Just three

The battery of entries for Cartmel and Huntingdon mentioned yesterday has boiled down to just three actual overnight declarations in the end, all of them back at Cartmel. GLENVIEWS SURLAMI was not disgraced when fourth in a non-handicap Selling Hurdle at Market Rasen on her hurdling debut last time out, but that was on bottomless ground and without anything in as good early-season form as Ostfanni in the line-up. The 2m 6f of the Novice' Hurdle ought not be a problem, but that opponent and the likelier livelier ground might be.

The Selling Handicap Hurdle over 17.5f sees the likely return of FREE WILL, who showed a modicum of form for owners the Blaydon Racers Partnership at this level last summer. This, however, represents his first racecourse appearance for 13 months give or take a day or two, and although he was absolutely flying on the gallops when seen at Richard Guest's open day in July, he's entitled to need this. MERSEY MIRAGE is also engaged, and running this stamina-challenged animal at this ultra-sharp track is an eminently sensible ploy. His best performance over timber to date, you may remember, was when finishing third at Fakenham, possibly the only track in the country sharper than this one. He comes here in just moderate form from the Flat, however, and regular partner Larry McGrath is evidently still nursing injuries sustained in his fall from DIKTATIT yesterday. Kenny Johnson deputises, whilst Henry Oliver takes the rides on the other two horses.

Shock horror - no Cartmel winner

The Richard Guest operation had been in imperious form at Cartmel so far this season, with six winners at the four days' racing there before today - that basically equated to one in every four races being landed by the Brancepeth operation. The luck ran out today, however, as BALLYBOE BOY's third place was the best Guest's charges could muster in what's generally been a week of rather mixed results.

As previously, DIKTATIT pulled like stink in the first division of the Juvenile Hurdle, such that, having moved confidently into third place approaching two out, he had little to offer when the pace of the race was cranked up a gear at the final flight, where he took a fall. As far as I am aware he is alright, although Larry McGrath had to step down from his intended ride for Sue Smith in the Beginners' Chase. In that race, PAGE POINT, who had had the summer off after his first two attempts over fences had yielded place finishes, was much too keen and like Diktatit used up all his energy too soon. He was beaten 21.5l in sixth.

HE'S HOT RIGHT NOW continues to disappoint majorly over fences. Following a sixth, seventh and eighth in three previous attempts over the larger obstacles, he jumped stickily again here and trailed in a well-beaten last of ten finishers in the Novices' Handicap Chase. A return to hurdling may suit the horse better, but he is higher in the weights for that discipline and is looking for all the world a difficult horse to place right now. As mentioned above, Ballyboe Boy was the most successful animal on the day, bringing home £ 642.00 for the Fly By Night Syndicate with a 2.25l third in the Novices' Handicap Hurdle. He was closest at the end, having been hard ridden for most of the race, and the combination of slightly slower ground and a 7lb hike in the weights ensured he never looked entirely likely to repeat his success in an identical race to this at the July meeting. Finally for Cartmel, GOLDEN FEATHER faded badly after halfway in the other Juvenile Hurdle after - guess what - pulling hard early on, and only had one behind him in finishing nearly 50l adrift in eighth. Not the most distinguished day at the South Lakeland track for Guest, then, but there'll certainly be other opportunities to put that right back there on Monday, with eleven different horses (of whom none ran today) entered at the five-day stage for the six races on that card.

As I mentioned at the start of this entry, some runner have come closer to hitting the target than others in the last three of four days, with a spirited run by BILL'S ECHO at Perth on Wednesday ranking as the best effort of anything. I called the race as being a matter of whom could get second from Rajam last time and was proved right, although I hadn't expected Bill's Echo or anything else for that matter to get to within 1.5l of that one, so well done to him. Of the other Perth runners, ASTRONAUT offered plenty of encouragement when a decent third in the Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle (under Ciaran Eddery) over an extended 3 miles, and if he can be found genuine good ground with no jar in it throughout the autumn, he ought to land one of these. GABLA once again put in a soft effort when sixth in the Handicap Chase, jacking it in rather after hitting four out when prominent (but still winning £ 139.80 of prizemoney, owing to Perth's generous policy of awarding money down to sixth for many of its handicaps, even Class Fs like this one) , and PRIVATE JESSICA didn't seem to see out 2m 4.5f in the Seller, fading into eighth.

Thursday saw four Richard Guest runners try their luck at Bangor, and it gives me no small amount of pleasure to report that NOSAM, 15 years young, managed to run into second place in the 3 mile Handicap Chase under Larry. No-one should be kidded into thinking he ever looked like winning, and there were 18l separating him and Heather Dalton's Fearless Mel at the end (a rival rated only 5lb better), but this still represented an enthusiastic and successful run from this grand old pro - scoring his first second place since October 2003 - which netted Norman Mason £ 1248.00 in the process. More importantly, of course, was that he came back sound, and after losing his other faithful old warrior XAIPETE a few weeks ago, this was always going to be the most important thing.

NOSAM aside, JIMMY BYRNE flopped in ground which might have gone a bit tacky for him, and he was last of seven in the CJ Novices' Handicap Hurdle which DONOVAN had won for the yard last year. COLLEGE CITY, now a stone higher than when recording the first of his two chase victories in July, predictably found the company in the 0-125 Handicap Chase far to hot, and trailed in seventh. As per at Uttoxeter a couple of runs ago, PEQUENITA had to cut out all the donkey work from the front in the 2m 4f Handicap Hurdle, and had nothing left to offer when headed after three out. She boxed on for fourth place prizemoney, but could probably use mud and a return to fences to regain the winning thread.

There were three Flat runners spread over Thursday and Friday. Having looked promising when running on in a 6f event at Hamilton on Monday, ROYAL PARDON was again produced late by Billy Cahill in a 7f Handicap at Musselburgh, and once again found the line coming a bit too soon. She was only done by a half length and a head in third, and confirmed the promise of that first run for Richard Guest of the other day. FIT TO FLY, latterly tried over distances of between 8f and 14f by Jennie Candlish but with winning form over 6f, was returned to that distance by Guest on his first run for him, and got to within about three lengths of the winner in finishing seventh in first-rime blinkers in the Apprentice Handicap at Newcastle. Again, there should be a win in him on that evidence. No such obvious promise from ROAN RADIER, however, who faded from halfway in the 5f dash on the same card at Gosforth Park, and Ambrose Reilly could only bring him in 14th of the 19 runners. He's shown nothing in three runs for Guest to date, is yet to score after 32 career starts, and looks like he is going to continue to prove hard to have any success with.

Back with a whimper

No joy for Ciaran Eddery on his first ride back for Richard Guest as stable conditional, as PRINCE ADJAL finished well down the field in thirteenth place at Worcester yesterday. His recent win over fences had been on soft / heavy ground, but as a go-on-anything sort of horse (judging by his winning a Juvenile Hurdle on firm two years ago, at least), this has to rank as a disappointing run. DURBA came 12th of 13 in his Maiden Hurdle race, his fourth stinker from as many starts in this country, and he is beginning to look something of an expensive flop. Bad or selling handicaps really do look the only immediate hope for him.

The ground ended up riding really fast at Worcester, and PEQUENITA was duly withdrawn from the Handicap Chase. She is due to run at Bangor back over hurdles tomorrow instead, and the unsettled forecast offers encouragement for her chances of running.

Four animals are due to take their chances at Perth this afternoon, as Richard Guest tries once more to break a losing run at the Highlands track now stretching back two years. Poignantly, the Claiming Hurdle run yesterday was both the last race a Guest horse won at Perth, and was also the last race the late, much lamented XAIPETE landed. Good ground would aid the cause of at least three of the yard's runners. ASTRONAUT is scheduled to run in the CJ Handicap Hurdle with Ciaran on board, but don't hold your breath if the ground has dried up too much overnight. After one alright run back over hurdles and one bad one in the last few weeks, GABLA returns to chasing in the 2m Handicap Chase. Giving weight all round to all bar a Tony Martin dark horse, he doesn't leap out as an obvious winner. BILL'S ECHO was run off his socks around Bangor's sharp 17.5f last time out, despite the ground being alright for him; and over a similarly sharp track (and 1f less) today, with a fast improver in RAJAM lining up against him (Rajam, of course, being briefly a Guest horse when owned by AA Bloodstock 18 months ago), a place looks the best for which he can hope.

Selling Handicap Hurdle entrant PRIVATE JESSICA, meanwhile, would probably prefer a bit more give, but in any event the prime point of interest will be to see whether she can stay 2m 4.5f at the first time of asking, something which seemed unfeasible in her early runs for the yard.

Return of Ciaran

The position of stable conditional jockey at Brancepeth has passed through any number of hands over the years, with at least seven different people having held the post since the yard went public thirty months ago alone; Declan McGann, Richard Spate, Paul Griffiths, James Halliday, James "Bruce" Moorman (twice), Darren Harold and Jim Clare. There may be one or two more - I can't remember exactly off the top of my head.

When Bruce Moorman reappeared on GABLA's back at Stratford the other day claiming eight, I presumed he had wrested the mantle back from Jim Clare, who had had just one ride claiming eight - albeit a winning one on HE'S HOT RIGHT NOW - at Sedgefield earlier in the Summer. However, a glance at the Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at Worcester tonight indicates that Bruce, who originally appeared against PRINCE ADJAL, has now been jocked off in favour of CIARAN EDDERY, thereby representing a return to Brancepeth after a gap of two and three-quarter years. I had reckoned that was that for Eddery Guest-wise when he was released from this very position in the aftermath of taking the wrong course on RED RAMPAGE in a CJ Handicap Chase at Hexham in November 2002 (I think it was due to some verbals afterwards, rather than the incident itself, which led to the release), and he has since ridden primarily for the Alan Moore / Dave Thompson franchise, Harriet Graham, Bob Johnson, Alan Swinbank and - incongruously given the location of the others - Bob Buckler. Reconciliation of some description appears to have occurred, then (remember that he had spent three or four years at Brancepeth before the Hexham incident), and he has a booked ride today and tomorrow.

In addition to PRINCE ADJAL, Richard Guest has PEQUENITA in the 2m 7.5f Handicap Chase. The ground may be a bit fast for the mare to be entirely happy, but the field has cut up to five and there should be some prizemoney to be got from this run granted a clear round. DURBA, meanwhile, is one of 14 to line up for the concluding Maiden Hurdle, and on the basis of his three runs to date, there aren't any particular grounds for optimism. He is crying out for low-grade handicaps to get competitive. At least his owner, Billy Maguire, got some prizemoney yesterday when his other horse, ROYAL PARDON, came home third on her first run for Guest in a 6f Handicap at Hamilton, beaten half a length and a neck staying on best of all under Billy Cahill. She remains a maiden after eight runs, but did enough here to suggest a small race could come her way.

A third place for TIPSY MOUSE was the best any of Richard Guest's runners managed at Southwell on Sunday, this out-and-out stayer finding even 3m 2f too sharp on this track. He'll be better for this first run for a while, although I'm a little mystified as to what connections are trying to gain by starting his campaign a good couple of months before any of the serious stamina tests he likes appear in the calendar (short of getting him dropped a few more pounds). There is, admittedly, a Sunday meeting at Hexham in September, but I'm pretty sure there's no 3m 1f Handicap Chase in it, unless the executive there has changed the programme of that meeting.

REEDSMAN and YORK RITE finished sixth in their respective races, both performances having to rank as rather disappointing against moderate opposition. ASTRONAUT was once again pulled out before racing. Where non-appearances are concerned, he is rapidly becoming the yard's new NORTHERN FRIEND!

Southwell this Sunday

Once again the riches of Newton Abbot's burgeoning two-day August weekend meeting have failed to interest Richard Guest sufficiently for him to want to send down any horses to compete, and so the first, and indeed only, runners out of Brancepeth this week will be four animals lining up at Southwell's jumps fixture on Sunday.

Not that some of these aren't without interest. TIPSY MOUSE, who was intended to make his first appearance for Guest at Uttoxeter back in June, is back in from a short summer break and carries top weight in the 3m 2f Handicap Chase. This distance over a sharp track may not be enough of a test for him, but with hardly any races beyond 3m 4f between now and November, he has to start somewhere. CARIBBEAN COVE, who enjoyed such success late on last season, was scheduled to make his reappearance in this race, but is kept for another day instead.

A friend reminded me that since Tipsy Mouse's acquisition, Richard Guest now trains the full brothers of two Grand National winners, RED STRIKER of course being the other. Wonder how many other trainers have ever been able to boast the same?

Maddening old YORK RITE is scheduled to reappear on the same card too. The 2m 5f Handicap Chase in which he is entered looks well within his compass, and he comes here off the back of two reasonable enough placed finishes, but it'd be a brave punter to expect him to oblige in this race when other, easier opportunities have been flunked in the past.

Conversely, REEDSMAN looks to have been found a truly appalling 4-6yo Selling Hurdle which on paper really ought to grant him his first ever win over jumps. Ela Re would have picked up Reedsman and the rest of the field and carried them home last year, but seems to be struggling badly for form, whereas the rest are either coming back from lay-offs or have shown recent form which is below the standard of Reedsman's not-beaten-by-much efforts back on the Flat in the last few weeks.

Finally, ASTRONAUT is scheduled to run in the 3m 2f Handicap Hurdle which rounds off proceedings, in preference to the Claiming Hurdle over the same distance for which he and York Rite also held 5-day entries. This trip ought not inconvenience a winning pointer, and the French hurdles at Southwell should suit as well. He's also been ready to represent the Guest yard on the track for some six weeks now but has had the ground go against him late on a few times, so he ought to be wound up like a watch spring for this.

Henry Oliver takes all four rides.

R.I.P. Xaipete 1992 - 2005

Hello everyone,

This has been an unusually protracted absence from updating the Blog, well over three weeks in fact. Truth is, I hadn't taken the sad, premature end of dear old XAIPETE particularly well. For those of you who may have missed it, he had his final ever race at Sedgefield on Friday, August 5th. Having finally been dropped into the mid-90s by the handicapper, he looked to have a fighting chance in a weak Class E Handicap Chase, especially having been given a good tow round by stablemate YORK RITE going up the back straight for the last time. However, as the field reached the top of the hill, and prepared to swing into the straight, with Xaipete just behind York Rite and going better than anything in the field, tragedy struck. He broke a hind leg and had to be pulled up. The diagnosis was as bad as it could be and the only fair option was for him to be put down on the spot.

An abrupt and terrible end, therefore, to a career which had taken in 130 runs and 17 wins (123 runs and 16 wins being for the Mason / Guest franchise after they'd acquired him from George Moore during the 1996 / 7 season), and which had realised £ 143,063 in win and place prizemoney. For a horse whose career rating stayed mainly in the low 100s / 110s for most of his career over hurdles and fences (bar a temporary over-reaction from the handicapper about 5 years ago), and never won a race of higher Class than Class D, this was no small feat. Indeed, of all the horses Mason / Guest have been associated with in an owning or training capacity, only RED MARAUDER currently stands above him in the all-time prizemoney list.

It was the intention of Norman Mason and Richard Guest to let the horse see out his days in luxurious retirement at Brancepeth Manor Farm once he'd finally lost the appetite for racing (something which, despite his advancing years, he was still showing no sign of doing). What a crushing blow for both concerned that he will not be taking them up on that offer now, although at least one small consolation of him dying at Segdefield might be that he could be taken home to be buried relatively easily if that is what connections wanted.

Rest in peace, Xaipete, old friend.