Thursday's feature of the day is full access for all readers to the Instant Expert tab on the racecards. This is by far the most popular tab in the geegeez racecards. The reason? It has the ability to condense the entire form profile of every runner in the race into a single, easily digestible, view.
The report covers the form in terms of wins (or places), runs, and win (or place) percentage for each of going, class, course, distance, and field size. It also compares today’s official rating with the horse’s last winning official rating. The display is colour coded: green for a higher percentage rate, amber for a middling percentage, and red for a low percentage. Horses with no form under a certain condition have grey figures.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Where a horse has no UK/Irish form – i.e. it is having its first run in Britain or Ireland under Rules – it will not show up on Instant Expert at all. And every Thursday we make this open to all readers for all races, including our free ones, which will be...
- 12.15 Clonmel
- 2.50 Catterick
- 3.35 Newcastle
- 3.55 Catterick
As ever, I do like to look at the extremes of racing and that leads me to the 2.50 Catterick, a 7-runner, Class 3, 5yo+ handicap chase over 3m6f on heavy ground...
None of these come here off the back of a winning run, but Bushypark and the sole mare in the race, Legend's Ryde, did at least make the frame whilst Burbank, Cyclop & Sam's Adventure all failed to finish. Burbank and legend's Ryde are the only two with a 'recent' win. Burbank and Sam's Adventure both now drop down from Class 2 and the latter now wears a first-time visor, whilst Cyclop's last outing was in a Class 1 handicap.
Bushypark was a runner-up last Saturday after having been pulled up in all four runs in 2022 and he's back out just five days later. That said, all his rivals have raced in the last six weeks. The mare Legend's Ryde is the 'baby' of the field at the age of eight, whilst Cyclops, the sole distance winner is now the ripe old age of 12.
Feature of the day is Instant Expert, so let's look at this field's overall NH form and also just chase stats...
Generally Burbank and Thunderosa haven't gone well in the mud and the latter is probably the weakest runner in the race and hasn't really impressed at in making the frame just once in ten starts over fences. Four of these are Class 3 winners, although it has taken Cyclops thirty races to amass just three wins, but he is also the only distance winner in the field. Only Thunderosa has raced here previously.
Onto chase form...
...which looks a little more promising from a going/class perspective, but no real stand-out candidate. Thunderosa still looks the weakest, as he did when last home of four here on New Year's Day. He was held up in rear that day and never landed a blow in a near-40 length defeat. Those tactics were unusual for a horse who normally races towards the head of affairs as shown on our pace logs...
...and if reverts to his usual tactics, he could well keep Bushypark company in the early stages of a race on a track that hasn't been too kind to hold-up horses in staying chases in the mud...
...but those leading the way have thrived and I suspect this will help Bushypark more than Thunderosa who has yet to prove himself as a stayer.
Summary
The one I initially like here is Legend's Ryde. She ran well at Cheltenham last out and was third of six in a Listed race in November. She likes the mud and gets on really well with jockey Gavin Sheehan and with three wins/two further places from nine over fences, she's a good benchmark for this field.
My doubts about her stem from the fact that she's only gone beyond three miles on four occasions and has never raced further than her 3m2½f win at Fontwell last March. I've had a quick look at the market and I can't back her at 3/1, it's just too short for me with those doubts about the trip.
The other one posing a conundrum is 5/2 favourite Bushypark. He won over hurdles in Feb'21 and then next time out, but over fences nearly ten months later off a mark of 132. He was raised to 137 and toiled, going down by almost 90 lengths at the end of 2021.
He was then pulled up in all four runs last year, but was then a runner-up at Newcastle last week, only headed late on in a 1.5 length defeat. He's unexposed (3 starts inc 1 win) over fences and is 13lbs lower than his last winning mark and if in the same mood as last week, should be the one to beat. 5/2 is a bit skinny, but i think that's down to a lack of real opposition.
Other Recent Posts by This Author:
- Tix Picks, Saturday 04/01/25
- Tix Picks, Friday 03/01/25
- Tix Picks, Thursday 02/01/25
- Tix Picks, Tuesday 31/12/24
- Tix Picks, Monday 30/12/24
