Weekend action - hello again, swamp donkeys

Only MAGICO turned out for Richard Guest on Saturday, in the 2m 4.5f novices' handicap chase. He was thrown right into the race four from home but could once again only continue at the one pace on ground which was pretty much ideal. However, he put in a perfectly tidy round of jumping on this, just his second outing over fences, and I wonder if, with his absence of extra gears pretty evident now, he should be stepped up to 3 miles where this is potentially less of a problem.

There were no winners from Guest's seven-strong raiding party to Carlisle on Sunday, but there were some pretty encouraging runs in the main on ground barely raceable. SHEM DYLAN is not included in that statement, as he emphatically failed to win the 2m 4f novices' hurdle for Paul Beck and Guest for the second year out of three (ONE DAY took this on debut in 2003). He has now run enough times to get a handicap mark, but his pulled-up effort here offered no encouragement that he'll be scoring once moved into that discipline.

WHY THE LONG FACE's form in handicap hurdles has been ordinary to say the least this time, but he seemed lit up by the desperate ground and ultra-stiff 17f (a distance simply too short for him on fairer tracks). He was never going to rein in the winner, an easy 12l winner, but his second place guaranteed over £2,200 for the Richard Guest Racing Club, and therefore the biggest payout yet to Carrie Humble's Throughbred Rehabiliation Centre. ISELLIDO was a well-beaten ninth in the same race under top weight, but this was always going to be about getting a race into her after the summer off back at her owners' place, and she'll doubtless be back novices' chasing before too long.

Anyone who had SHANNON'S PRIDE and PASS ME BY in their forecast for the 17-runner Class C feature race will be thanking the Guest yard, as they came in second and third. Shannon's Pride went with the leaders early on, and simply never let any of them bar eventual winner Ross Com get away, whilst Pass Me By's third place came from screaming through tired horses late on. In so doing, both advertised their claims as potential long-distance chasers this season - 3m 2f on bottomless going here will have raced like much further - and I'd like to see them trying something like the Tim Molony Chase at Haydock next if they can get into the handicap proper.

READY TO RUMBLE (3rd) and ASSUMETHEPOSITION (5th) made up a third of the field in the novices' handicap chase. The former made a bid for victory from halfway which was only finally beaten off completely in the run-in, whereas the latter was sticky at his fences on his first outing since June, and would have prefered a longer trip anyway. He'll be better for his next run.

Hurdles win for Red Perk

Probably more through accident than design, RED PERK is one of the very longest serving animals left at Brancepeth, having made his racecourse debut back in April 2002. With the departure of TYNEANDTHYNEAGAIN and sad demise of XAIPETE, only RED STRIKER and of course NOSAM have been running for the Mason / Guest franchise for longer now (and I can only think of OUR ARMAGEDDON, CERESFIELD and COLLEGE CITY as other remaining animals to have run when Norman Mason held the permit, although some clever bugger out there may be able to remind me otherwise).

I digress. Red Perk is now into his fifth season at Brancepeth (2001-2 onwards), yet a lot of viewers of this blog will probably not be that familiar with him, as he's only raced 20 times to date and mostly at a very low level and without great distinction, so herewith some details of his career to date;

- he was one of the horses involved in that notrious novices' hurdle at Wetherby two years ago, where Meggie's Gamble slipped the field at the start, raced into a distance lead, and was left to stay there until the end, unchallenged,

- he broke Kenny Johnson's ribs, lungs, collarbone, and lord knows what else in a horror fall at Uttoxeter in June 2004, yet - barring appearances in conditionals and amateurs' races - remains one of Kenny's guaranteed rides at Brancepeth,

- he was reacquired by Guest at the Doncaster sales a couple of weeks ago, previous owner Dennis Tate - formerly owner of noted 90s marathon chase plodder Majic Rain - having decided to let him go,

- he has run in the last two renewals of the four-mile chase at Hexham in March, finishing second and third in each,

- his one career victory prior to today was in a Kelso handicap chase over 3m 1f last winter, where he got what looked a slightly fortuitous verdict in a desperately close finish.

He has usually required a run or two to get him straight of a season, so I was not overly optimistic of his chances in the conditional jockeys' novices' handicap hurdle he ran in at Wetherby today, his first show since Cartmel in May, and I would not have taken the 4/1JF about him. However, he turned out to be bang on for this reappearance, responding to the urgings of Robert Stephens - picking up a useful spare as Paul O'Neill appeared not to be at the track in time - and his cheekpieces to grind down the other joint jolly Potts of Magic in a protracted battle down the home straight. The winning verdict was a short head.

Stephens hadn't ridden for Guest since partnering ISELLIDO in the Mares Final at Newbury in April, more through other commitments and geographical location than anything more sinister. He has, of course, scored one victory for Guest before, getting NORTH LANDING home in a Bangor handicap hurdle last August whilst still an amateur. Red Perk, meanwhile, is currently on the same mark over both hurdles and fences (88) and really ought not get walloped for such a slim victory over a rival also rated 88 over timber. Whether he is punished too much or not, I suspect he'll be sent back chasing before too long. His new owners, incidentally, are messrs Chorzelewski, Davies and Hodgkinson, for whom, as far as I can, Red Perk is a first venture into ownership. Easy money, this racing lark.

O'Neill did manage to get to the track in time to honour his ride on JERICHO III, a horse on whom he managed to run up a hat-trick inside 15 days last January. Things are bound to be tougher for Jericho this season, starting it as he does fully 12lb above his last winning mark. He could have done without a start as inasupicious as the one he had in Wetherby's two mile handicap chase today, though. Pulling fearsomely, as he has been known to do in the past, of course, Jericho belted the first fence and the saddle slipped after the second, leaving O'Neill no option but to pull up. Basically the same thing happened early on in a Hexham handicap in winter 2004, on one of his very first runs for the yard. I am putting this down to over-exuberance on the horse's part, rather than the first signs of any reappearance of his lunatic behaviour from a year ago and beyond, but he'll still probably need his next run after this now.

Surrey to Disappoint You

LES ARCS has had an excellent twelve months since his wind operation, landing three victories at Wolverhampton, Musselburgh and Chester and seeing his rating rise 21lb in the process. His fourth place in a big handicap at York last time, where he was staying on best of all over the inadequate 6f, entitled him to joint-favouritism in the really tight 7f Class 2 handicap on Lingfield's Polytrack today.

In the end the real winner was the handicapper, as barely 6.5l covered the entire field as they crossed the line. Les Arcs finished eighth, having been propelled into the leading couple with a furlong to run but then being swamped in the blanket finish which ensued. High class handicaps over an adequate trip are going to be few and far between for him from now until the Spring; I don't know if the plan is for him to resume hurdling now, but he would equally have earned a rest from racing full stop for a few months.

INCA SOLDIER came down to Lingfield as well to contest one division of the colts and geldings maiden stakes, and in the end did much more than keep one of the horseboxes warm on the trip there and back. Once he'd stopped fighting John Egan early on, he settled into midfield before looming as a serious challenger with around a furlong to run. He stayed on rather than scorched forward from that point, but his fourth place finish offered immeasurably more promise than his debut at Nottingham a week earlier, and as these maiden contests inevitably get a little weaker as the autumn days draw in, he could quite conceivably nick one next time out.

Donovan pops up - Larry needs just one more!

It's taken the thick end of a decade to get there, with a couple of spells as a pro, one as an amateur, and the requisite number of injuries along the way, but Larry McGrath is now only one ride away from riding out his claim following his victory on DONOVAN in the novices' handicap chase at Towcester yesterday. It was a tad streaky, as Donovan - raised 4lb for finishing third at Bangor previously - looked to be losing the argument with his nearest pursuer Lord on the Run before that one demolished the second last fence and lost all momentum. A win is a win, however, and Larry now stands at a career tally of 79 wins and could easily get that landmark 80th with a likely large complement of rides at Carlisle this coming Sunday.

This is already the fourth winner for Richard Guest at this singularly steep Northamptonshire track this season, having landed a treble with FLINTOFF, POLISHED and PEQUENITA at a May meeting. Donovan's first chase win takes his tally of wins for Guest to five, and his career prizemoney to date in to the £30,000 bracket. That was the sum total of wins for Guest at Towcester this time around, however, as Racing Club newcomer TANMEYA pulled like stink before falling halfway round in the mares' novices' hurdle, and READY TO RUMBLE ran no sort of race under Tommy Malone - his first ride for Guest - before pulling up a long way out in the 2m 3.5f handicap chase.

Sobers it is!

That horribly expensive Epervier D'Or 4yo bought a few months back was revealed to the world as SOBERS last weekend, when he made his racecourse bow in the bumper which concluded Aintree's two-day meeting. Not surprisingly for an operation with a poor win record in this sphere, he went off at a price - 20/1 - larger than his price-tag or breeding would otherwise have suggested. He acquitted himself quite well for a debutant, bustled up to chase the leaders just after halfway, and then finding more when outpaced turning for home to be a staying on again fourth. Despite not having reached the top three in a race like TOPWELL or CASH ON FRIDAY yet, he looks the likelier of the bumper horses seen so far this season to win one of these races before season's end.

Apart from Sobers, there were two other attempts at breaking the Brancepeth operation's long losing run at Aintree, which stretches back to the late XAIPETE's victory in a chase there in May 1999. That run is remained unbroken, however, as neither WHY THE LONG FACE nor DAGGY BOY popped up in their respective races on the Saturday. Richard Guest is convinced that Why The Long Face is going to land a big Saturday afternoon handicap hurdle sometime this season, but even with the softening ground to his advantage, the lightning fast 2 miles he encountered here was always going to be far, far too sharp for him and he pulled up having barely passed another horse on the way round. Daggy Boy trailed in eighth of 11 in the novices' hurdle and was never a factor. He has now qualified for a handicap mark, but I wouldn't have thought it would be much above a plater's initially.

In a similar vein to Why The Long Face, running serial galloper ONE DAY around Kelso's twists and turns seemed an odd choice of assignment, and, on his handicap bow over fences, he duly spluttered round the 3m 1f event in seventh. He nudged a few on his way round, and would really be better suited to somewhere better suited to his style of running such as Haydock or Wetherby next time. Having had a rough introduction to fences at Uttoxeter last time out, MAGICO ran a fair race back over hurdles and was only outpaced from the last. Confidence duly restored with this third place finish, he could turn out back over fences at a longer trip than the 16.5f here at Wetherby later this week.

Midweek Round-Up

NOTTINGHAM, October 19th (FLAT)
============================

Rather late in the season, a third horse owned by Gwen and Peter Clarke and trained by Richard Guest made its racecourse debut at Colwick Park today. Like FIT TO FLY and ARISEA before him, the 2yo INCA SOLDIER pulled up no trees on his way to a well-beaten 10th of 11 runners in the 6f Median Auction Stakes, although a very slow start under Franny Norton wouldn't have aided his cause overly.


HAYDOCK, October 20th
==================

The first meeting since May at this proper jumps track saw five Guest inmates take their chances, although that figure would have been six but for UPSWING's late defection. BEAVER had all the aids he's looked to have needed in the opening Hands and Heels Handicap Hurdle, with both cheekpieces and tonguestrap fitted, yet he still managed to run out of gas under Mr J P Flavin - a completely new name to me, I must admit, and having his first ever ride in the UK here - approaching the final flight and faded into sixth. Given his hot Flat form Down Under, he is comfortably the biggest disappointment of the season to date for the Guest operation, as far as I'm concerned.

SHEM DYLAN managed just 14th place in the 19-runner Novices' Hurdle having encountered trouble in running early on. He has handled neither the good (but riding a bit faster) ground here nor the sticky stuff at Bangor first time out, and looks ordinary.

PASS ME BY wouldn't be the first animal ever to lose a Haydock chase up the long run-in, and he certainly won't be the last. Despite being bumped twice on his way round in the 2m 4f Handicap Chase he was driven into the lead by Henry Oliver after the last and looked a good thing to make it two from two since joining Guest, but Melford from the Charlie Mann yard had enough extra gears to pinch the race by three parts of a length close home. At least Pass Me By still proved too good for POLISHED, until as recently as May a Guest inmate, of course, and since then in scintillating form for Vic Dartnall.

SHANNON'S PRIDE finally got to make his debut for the yard, having been withdrawn from a Kelso race a fortnight earlier. He certainly looked in need of the outing, and blew up three out before coming in a well-beaten fifth. There ought to be better to come from him once totally match-fit again.

TOPWELL's third place in a Hexham bumper on debut didn't look the best form in the world on paper, and he probably achieved about as much in finishing 14l eighth of 20 here, having only finally been beaten off by the chief protagonists one furlong out. He might just have it in him to win a really bad bumper somewhere in the North, but probably no more than that until he encounters obstacles.


FAKENHAM, October 21st
===================

The Guest yard's first raid on this Norfolk idyll since the spring commenced with TIGER TALK taking in what looked like a blatantly obvious pipe-opener in the CJ Selling Handicap Hurdle. Two miles around this lightning sharp track was never going to be an adequate test for him here (his course win last Easter was over 4f further), and James "Bruce" Moorman had to settle for chugging him round in ninth. He was latterly campaigned over 2m 4f and further over fences, and will presumably return to that sphere soon enough, his mark over the larger obstacles being fully a stone lower than that off which he ran today.

RENVYLE went off the 9/4 favourite in the extended 3 mile Handicap Chase, a race the yard won three years ago when somehow getting the mare ABLE NATIVE (a specialist 2 mile hurdler, let's not forget) to stay the trip doing cartwheels. A repeat victory never looked on the cards here, however, as Renvyle hated every second of this Fakenham experience, jumping stickily and frequently too far over to the left even for an anticlockwise course. He was pulled up with fully a circuit to run.

Many eyebrows were raised when TEME VALLEY was claimed by Guest at Sedgefield a few weeks ago rising 12, and the 2 mile Handicap Hurdle here represented the horse's first chance to justify that action by the trainer. He very nearly did. Hitting the front between the last two under a quiet, patient ride from Paul O'Neill, he walloped the last and was headed again, but still found more for pressure and only went down by a short head in a desperate finish. Conversely JIMMY BYRNE, who went off the joint favourite in the same race on the basis of a solid third at Uttoxeter previously, made an early mistake and, despite being able to get near the leaders soon after, was worried out of that position by pursuers three from home and faded very tamely into a finishing position of tenth. The fast ground will have counted against him, but this still ranks as a disappointing performance.

CARIBBEAN COVE looked not to stay the three mile trip on his reappearance at Bangor nearly a fortnight ago, so 2m 5f round this skidpan circuit should have suited much better. He was put into the race by O'Neill three from home, and from there it was simply a matter of whether he had the speed to burn off his rivals. The fact he was unable to overhaul the two leaders from this position, and was eventually even done for third close home by a 57-rated 13 year-old running from 16lb out of the handicap, indicates that required speed was emphatically absent today. In litigation one could mention that he still running off a mark 2lb higher than his last winning one, when he broke the 2m 2.5f track record at Newbury in April, and he needed five runs and 14lb worth of respite from the handicapper before scoring his first victory for Guest last autumn. Nonetheless, still being only a seven year-old and effectively a second-season chaser, the hope would have been that he would progress a bit further this season without requiring that sort of time and help.

Ta-ta to T.A.T.A - Tyneandthynegain sold!

Yesterday (Monday) saw a Brancepeth presence at day one of the Tattersalls Doncaster October sales, and it was notable for a couple of reasons. Firstly, apart from buying back two horses (see below), Richard Guest managed to keep his hands in his pockets throughout. Secondly, and more significantly, landlord Norman Mason brought eight of his animals to Doncaster and found buyers for all of them. Six of them were unraced homebred 5yos, but the other two were no lesser names than TYNEANDTHYNEAGAIN and RED STRIKER, between them winners of a Great Yorkshire Chase, an Eider Chase and a Peter Marsh Chase and his prime Grand National contenders for a few seasons now.

One can only speculate what has prompted their sale - economic necessity? Increasing loss of appetite for racing following the death of XAIPETE in August? - but the departure of these horses leaves only the wonderful 15yo NOSAM still knowingly in training for Mason, although presumably with mares Mighty Fly, Southend Scallywag, Marsden Rock, Radical Lady and Able Native still believed owned by Mason the breeding-for-sale operation will still continue to operate for a while yet.

We've not seen the last of Red Striker at Brancepeth, however, as Richard Guest forked out 3,500gns to bring him back to Brancepeth once again. He's always believed in this horse, bad legs and lord knows what else notwithstanding, and made it clear at the July Open Day that he had far from given up on him. Conversely, he must have given up patching up Tyneandthyneagain, and he was prepared to let him go to Bobby O'Ryan in the end for 10,000gns. The other Mason horse Guest has opted to bring back to Brancepeth is a 5yo bay Alflora gelding out of Southend Scallywag.

The message from Brancepeth nowadays seems to be clear; unlike in the past, if a homebred hasn't set the gallops alight (and certainly some or all of these were in the "in training" paddocks at Brancepeth during the Open Day, so will at least have been through some rigours of training), they won't get a run for the trainer. Christ knows Guest doesn't want to risk having a stable full of RED MARSALAs or CLAUDIA'S RAINBOWs.

Away from Mr Mason's offloads, the first Paul Beck horse to be released from the yard was sold on Monday as well. It will surprise very few of you to learn that the identity of that horse is YORK RITE, whose capitulation at Hexham a week last Saturday - despite the fitting of a first-time visor - was clearly the last straw. He leaves with just 2 wins from 33 runs for the yard, both gained within his first four runs and both over timber despite nearly twice as many runs over fences as hurdles. He earned £15,245.75 in win and place money in those runs, which doesn't amount to a hill of beans considering the effort invested in him.

Another Beck animal, ASTRONAUT, was withdrawn from sale and could actually reappear on the racecourse at Kelso this Saturday instead. PRIVATE JESSICA was also withdrawn from sale and will presumably be back on the racecourse for Guest and the Blaydon Racers before too long. However, PRINCE ADJAL's short tenure at Brancepeth is over, with Jim Andrews opting to sell him and Guest not putting in a winning bid (if any) to bring him back.

The full list of transactions concerning Brancepeth animals is as follows;


ch, g, 5-y-o, Alflora — Mighty Fly (Comedy Star)
Property of Mr N. B. Mason
SOLD to Alister Whillans 1,400

b, g, 5-y-o, Gunner B — On Golden Pond (Bluebird)
Property of Mr N. B. Mason
SOLD to Tom Best 5,400

b, g, 5-y-o, Alflora — Southend Scallywag (Tina'S Pet)
Property of Mr N. B. Mason
SOLD to Richard Guest 4,500

b, g, 5-y-o, Alflora — Marsden Rock (Tina'S Pet)
Property of Mr N. B. Mason
SOLD to Group Captain John Prideaux 9,200

b, m, 5-y-o, Gunner B — By The Lake (Tyrant)
Property of Mr N. B. Mason
SOLD to Guy Stephenson 3,000

ch, m, 5-y-o, Gunner B — D C Flyer (Record Token)
Property of Mr N. B. Mason
SOLD to Guy Stephenson 3,600

ch, g, 11-y-o, RED STRIKER Gunner B — Cover Your Money (Precipice Wood)
Property of Mr N. B. Mason
SOLD to Richard Guest 3,500

b, g, 10-y-o, TYNEANDTHYNEAGAIN Good Thyne — Radical Lady (Radical)
Property of Mr N. B. Mason
SOLD to Bobby O'Ryan 10,000

ch, f, 4-y-o, PRIVATE JESSICA Cadeaux Genereux — Rose Bay (Shareef Dancer)
Property of Mr R. C. Guest & the Blaydon Racers Partnership
WITHDRAWN FROM SALE

b, g, 5-y-o, PRINCE ADJAL Desert Prince — Adjalisa (Darshaan)
Property of Mr Jim Andrews
SOLD to Joules Bloodstock 1,200

ch, g, 9-y-o, YORK RITE Grand Lodge — Amazaan (Zamazaan)
Property of Mr Paul Beck
SOLD to Mr Smith 3,800

b, g, 8-y-o, ASTRONAUT Sri Pekan — Wild Abandon (Graustark)
Property of Mr Paul Beck
WITHDRAWN FROM SALE

Another Saturday, another Class B...

Following on from ADMIRAL's exceptional performance at Chepstow the week before, it was BILL'S ECHO's turn to step up to the plate at Huntingdon on Saturday and land the biggest prize of his career in the extended 2 mile Handicap Chase, reversing Carlisle form with stablemate WET LIPS in the process. Held up in last by the increasingly impressive William Kennedy, Bill's Echo was produced to challenge between the last two fences and won cosily by 7l.

There is a sense of closure about this victory, as Bill's Echo's first run over fences was in a handicap over C&D eighteen months ago. Timmy Murphy employed very similar tactics to Kennedy's, a really lovely ride, and it looked like it was going to pay off until the horse capsized when going best of any at the last. Where today's race is concerned, Bill's Echo was improving on his fifth place finish in it last year, when it was run at its usual home of Kempton. Wet Lips did nothing wrong in second, and I don't think the 6lb rise for his defeat of Bill's Echo was prohibitive; rather, the sharper track played into the winner's hands and out of his. He is clearly a better stayer over fences than hurdles, and an ultra-stiff 2 miles like Carlisle's is an optimum for him over the bigger obstacles.

The only other Richard Guest runner on Saturday was CERESFIELD, making yet another comeback over the C&D (Stratford, 17.5f) where she went wrong and pulled up a year ago. Since then she has only raced once every four months before disappearing again - this was her first start since a remote fourth in thick mud at Uttoxeter in June. She sulks when not being allowed to lead, yet connections must clearly be worried about her abilities to lead from the front any longer, as she was held up here again as per the Uttoxeter run. In the event she emptied completely from 3 out and was beaten out of sight in seventh place. She has been a fabulous servant to connections since her arrival from New Zealand three years ago, landing six chases, but she has already had ample help from the assessor to get competitive once again; she raced off 96 here, and all bar one of her victories have come off this mark or higher. Rising 10, I do wonder whether retiring her to the paddocks rather than pursuing small pots (despite her being increasingly difficult to train) would be the most sensible option now.

Drought over

Chances were that if the Richard Guest yard actually got a few more runners out, and more of the jumps horses at that, that the long wait for another winner would be ended. Sure enough, there's been four winners in the last fortnight, although with so many runners being given their first outing since before summer (and / or their first for Guest), the strike-rate is nothing about which to write home.

The highlight of the fortnight was undoubtedly ADMIRAL winning the Class B Betfair Handicap Hurdle, that famous old 4yo Handicap Hurdle race at Chepstow formerly known as the Free Hurdle, last Saturday. As well as being the first Class B the yard has won this season, it also represented the first win for Guest as a trainer at the South Wales track, although admittedly he'd only had a couple of attempts previously (it seemed a long way to go just to stick FIDALUS in a Selling Handicap Chase and an out of sorts BERNARDON in a workaday Handicap Hurdle, and they both duly flopped). Admiral had had a nice pipe-opener on the Flat at Pontefract a fortnight previously, for all that he eventually finished last in that race, but the 14lb rise in the weights since his Ayr win in April and the softening going looked to have cost him his chance before the tapes even went up. He managed to dispell both doubts in really impressive fashion, however, leading or prominent throughout and staying on very well indeed to give Paul O'Neill the 24th - and comfortably biggest - win of his short career.

Guest is confident the horse can withstand a step up in trip to around 2m 4f, and on this evidence there is little to dispute that assertion. For the time being, connections can enjoy the fact that the £20,000 first prize won here takes Admiral's earnings for Willie McKay and Guest to around the £37,ooo mark - not bad from just eight runs for them.

Apart from Admiral, the wins for Richard Guest have come from;

- COLLEGE CITY in a Market Rasen Handicap Chase which cut up really nicely for him through defections. This is his third chase win of the season and fourth win for the yard in all, although, having followed this up with a fair second in a Hexham Novices' Chase last Saturday, his subsequent well-beaten fifth back in handicap company at Uttoxeter yesterday would indicate the assessor is back on top of him again (with another 5lb rise in the weights due tomorrow).

- PASS ME BY in a Carlisle Beginners' Chase seven days ago. Formerly a useful bumper horse for Tim Walford, he had lost his way last season and apparently came to Brancepeth a very nervous horse indeed. First-time eyeshields appear to have had a positive influence.

- WET LIPS in a Handicap Chase on the same Carlisle card, ridden to victory, as was College City, by Patrick Merrigan. Guest had the first two home in this race, with Wet Lips pinching it from BILL'S ECHO after the last. He will attempt to defy a 6lb rise (to 125) in a Class B event at Huntingdon tomorrow.

Other runners since our last update are as follows;


HEXHAM, September 30th
====================

FREE WILL ran keenly in his Selling Hurdle and weakened from 2 out. Despite having gurgled last time, a tonguestrap was not fitted, which may have made a difference. The problematic BEAVER was fitted with one, and was able to plug on to the line this time rather than capitulate when asked for an effort. He still found three too good for him in his Novices' Hurdle, though. ASTON looks onepaced but plugged on for third place on his first attempt over fences for Guest, and looks likely to be kept to 3m+ wars of attrition on good ground from hereon in. HE'S HOT RIGHT NOW was outpaced easily enough two out and came home in fifth in the Handicap Chase. First time blinkers did not work the oracle. Finally, TOPWELL, whose ownership had changed from the Racing Club to Malcolm Penney by the time he got to post, offered some encouragement for future runs when third in the closing bumper. He ran a bit green and will know more about the job next time.


SOUTHWELL AWT (Flat), October 1st
============================

Two runners at this Saturday morning matinee meeting of Banded filth, but even Class 7 racing is too hot for ROAN RAIDER to get competitive, and he beat only three of his 13 rivals home in the 7f Stakes race. FIT TO FLY went off the 5-1 joint favourite in the Mile, but had to settle with a 5.5l fifth position in the end. He refused to settle under Ambrose Reilly early on, and then didn't go on quite enough when asked to from 2f out.


KELSO, October 2nd
===============

12 intended runners across the three cards cut up to six following ground-related defections, and only two horses took their chances here in the end. YORK RITE took part in the 2m 6.5f Novices' Handicap Chase for the second year running, and for the second year running cost himself any chance of winning with a bad mistake late on. His rooting of the third last fence cost him enough momentum to temper the effort he was making at the time, and he trailed in seventh. Kenny Johnson was asked to apply the hold-up tactic on APADI on his return to hurdling, but the horse fought him enough this time to have insufficient left when asked for an effort four out, and a fifth place was as good as he was going to get in the circumstances.


MARKET RASEN, October 2nd
======================

As well as COLLEGE CITY's victory, there was a first outing under Racing Club ownership for WHY THE LONG FACE in the 2m 1.1f Handicap Hurdle. He was never a factor back in seventh, but then he rarely is over such a short distance nowadays and this run would doubtlessly have been intended to give him a sharpener ahead of other assignments.


UTTOXETER, October 2nd
====================

STAN had won his first chase nicely at Hexham in May (his most recent run) and his future ultimately lies back over the bigger obstacles. This run in a Class C Handicap Hurdle was therefore partly pot-hunting and partly a sharpener, and the fact he got a few hundred quid here for finishing fourth will probably be irrelevant to connections in the wider scheme of things - although he was still leading when belting the last. MAGICO was upped in trip to 2m 5f for his chasing bow but never really got a chance to shine, being badly hampered four out and not given an unnecessarily hard time after that in finishing fifth. Softer ground may have suited better anyway.


CARLISLE, October 7th
=================

PASS ME BY, WET LIPS and BILL'S ECHO have already been dealt with above. DRUMOSSIE sported first-time blinkers for his handicap debut in the 2m 4f hurdle, but found no extra gears after being rousted to the leaders two from home. The step up in trip will have suited, but he does look slow. ASTON hit a couple on his way round in third in the 3m Handicap Chase, but it didn't represent too bad an effort having been stepped up two classes to D here. HE'S HOT RIGHT NOW trailed in sixth in the Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle despite all the headgear you could imagine, and he is still 6lb higher than registering the second of his two wins over timber in late spring. Chances are he could use a rest as much as respite from the handicapper, though.


YORK (Flat), October 8th
===================

Richard Guest sent out a staggering 15 runners across four cards today - it would have been 16 had PASS ME BY turned out 24 hours after his Carlisle win - with LES ARCS's run in the Class 2 Coral Sprint Trophy here being the only one of those on the Flat. He has never won over a trip as short as 6f and has suffered more at this trip for missing the break than at others. He was away on terms here, though, and was produced well by the very promising youngster Greg Fairley - having his first ride for Guest - to be screaming home in fourth at the end. He only had about one length to find on the winner Borderlescott at the finish, and would probably have given owner Willie McKay an incredible across the card double (along with ADMIRAL) had the race been over 7f, so well was he travelling.


CHEPSTOW, October 8th
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ONE DAY was Paul Beck's first horse with Richard Guest, although it's easy to lose sight of that given how long he has spent on the sidelines. He was always only ever going to be sent chasing if and when he reappeared, and notwithstanding ADMIRAL's appearance elsewhere on the card, Chepstow looked a wise choice of venue for this big-striding animal to start his steeplechasing education at. There were at least three significant mistakes on the way round, and he understandibly tired close home on this first run for 18 months, but the fourth place here is something on which to build, and he'll strip a hell of a lot fitter next time.


HEXHAM, October 8th
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COLLEGE CITY and PRINCE ADJAL filled in the second and fourth placed berths in the opening Novices' Chase here, the former only outbattled up the run-in having come off the pace the latter had set. RENVYLE looked ready to collect when sent to the head of affairs two out in the 2m 4.5f Handicap Chase, but found little for Larry McGrath - enjoying his first day of action since the fall from DIKTATIT at Cartmel in August - and faded to third in the end. Similarly, YORK RITE held the lead two from home on his return to hurdles and in a first-time visor, but capitulated to sixth and looks hard pushed to exploit even his lowly mark in this discipline nowadays. BEAVER was backed off the boards to 15/8 in the 2m 4.5f Novices' Hurdle, but the tonguestrap wasn't on today and he predictably (to me) emptied up the hill before the home turn.


BANGOR, October 8th
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STAN always looked one of the more likely of last year's crop of New Zealand animals to be pitched into classy novices' chase company this season, and the Class C contest he took part in here was rammed with really exciting prospects notwithstanding even the much-discussed Iris's Gift. His starting price of 25/1 reflected the quality of opposition on show, and he never truthfully looked like landing the spoils here as Iris's Gift won more cosily than the official margins might have indicated, but he was certainly staying on best of anything on show here and was anything but disgraced in third.

Notwithstanding the fact the ground might have been a bit more rain-softened than he would have liked, I think ultimately he lacks the gears to trouble the really top-class animals in the same way OUR ARMAGEDDON does, but there is still going to be, I think, a very good chase (novices' or handicap) for him somewhere this term. More immediately, he is likely to be entered in the Class C Geoff Hubbard Memorial at Fakenham on October 21st - a race Our Armageddon finished second in on his chasing debut two years ago - and ought to make a good account of himself, although whether 2m 5f on such a skidpan track represents his favourite sort of race is debatable.

Elsewhere on the card, DAGGY BOY and newcomer SHEM DYLAN both finished unplaced in the 2m 4f Novices' Hurdle, the former looking a bit lary when passing the stands first time round. Brian Crowley, picking up his first rides for Guest on the afternoon, reported he didn't like the softened ground. DONOVAN, meanwhile, looked an absolute shoe-in in the Handicap Chase, assuming his jumping held up (which it comprehensively didn't in the object lesson in terror which was his only other chase outing at Hereford 18 months ago). He was much better this time, but not totally fluent, and he certainly had a good look at the ditch on his way over it. He was battling well at the end, and didn't fail to overhaul the front two by too much. Still over 20lbs lower over fences than hurdles (notwithstanding any reassessment which may result from this run), he remains of interest over the larger obstacles and ought to nab one or two of these if he can get himself footperfect. READY TO RUMBLE appeared in the same race and won the best turned-out prize - a real rarity for this yard! He would have needed this after 150 days off, and blew up a bit in the home straight after being asked to take closer order. His fifth place was an alright first effort over fences, and he too could just be good enough to land a novices' handicap this season. Rising nine already , however, he has less scope for improvment than some of the yard's other imports. WHY THE LONG FACE tried his luck in the opening televised hurdle, attempting to win a nice prize for the Racing Club, but he was never sighted in seventh on ground which ought to have been about right for him.


WETHERBY, October 12th
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ST PIRRAN was an eye-catching purchase for the yard in the summer, although only three runs since winning the Grand Annual at Cheltenham in March 2004 tells you all you need to know about how easy he is to train nowadays. That he came eighth in his comeback hurdle race here is utterly, utterly secondary to whether he came back in one piece, which unless anyone tells me otherwise he did, and connections can now look towards pointing a fitter animal at some of the classy two-mile handicap chases in the autumn program. I'm sure there's one back at Cheltenham at the end of the month he might try.


UTTOXETER, October 12th
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Racing Club horse VALERUN was never a factor in his three mile Handicap Hurdle but, like so many others mentioned in this post, this represented a much-needed blowing away of the cobwebs after well over a year off. Richard Guest was adamant there'd be novices' handicap chases to win with him this term, so presumably this will be what we see him attempt next. JIMMY BYRNE tried to do a pillar to post in the closing Handicap Hurdle, and got away with so doing until two out. Nothing left with which to repel attackers, he had to make do with third place. COLLEGE CITY's laboured effort has been mentioned already.