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.
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.
posted by Jeremy Grayson @ 2:37 PM
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