The jumpers have well and truly taken over from their flat counterparts as Ascot opens its doors to its National Hunt fans for the first time this winter while Wetherby host their headline meeting with Gold Cup contenders lining up in the Charlie Hall Chase.
Also, the curtain comes down on Newmarket’s season to give the flat fans one final hurrah.
The thought of a novice chase campaign for Goshen is a hugely interesting one considering his crazy hurdling career. There is no doubting his ability or engine, but his mind and his jumping technique are major considerations as he turns up at his favourite track for debut over larger obstacles. He could be a star, it could be a disaster, I can’t wait to view it.
He must give almost a stone away though to Paul Nicholls’ SAMARRIVE, who had just a single season hurdling, ending with a smooth Sandown success on the final day of the jumps season. Team Ditcheat, who are in scintillating form early doors, waste no time getting the 5yo over fences and that looks significant. They’re happy to take on Goshen in receipt of a fair chunk of weight and he can get the day off to a flyer.
Cobbler’s Dream was second in the Martin Pipe at the festival and should not be taken lightly either on his chasing debut.
PRAIRIE WOLF is one of two runners today from my horses to follow list for the season.
Speaking to Ryan Mania last season, he was really looking forward to this horse who poignantly won a Doncaster bumper the race immediately after Sue Smith’s star Midnight Shadow had been fatally injured. That effort was under a penalty and his victim subsequently took a decent pot at Kelso for Nicky Henderson, so the form looks solid.
He wasn’t disgraced in the Aintree bumper at a massive price and ran like he needed his hurdling debut at Uttoxeter two weeks ago, a race that could work out well. The stable could be in better form, but he looks likely to provide them with a timely winner and can hopefully build on this and have a successful season.
Fifteen minutes later and the second horse from my list lines up, this time at Ascot in a competitive handicap hurdle and goes by the name of WASHINGTON.
He ran some fair races in small field novice and handicaps last season, but his best efforts came in big fields, an easy win against twelve runners in a Bangor novice and then third at the Aintree festival behind Hacker Des Places. He is 4lb better off for just under three lengths with him and I will be shocked if he is not rated much higher than 128 come next spring. He won his only start on a right-handed track easily, won all three starts off a break and has plenty in his favour.
It is a very warm contest though as expected. Anyharminasking is the only horse to beat Constitution Hill in his career, in a point-to-point, and Jonjo O’Neill’s horses are in good form, while Broomfield Burg has a fitness edge having ran third at Chepstow in the Silver Trophy here weeks ago and may prefer the drop back to the minimum trip.
AMOOLA GOLD won this race in 2020 off a 5lb lower mark than today and went very close to retaining his crown twelve months ago when going down by a short head to Before Midnight off a 7lb higher mark than he runs off today. He meets Before Midnight on 10lb better terms this time around and he loves Ascot, with course and distance form figures of 12124 (the fourth in Grade 1 company). The Skelton team are now up to a 22% strike rate for the season after an indifferent spell and Bridget Andrews gets on well with him.
He has Before Midnight covered on better terms than last October while Frero Banbou was further behind there and is on a higher mark himself today. Nassalam is a danger, but he has been beating up small fields since winning the opening race on today's card last year, but is still respected nonetheless.
One selection for Newmarket’s final meeting away from the TV cameras is JACK DARCY in the Listed Jane Seymour Stakes.
The 3yo didn’t make his seasonal return until July, giving the now 97-rated Special Envoy weight and a four-length beating that saw him go to Glorious Goodwood three weeks later for the G3 Gordon Stakes on just his third start. He wasn’t disgraced there in fourth and made the running when dropped back to ten furlongs at Deauville in August, battling on gamely but unable to hold the run of Lassaut, who was just denied in the G2 Prix Niel on his next start.
Given a break to freshen him up, he is unexposed and will still be fresh on his fourth start of the season, while he may also be able to get an easy lead if connections plan for those tactics again. Ground and trip look fine and Neil Callan, in hot water early this week at Kempton for riding a finish a circuit too soon, can end the week on a high.
*18+ | BeGambleAware
