The news that Jessica Harrington’s Gold Cup hero Sizing John is being withdrawn from Saturday’s Betfair Chase at Haydock due to the potential for wet underfoot conditions is less than surprisingly, given the wild drift in his price this week, but it’s a disappointing one nonetheless. Saturday’s feature race will still be a hot one, though, with old boy Cue Card the romantic's favourite to take it.
Today’s fare is not a bad way to gear toward a weekend of top-grade National Hunt action in the mud, with meetings at Market Rasen, Wincanton and Thurles being supplement with a card from Newcastle on the all-weather track there and an evening offering in Essex at Chelmsford.
Three years is a long time in life, but it’s a longer one in racing.
Apache Stronghold will be attempting to make a comeback after a time close to that marker away from his work when returning to the track today at Thurles in the 13:00 - Boomerang Animal Bedding And Boomerang Horse & Country Store Chase (Listed). Noel Meade’s inmate was the best of the rest behind the superlative Vautor in the JLT that year and is a bona fide Grade 1 performer. His trainer, though, feels he might need a pipe-opener after such a long spell on the sidelines.
“He’s ready to run and he's done plenty of work, but he’s not going to be fully wound up. He's taken his work very well and we haven’t had any problems with him. We're looking forward to getting him back,” he said.
Regardless, he’ll certainly be a compelling watch as he embarks on an attempt at a renaissance at the ripe old age of nine.
Down at Chelmsford tonight on the the all-weather we find another intriguing little event in the 19:00 - Bet totequadpot At betfred.com Conditions Stakes (Plus 10).
John Gosden is making something of a habit of educating his juveniles on artificial surfaces - most famously, of course, with Enable - and it’s a winter lifeline for the flat game.
Wissahickon is the latest of his youthful string to make a splash on the Polytrack when making a winning debut at Wolverhampton last time. He wasn’t knocked about that day and with normal, or more than normal, improvement forthcoming he should put in a bold bid.
The preference, though, is for Bubble And Squeak. She’s done precious little wrong on her four starts to date, finishing second each time, and she’s had excuses for not poking her nose in front each time. She can put her experience to use here and do just that.