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IT IS THE final day of the national hunt season in the UK with Irish maestro Willie Mullins set to pick up the trainer’s championship this side of the Irish Sea. He has three entries in the feature Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Sandown, 3.45) with novice Nick Rockett probably the pick of them.
Last year’s winner Kitty’s Light will be better suited to the ground here than at Aintree when he finished an admirable fifth in the Grand National, but he had a particularly tough race two weeks ago and there are several bigger priced runners worth a second glance.
Rapper should enjoy the conditions and has run well at the Esher track before and merits consideration, and I fancy he will relish this out and out staying trip while going right handed is his domain. Certainly Red may improve on his seventh in the race 12 months ago, when a shuddering mistake at the second last ended any chance of victory, and a clear round will see him hit the first four at the very least. But the one I am going to side with at a big price has to be the Nigel Twiston Davies trained WEVEALLBEENCAUGHT.
A pretty smart staying novice hurdler, he hasn’t quite gone on as connections would have hoped over fences, but has been racing in the main on deep winter ground and now finally gets a chance to race on a much more forgiving surface. A mark of 132 almost certainly underplays his true talent and he will have a really nice racing weight of just 10-4 to carry as well.
Talking of good ground, THE REAL WHACKER finally gets to race on his favourite surface for the first time this year in the Oaksey Chase (Sandown, 2.25). His quick fire jumping could have quite a few of his six rivals in trouble from some way out. Hitman has a fair record at this track and should also go well and he is preferred to Ga Law as the biggest danger for this Grade Two event.
The Select Hurdle (4.10) should see Impaire Et Passe go off at odds-on following his narrow win over Langer Dan at Aintree two weeks ago. Both had a very hard race that day, while the Dan Skelton-trained runner may need more juice in the ground to show his very best form. So the value play against them could well be SIR GERHARD. He has very little mileage on the clock and I suspect this intermediate trip will prove perfect for him.
I was half tempted by Nube Negra at a massive price in the Celebration Chase (3.00), but he has looked firmly on the downgrade this season and I am happy to give one final chance to EDWARDSTONE. Alan King’s runner has course figures of 112 and may be worth chancing against the big two here, Jonbon and El Fabiolo.
Of the other races on the card at the Esher venue I think that the totally unexposed GEEZER ROCKSTAR can land the Harry Fry yard a big prize in the opening Novices Championship Final Handicap Hurdle at 1.50, while PERSIAN TIME (4.45) could be the each-way call in the Josh Gifford Novices Handicap Chase on his return to this quicker surface.
Away from Sandown Park, Haydock Park holds a cracking flat card but on a much softer surface and there are several entries I strongly fancy to make their mark none more so than LOOK BACK SMILING in the feature handicap of the day over seven furlongs at 2.45.
You could argue that several of his nine rivals are much better players over the trip and that Gemma Tutty’s charge would prefer an extra furlong. However, if they go a solid end to end gallop on this deep ground I expect the selection to finish best of all.
Old boy Cold Stare should also relish the conditions in the 2.10, but I am not sure that he will be able to successfully give the weight away to SACRED FALLS. The bay filly had a lovely pipe-opener behind Many A Star at Southwell earlier this month, and should give the in-form Rossa Ryan a cracking ride from off the pace in this six furlong event.
The Ripon Silver Sprint Trophy Handicap (5.50) looks a cracking renewal this year despite just the nine set to line up. On these revised terms there should be little between The Bell Conductor and Looking For Lynda on their Pontefract runs, the latter having since come out again and stepped up at Epsom, but both may have to give best to course and distance winner WEN MOON. Ben Haslam’s charge was second in that aforementioned sprint at Ponte and is taken to reverse back end form with Vintage Clarets here.
CHILLINGHAM should have blown away the cobwebs at Kempton Park first time out this season and can defy his welter burden in the extended mile-and-a-half handicap due off at 6.20. The selection has run well at this undulating track before and certainly won’t mind the testing conditions to boot.
Finally, have a second look at couple of runners at the evening meeting at Wolverhampton where both IBIZA ROCKS (6.00) and WILKIE (9.00) should both run well. The first named looked unlucky in the run when hit over the head by a whip down the home straight at the Dunstall Park track last time out, while Wilkie has become very nicely treated and should come on for his last run at the track when there was never enough pace in the race for him.
