run him and hopefully there is another day in the sun for him – we’ve got to give him the chance.”

Ben Pauling has a live chance in Bowtogreatness, an eight-year-old jointly-owned by Harry Redknapp.

Ben Pauling's Bowtogreatness
Ben Pauling’s Bowtogreatness (Mike Egerton/PA)

The trainer enjoyed a three-timer at Ascot last weekend, along with jockey Ben Jones, but Bowtogreatness was not among his runners after a tracheal wash which caused connections to skip the meeting.

He will instead line up at Kempton for his third start of the season, after which he has one of his three Cheltenham Festival entries on the horizon.

“He’s in really good form with himself. He was supposed to go to Ascot last weekend, but just had a slightly average tracheal wash 10 days previous, so we decided to wait,” Pauling said.

“He was as clean as a whistle this week and worked well on Saturday, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how he runs.

“On his first run of the season, I left the ear plugs out and he just head-butted his fences round Newbury and didn’t jump well enough, then he went to Cheltenham and it was almost like his first run of the season really. He travelled into it very well and just blew up going to two out.

“I dare say he’ll be spot-on for Saturday and he’s a hardy horse that needs a lot of graft, so it’s very much the plan to get a proper run into him before going to the Festival.

“He’s in the Ultima, he’s in the Kim Muir and he’s in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and how he goes on Saturday will tell us which race he’ll run in.”

At the head of the market is Dan Skelton’s Flegmatik, a winner over course and distance last time out, with Nicky Henderson’s Tweed Skirt and Chris Gordon’s Lord Baddesley also well fancied in a field of 12.

Fontwell loses National Spirit card to waterlogging

Heavy rain around the UK continues to hit this week’s National Hunt fixtures, with Sunday’s top-class card at Fontwell and Friday’s meeting at Warwick falling to the weather.

The £80,000 Grade Two Star Sports National Spirit Hurdle was to be the feature race of Fontwell’s biggest day of their centenary year.

However, persistent heavy rain has left standing water on the West Sussex venue, with 18mm falling prior to a 4pm inspection on Thursday.

Clerk of the course Philip Hide said: “The track is waterlogged and I’m seeing water lying where I’ve never seen it before.

“We just haven’t got any fresh ground to offer up to get any meaningful racing line, with a forecast for plenty more rain – although the forecast doesn’t have a lot to do with it, because it would need to improve a fair amount from where we’re at and there’s just no prospect of it happening.

“Even though I was expecting today to be wet, we’ve probably had 5mm above where I dreaded being. We had about 5mm in 25 minutes around 12 o’clock today.

“It’s an important race for us, but unfortunately, however much you want something to happen, you can’t make it happen. I couldn’t just keep going blindly forward, I’d be misleading people.

“It’s not a hard decision to make and it’s not a decision I’ll regret at any stage – I’m happy to have made it in a timely fashion, to be honest.

“Obviously, there’s a chance they might put the race on somewhere for those horses that have been waiting for it – I think Brewin’upastorm has had it as a target since winning it last year.”

Following another downpour at Warwick, the adjacent Gog Brook burst its bank and left the course unraceable due to waterlogging.

Officials quickly decided there would not be sufficient improvement ahead of raceday and called an early halt to proceedings.

A precautionary inspection has also been scheduled for 8am ahead of Exeter’s jumps meeting on Friday.

After 10.5mm of rain fell on Thursday morning, the ground was described as heavy but raceable, although the last hurdle in the backstraight is being omitted.

The prospect of further showers has forced officials to take another look at conditions in the morning.

Thursday’s meeting at Huntingdon was called off due to a waterlogged track, but prospects for Saturday’s big jumps meetings are more encouraging.

The Premier Raceday fixture at Kempton, which features the £150,000 Coral Trophy Handicap Chase and a trio of Grade Two events, is set to be staged on going that is soft, heavy in places.

There has been plenty of rain in the Surrey area but the forecast is for sunshine and showers on Friday and Saturday.

Newcastle’s Eider Chase card is currently set to be run on ground described as heavy, soft in places.

Gosforth Park received less rain than expected over the last two days and a bright and breezy day is forecast for Friday.

Temperatures could drop to around zero for a short time at night, bringing the possibility of a light frost, but raceday has a predcited low risk of showers through the afternoon, with a light breeze and highs of 7C.

Peking Opera’s Triumph hopes rest on Kempton performance

Gary Moore is looking to Peking Opera to continue his stable’s fine form with the one-time Irish Derby fourth seeking to book his ticket to the Triumph Hurdle in Kempton’s Coral Adonis Juvenile Hurdle.

Moore, whose son Jamie recently announced his retirement from the saddle, enjoyed a big-race double at Haydock last weekend as Salver confirmed himself as one of the UK’s leading juveniles and Botox Has claimed Grade Two success in the Rendlesham.

Lower Beeding-based Moore is now on the hunt for further graded honours with his former Ballydoyle inmate, who made the perfect start over hurdles at Sandown earlier this month.

He showed there he had plenty of speed to go with his staying power and he has forced a change of thinking from his trainer, with Moore conceding he never had a trip to Kempton in mind for the hot juvenile prospect.

“Going into Sandown, on his Flat form, I thought he would want a stiff two miles,” explained Moore.

“The last place I thought I would run him was Kempton, even though the Adonis was probably the obvious race anyway. But I thought he would want a stiff two rather than an easy two and as it worked out, I thought he travelled well (at Sandown) and if they had gone a better gallop it would have helped him more.

“Hopefully the track will suit him and hopefully he will show enough to be a Triumph Hurdle horse – he will need to because it’s quite a good race.”

Peking Opera jumps a hurdle on his way to victory at Sandown
Peking Opera jumps a hurdle on his way to victory at Sandown (John Walton/PA)

Moore’s success with Salver this season has seen him clipped into as short as 10-1 for the Triumph Hurdle next month, while it is Peking Opera’s exploits on the Flat combined with his Sandown hurdles debut that are driving his odds, ranging from 16s to 33-1.

Those prices could plummet with a bold showing from the son of Galileo on Saturday, but Moore says he has collected few clues on the gallops as to who may be better, with both kept separate in their work at home.

“I’ve never galloped them together,” continued Moore.

“One is an out-and-out stayer and the other should be as well, but on his pedigree and what he’s done (on the Flat), he (Peking Opera) should have a bit more class.”

Le Patron won the Henry VIII Novices' Chase in December
Le Patron won the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase in December (John Walton/PA)

Moore could also be represented on the card by Grade One scorer Le Patron, who could attempt to get back on track in the Coral Pendil Novices’ Chase after seeing his jumping fall apart in the Scilly Isles last time.

The six-year-old finished a long way adrift of Nickle Back on that occasion, with Moore having plenty of respect for that rival who is also entered at the weekend.

“My biggest concern in that race is Nickle Back and I don’t know if he will run or not, but I wouldn’t be in a rush to take him on to be honest,” added Moore.

Bangor beaten by the weather

Friday’s card at Bangor has been abandoned due to a waterlogged track.

Early on Thursday afternoon, it became apparent the course could be in difficulty when an inspection was called for 4pm due to areas of the track being under water.

With rain, sleet and snow all falling, the decision was an easy one as the two furlongs after the winning line were under water, with further rain forecast.

Thursday afternoon’s meeting at Doncaster was called off due to heavy snow.

Having initially passed an early morning inspection, snow began to fall about an hour before the first race.

As the opening contest approached at 12.55pm, it was snowing heavily and by the time the jockeys had entered the paddock to mount, an inspection was called.

A deputation of course officials, jockeys and stewards went out on the track but even in the short time that took, visibility was getting worse and the meeting was soon abandoned.

Clerk of the course Paul Barker told Sky Sports Racing: “It’s very disappointing.

“When I walked it this morning, it was nice and we’d had nothing overnight. I walked it again at 10.30am with the stewards panel chair and it had just started to sleet and no snow, but nothing was settling.

“Jockeys were arriving and so were the trainers – and all were happy.

“Then about 45 minutes before the first, the snow started falling heavier and never really stopped.

“Concerns were raised by everybody during the inquiry and I spoke to the weather station, who said we had about 45 minutes more snow and then it wasn’t going to thaw.

“You just can’t beat Mother Nature.”

Doncaster was not the only fixture called off on raceday, with officials at Thurles cancelling their card due to heavy rain. The meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 13.

Friday’s National Hunt fixture at Kempton is also subject to a precautionary inspection at 7.30am due to the threat of rain while Uttoxeter’s meeting on Saturday must pass an 8.30am precautionary inspection on Friday.

Koepka and McDowell lining up Kempton trip

Major champions Brooks Koepka and Graeme McDowell are poised to swap their golf clubs for the racecourse later this month to watch their Cheltenham prospect Givemefive run in Kempton’s Coral Adonis Juvenile Hurdle.

Trained by Harry Derham, the four-year-old has made a flying start to his juvenile hurdling career, impressing at Warwick when an 18-length winner last time.

Givemefive carries the colours of Smash Racing, a syndicate that includes Northern Ireland’s 2010 US Open hero McDowell and his American colleague Koepka, who claimed back-to-back victories in the same event in 2017 and 2018 and has also won three PGA Championships.

They became owners in Derham’s yard after McDowell challenged the young handler to a nearest the pin shoot-out during a Pro-Am golf tournament, promising to put together a syndicate to own a horse if Derham came out on top.

Givemefive in action at Warwick
Givemefive in action at Warwick (David Davies/PA)

Koepka’s good friend Daniel Gambill is also involved with the gelded son of Holy Roman Emperor and a break in the golfing calendar means both Koepka and McDowell are hoping to pay a visit to the Sunbury venue on February 24 before carrying on to their next assignments.

Derham said: “They are going to come because they are flying from Florida to the Middle East and are going to stop over, hopefully watch ‘Five’ run really well and then carry on to the Middle East.

“I don’t think Brooks has ever been racing, but he’s a first-time owner who has had a horse who has won two races so is obviously enjoying it.

“He’s really enthusiastic about it and he and one of his best mates, Daniel, own the horse with Graeme. They are obviously loving it because they have a really exciting horse and it will be good to give them a nice day out at Kempton – and hopefully ‘Five’ will read the script.”

Trainer Harry Derham won a golfing bet with Greame McDowell
Trainer Harry Derham won a golfing bet with Graeme McDowell (Joe Giddens/PA)

Givemefive’s run in the Adonis could tee-up a shot at the Cheltenham Festival for the big-name owners and after winning his first two outings with ease, the Grade Two event will determine if they have a genuine Triumph Hurdle contender on their hands, or if they should aim at the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

“Givemefive is going to run in the Adonis and depending on how he gets on there, he could run at Cheltenham,” continued Derham.

“The Adonis will tell us more (about him). He was really impressive last time out, but that form didn’t work out yesterday (when Orchestra was beaten at Ludlow).

“I don’t think he has done enough to run in the Triumph straight away and officially on ratings he has a stone to find with the favourite, which sounds quite a lot, and the Adonis will tell us.

“I’m not using the Adonis as a stepping stone though, and for a trainer who has only been training a year, it is an enormous deal to have a runner in that race and we will go there all guns blazing.”

Hayley Turner and Flag Carrier record eventful Kempton success

Persistence paid off for Hayley Turner after she bounced back from being unshipped leaving the paddock to ride Flag Carrier to victory at Kempton.

The 41-year-old was thrown off in dramatic fashion ahead of the Try Unibet’s Improved Bet Builder Handicap and the Harry Eustace-trained gelding had to be walked down to the start on his own.

Turner only got back on board her mount in the stalls and the three-year-old continued to cause her problems by pulling hard in the early stages.

However, when Flag Carrier finally settled down to business in the home straight of the seven-furlong contest, he picked up well from mid-division and went on to score by a length at 3-1.

“I think what’s happened is that he’s run with the blinkers on quite a lot and I just think it might have got the better of him today,” Turner told Racing TV.

“He’s been here before but he’s just got himself into a tizzle, so I think the guys have done a really good job of actually getting him to the start in one piece.

“I should probably give them my riding fee, because actually in the race he was a little bit keen but did it quite comfortably in the end.”

It was the first time Turner had partnered Flag Carrier, who broke his duck at the seventh time of asking, and she was happy to laugh off his unruly behaviour beforehand.

“He wasn’t the most straightforward and that’s not him generally, but he just had a bee in his bonnet today,” added the jockey.

“He still won despite that and at least I got a nice fall, because I landed in the hedge. The hedge hasn’t done very well out of it, but I was fine!”

Jay Jay Reilly lands surprise Lanzarote success

Jay Jay Reilly sprang a 33-1 surprise to give trainer Dan Skelton a second straight success in the Coral Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle at Kempton.

Last year, it was Bridget Andrews in the saddle as West Balboa prevailed by a short head.

This time, Tristan Durrell sent the eight-year-old Jay Jay Reilly to the front at the penultimate obstacle and he kept on gamely all the way to the line.

Nemean Lion looked a big danger approaching the final flight, but a sloppy jump left the 9-2 shot fighting a losing battle on the run-in and he went down by a length and a quarter.

Impose Toi, the 11-4 favourite, and 28-1 outsider Good Luck Charm filled the minor placings.

Durrell, who still claims a 3lb allowance, had earlier obliged on Flegmatik for the same handler and he told Racing TV: “It’s unbelievable. Obviously, the best day of my career.

“I’ve never ridden a double before and a double on a big day like this is just unreal. To win the Lanzarote, it’s a big, competitive handicap, I’m just very grateful to Dan and the owners for putting me up and putting their trust in me. It’s nice to go and win.

“On the way down, I said to Bridget ‘you need to tell me how to win a Lanzarote, because you won last year’.

“She said ‘you need an OK start, so you’re not too far away because there’s so many runners, and just try to keep out of trouble’ – and that’s where I was.

“I had a nice bit of room, just followed Harry Cobden through and it couldn’t have worked out better for me.”

Jay Jay Reilly’s past nine outings had been over fences, including an eighth-place finish in the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham last time out.

“It’s funny, because he was a big price but at home we all thought he had a good chance, as he’s never felt so well all year and back over hurdles, they just gain confidence, don’t they,” added Durrell.

“We thought he had a good chance, but it’s always unbelievable when it happens, isn’t it. It’s a great day for the team and just brilliant.”

Banbridge makes stylish return with Silviniaco Conti strike

Banbridge kept on strongly to become the first Irish-trained winner of the Grade Two Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton.

Joseph O’Brien’s eight-year-old was having his first outing for 275 days but got the better of defending champion Pic D’Orhy thanks to jumping the final fence better under JJ Slevin.

Pic D’Orhy, who coasted to a 16-length success in this contest 12 months ago, set the pace early on from Banbridge, with the other three runners in a line a few lengths back.

Notlongtillmay made a brief forward move on the turn for home, while Edwardstone and Janidil never quite got into the contest.

That left Banbridge and Pic D’Orhy to battle it out up the home straight and a late blunder by the latter proved decisive, with the 3-1 victor prevailing by a length and three-quarters.

Banbridge accelerates away at Kempton
Banbridge accelerates away at Kempton (John Walton/PA)

Winning owner Ronnie Bartlett told Racing TV: “We were always looking for good ground for him and we got it today. He was maybe a wee bit rusty at times but we’re very happy – he put up a solid performance.

“He made a few mistakes but he’s been off the track for a long time, so it’s pretty exciting.

“He just seems to be very professional, he’s more mature, he’s got bigger and thicker and he’s just in a good way. He was very cool about travelling over here, he was relaxed and it was a good way to start the season.

“We’ve had him bubbling for a long time and there have been races we were going for but the ground wasn’t what we wanted, but Joseph said there is still some improvement to go and we’re happy with that.”

Banbridge was cut from 10-1 to 5-1 for the Ryanair Chase by Betfair, Coral and Paddy Power.

“We’ll wait and see what the ground is like, he’s a spring horse, so we’ll watch him accordingly, but all being well, that’s the race we’ll be going for,” added Bartlett.

JJ Slevin alongside Banbridge following their Kempton success
JJ Slevin alongside Banbridge following their Kempton success (John Walton/PA)

Winning jockey Slevin told ITV Racing: “He was a very good horse last year, when he won a Grade One, but we felt he’d just straightened up a bit this year, so we hope he’s a better horse now.

“He was a little bit rusty on the way round, so he just had to blow away a few cobwebs, but we’re delighted with him.

“All four of his competitors had good form and came here with a good chance, so hopefully he’ll have learned a bit from that run and can still progress a bit.”

There was a sad postscript to the race, as Notlongtillmay suffered a fatal fall at the last fence.

Tearful trainer Laura Morgan said: “It’s absolutely horrendous, he didn’t deserve that. He just took a nasty fall at the last and broke his shoulder.

“He’s been our stable star and it’s so upsetting. It will leave a massive hole in the yard every day, he was such a character as well – and little Ernie, the pony that has come with him, he will miss him.”

Kalif Du Berlais creates big impression at Kempton

Paul Nicholls introduced an exciting prospect at Kempton in Kalif Du Berlais, who galloped on strongly from the front to win the Play Coral ‘Racing-Super-Series’ For Free Juvenile Hurdle by seven and a half lengths at 4-5.

Nicholls was quick to play down his chances of heading to the Cheltenham Festival, with a future chasing career his long-term target, but that didn’t stop punters from backing the French import into 12-1 with Betfair for the Triumph Hurdle.

Kalif Du Berlais had previously scored impressively on his racecourse bow at Compiegne and Nicholls told Racing TV: “We thought he was a smart horse.

“My only reservation was that he hasn’t been in this country all that long and normally they need a bit of a break to acclimatise, but because I knew we were going to have to give him a run, I just kept going straight on with him and he’s just thrived on everything.

“He’s never looked back from the minute he came in the yard and he’s a gorgeous horse – he’s a chaser, that’s what he was bought for, so we need to mind him. He won’t have too many races this year; we need to look after him and we will.

“His jumping is brilliant but he’s not a Triumph horse is he! All those types like him in the past – Clan Des Obeaux, Frodon – they always finish in the middle and end up superstar chasers, so I don’t see a point in running them in the Triumph Hurdle.

“He could come back here for the Adonis, although we’ve got a few runners for that, so it might be one more run and possibly look at Aintree. All options are open, but I don’t see him as a Triumph horse because he’s the wrong type.”

Nicholls feels Kalif Du Berlais has leapt to the top of the pecking order among his juvenile hurdlers but added: “He’s all about the future and I don’t see any point staying around over hurdles with him for too long, he might have to go chasing in the autumn as a four-year-old.”

Flegmatik secured a third course victory in the New Bet-In-Race With Coral Handicap Chase over three miles, scoring by two lengths at 7-2.

Tristan Durrell gave Dan Skelton’s charge a positive ride and his 3lb allowance came in handy as they saw off the late challenge from top-weight Chianti Classico.

Assistant trainer Bridget Andrews said: “He’s been a great horse for the owners and obviously has a love for Kempton.

“He definitely bounces off the bit better ground, although it looks a bit tacky today, but I don’t know what it is about Kempton.

Kempton Park – Saturday 13th January
Flegmatik ridden by Tristan Durrell on the way to victory (John Walton/PA)

“He’s a strong traveller and we’d normally hold on to him a little bit more than we did today, but it was always happening a bit slowly for him lately and he was taking a bit to get going, so we said if he does get to the front today, just press on – and Tristan gave him a great ride.

“I was pleased to see him push on when he did, the horse has sometimes pulled up a bit when in front but he never gave me that impression today and stayed on really well.”

Nicky Henderson’s Gentle Slopes survived a stewards’ inquiry to claim the Coral Get Closer To The Action Novices’ Hurdle at 4-5, having edged right on the run-in before shading Junkanoo by a nose.