Equinties - working back

Gm Equinauts

Newbury, bumper, David Maxwell. Racing days don’t get better than that.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

THE HALDON GOLD CUP

The Haldon Gold Cup (14.25) is unique as it’s a Grade 2 chase that is also a handicap.

If we’re being honest, a lot of the Grade 2 races in October and early November should either be handicaps or dropped in grade, because some of the Grade 2s we’ve seen over jumps this season have been poor. The Persian War a prime example.

When you have Graded races, like the Haldon Gold Cup, as handicaps, they naturally attract some interesting entries.

That interest starts with JPR ONE who has been talked up as a potential Grade 1 horse by Joe Tizzard.

He was unlucky not to win two Grade 2 novice chases last year as he unshipped Brendan Powell at the last in the Arkle Trial in November, but he is clearly classy and has acted on good ground before.

DJELO gets two pounds from JPR ONE and he showed some really nice form last year, notably when beating the subsequent Grade 1 runner-up MASTER CHEWY on seasonal reappearance in a handicap chase at Aintree.

He also smashed up PERSIAN TIME at Newbury on fairly quick ground before easily beating the now 145-rated KANDOO KID in the Grade 2 Noel Novices’ Chase and was third in the Turners, but he has the speed for this 2m1f test and should go well.

In hindsight, ETALON was a handicap blot off 120 on seasonal reappearance at Newbury last year, the horse he beat, MARTADOR, is now rated 140 having improved 23lbs since!

ETALON won two more before being well-beaten in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase. He has gone well fresh before, and who knows where his ceiling is. Good ground is a new one, though.

SANS BRUIT is reunited with Bryony Frost having won at the Aintree Grand National meeting.

He’s a smart horse and gets weight from the market rivals, but it’s his first run (which is a worry for any Paul Nicholls horse this season) and the good ground would be a concern.

SCARFACE is the second Tizzard horse in the race, but he still has a bit to prove off 132. He won on good at Plumpton last year and he’s had a run at Cheltenham to blow the cobwebs off. He would need a career-best, however.

HELTENHAM completes the field. It’s his first run and he was a big improver last year. One would question if a trip near to two miles is really what he wants.

PLANS FLOORED

Hurdles, hurdles, hurdles, grand national fences - that was how we were going to begin the article focused on Cromwell’s plans for his stable star FLOORING PORTER.

And just as we were going to press, yard news broke that the poor lad has suffered a season-ending set back.

It would have been a clever route, one that could consist of the Lismullen Hurdle, Cleeve Hurdle, and Stayers’ Hurdle, before heading to Aintree for the Grand National, though Cromwell has done this before with his National hopes.

VANILLIER ran over two miles, hurdles, 2m5f, and eventually three miles before heading to the Merseyside track last year, though he could only muster 14th in the big one.

Check out VANILLIER loose schooling at Cromwell’s below (we love loose schooling, no jockeys to f*ck it up):

In previous years, we’ve seen TIGER ROLL use the Boyne Hurdle as a prep run for Cheltenham before heading to the National, so this has been done before, but to head to the Grand National without a public appearance over fences in the lead-up to the race sounds a little bold and if he were to di it, a marvellous training performance.

Alas, all bets are off as now Cromwell’s new focus will be on getting the big lad back sound and back on track.

WORKING BACK

Have we got our first horse to consider for the revamped National Hunt Chase?

That’s because BOWTOGREATNESS, Ben Pauling’s third-season novice chaser, FINALLY got off the mark over fences yesterday at Newbury.

On the face of it, the form looks sound. DESTROYTHEEVIDENCE is an unexposed novice chaser who won nicely at Chepstow on his final start, and the third was a good 11 lengths back.

He won off a mark of 129 today, and both Ben Pauling and Harry Redknapp have eyes on the National Hunt Chase with a confidence booster under his belt.

Pauling said: "I always thought he was a good novice prospect, but we’re in our third season of chasing and he was nought from 12 before today. I think he lost the know-how to win a race, but he’ll come on a lot for winning.

"He jumped brilliantly and he’s a very nice horse. It’s a shame he’s not in the Coral Gold Cup, but I thought we’d lower our sights this year and try to build our way back up. I dropped him back in grade and hopefully we can have fun in the future."

He’ll go up enough in the handicap now to probably get in the race. They’ll just have to plot back from the Festival carefully.

BOWTOGREATNESS needs to go on to prove that he is not just well handicapped, but still retains the mental aptitude to win in larger fields.

Other highlights at Newbury included that man David Maxwell:

His new 200k Irish point winning recruit by NO RISK AT ALL absolutely bolted up in the last race, our favourite type - the bumper to make a BIG statement in the NH sphere. Off course, our man Maxwell was celebrated on socials with tongue in cheek remarks over the manner of his win - he looked as if he was holding on for dear life!

EL CAIROS wasn’t the biggest in the pre’s, he was dwarfed by the likes of Hendo’s (who’ll make a lovely chaser) so Gary Moore might decide to keep this lad hurdling for most of his career.

Either way, he’s a certified rocket to look forward to!

RISK ON

After a good day at Newbury yesterday topped off by landing a good on-course bet on Maxwell’s in the bumper, we are playing two shorties at Fontwell today:

14.35 JILAIJONE

His only win for the yard was over course and distance and this looks like the perfect race to get him back in the winners enclosure for a yard bang in form. 6/4.

15.45 OFFICER OF STATE 

It’s been a year since he moved over from Fabre’s to Gary Moore’s. He’d have needed that full 12 months to acclimatise…especially moving to Gary Moores! He’s well in on previous flat form, well bred and can win on the bridle here now tuned up in a class 5. He was 5/2 but is getting squeezed all the while so 2/1 is still a good bet.

Small double and strongest stake on OFFICER OF STATE.

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