- Monday, 08 February 2016 15:31
- Written by David Pipe
With another couple of winners last week and a host of others who ran well, at least those that are competing are doing so with credit. Indeed, I was delighted to get off the mark for the week at Leicester on Wednesday when Prideofthecastle (pictured above) made a winning debut over fences after an absence of 690 days when running out the easy winner of the 2m6½f novices’ handicap chase. His task was made considerably easier when his chief rival departed at the last, but this would have been a pleasing return win, lose or draw. Our nine year old has always looked like a smashing chasing prospect although he has been plagued by problems restricting him to just nine career starts. This was a fantastic reward for the patience shown by his owners and he has now won on five occasions and hopefully he can begin to make up for lost time. He is game and genuine and versatile with regard to ground having won on every surface from good to heavy.
Navanman was a ready winner of the 2m4f handicap hurdle at Towcester on Thursday in the hands of Kieron Edgar. Travelling well throughout on this step-up in trip he took the measure of the runner-up between the last two flights of hurdles and went away to score nicely with the runner-up in turn well clear. He runs again this afternoon at Fakenham and is supposedly ‘well-in’ under a penalty. Our hand has been forced slightly as he is due to take a significant rise in the weights in future handicaps.
Of our other runners last week, I was pleased with the efforts of Heath Hunter and Cork Citizen who finished second at Taunton on Monday and Pilgrims Bay who peformed with credit when runner-up from his much higher handicap mark at Leicester on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Unique de Cotte looked a little unlucky on his second chase start at Wincanton when badly hampered at the third last when holding every chance and Impulsive American ran well at Musselburgh on Sunday – hopefully all will be capable of reaching the number one spot before too long.
As I alluded to a little earlier, Navanman is our sole runner today at Fakenham while the stable has no runners tomorrow (Tuesday). Things once again become complicated later in the week owing to the elements and I see that our local track, Taunton are inspecting tomorrow afternoon ahead of their meeting on Thursday. They are supposed to have had twice as much rain as we have (which scarcely seems believable), in which case I would suggest they have very little chance of going ahead.
The big meeting of the week takes place at Newbury on Saturday and the stable has a few entries there, including Starchitect who could make his debut for the stable in the feature Betfair Hurdle. Starchitect was a quality novice last season for Donald McCain and he is an intended runner at this stage.
Finally, as promised last week a look at the latest early closing entries for the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National. It was the turn of the Cheltenham novices’ hurdles to close last week and we entered Moon Racer in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Champers On Ice in the Albert Bartlett. It remains very much touch and go whether Moon Racer will make it to the festival next month. We are doing everything we can to get him there in tip top order but he will certainly not be running prior to Cheltenham. Meanwhile Champers has done exceptionally well since turning his hand to hurdles and while he has a little to find against the likes of Yanworth and Shantou Village he fully deserves his place in the line-up and remains an exciting prospect for fences.
We have seven entries in this year’s Grand National and they are; Ballynagour, Soll, Katkeau, Vieux Lion Rouge, Broadway Buffalo, Amigo and Standing Ovation. Ballynagour (right) is all class, while Soll has jumped around the unique Aintree fences several times before be it the Grand National or the Becher Chase. Even at the age of eleven he produced a career best effort last time out at Sandown and is a joy to have anything to do with. Historically both Amigo and Standing Ovation will struggle to get in from their current handicap marks.
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