Belami Des Pictons has caught Alex Hammond's eye this week and she looks ahead to the quality action to come from Ascot.
Interesting racing from Cheltenham and Doncaster last weekend – which performances particularly impressed you?
It was a superb weekend and I was delighted to be at Doncaster to see Sam Spinner continue his progression over fences in the December Novices’ Chase.
t was billed as a match-up between Jedd O’Keeffe’s stable star and Brian Ellison’s highly-regarded Windsor Avenue, who was also coming into the race two from two over fences.
However, it ended up being a battle between Joe Colliver and gravity!
How??? Joe Colliver 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/9aHF40fTks
— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) December 14, 2019
Thankfully, it ended one nil in the jockey’s favour, who despite being ejected skyward, managed to land back square on the horse’s back and go on to win the race easily.
Sam Spinner clearly has a quirky personality, but I like to see a bit of character in horses and it’s often a mark of greatness.
Did you see Joe Colliver & Sam Spinner’s acrobatics?! Here you go...... @jeddokeeffe @okeeffe_andrea 🙈 pic.twitter.com/lW8M52t7CX
— Alex Hammond (@skysportsAlexH) December 14, 2019
I find it slightly surprising that some people try and make a case for this horse to be beaten every time he runs, but he keeps defying his detractors.
Don’t get me wrong, I can understand where some of the naysayers are coming from, but he is a Grade 1 winner over hurdles and is still unbeaten over fences. I was actually impressed by his athletic ability and how sharp his front end was at Doncaster, he certainly got his shoulders up pretty quickly after adding that short stride, which could have ended so differently.
The Reynoldstown at Ascot or Towton at Wetherby will be his next port of call en route to Cheltenham for the RSA Chase, for which he is now 20/1 with Sky Bet.
As a postscript, Ellison has reported that Windsor Avenue scoped dirty when he got home, so there were excuses for his below-par run. I’m still undecided if three miles is his optimum trip, though, and he may turn out to be more effective over shorter.
The other Grade 2 at Doncaster was the Summit Juvenile Hurdle, won in gritty fashion by Donald McCain’s Navajo Pass.
Great to get a televised Saturday winner. Even better when it’s a Grade 2. Navajo Pass winning well @DoncasterRaces under Brian Hughes for Tim Leslie. Well done all at home, especially @AdrianpLane who rides him every day pic.twitter.com/Jyox75OSAs
— Donald McCain (@donaldmccain) December 14, 2019
He’s on an upward curve, but I want to make sure you have the horse that beat him last time out at Newcastle in your My Stable tracker. Tavus is a name you will be familiar with if you’re a regular reader of this blog as we gave him a positive mention before he won at Newcastle. The victory of Navajo Pass on Saturday gives that form a boost as he’s another nice prospect for the O’Keeffe team.
At Cheltenham, it’s not one of the winners that I’m going to highlight, but a horse that finished fifth. The Champion Hurdle division is wide open at the moment, but I’m sure Nicky Henderson will be pleased with his two runners in Saturday’s Grade 2 International Hurdle.
He won the race with Call Me Lord, but it was the reappearing Pentland Hills that caught the eye with regards the future. He ran far too freely on this seasonal debut, but despite that ran a solid race, only fading out of it inside the final furlong.
With the twinkle out of his toes I’d expect to see a much better performance next time out and whilst some people are writing off his Champion aspirations, I don’t think Henderson will be too despondent. He’s 7/1 with Sky Bet for the Festival race in March.
All eyes on Ascot before we head into Christmas. How excited are you to see Paisley Park back in action in the Marsh Hurdle?
I’m really looking forward to being at Ascot this weekend for Sky Sports Racing and this Grade 1 looks like it should be a walk in the (Paisley) Park for one of my favourite horses.
Unfortunately for the race as a competitive heat his two closest rivals at entry stage aren’t running, which means he’s 1/4 favourite to win, so we aren’t going to get rich backing him.
However, it’s thrilling to see horses like this in action and all being well he will continue his unbeaten run, which stretches back to October last year.
This is one of racing's feel good stories thanks to owner Andrew Gemmell (who has been blind since birth) and his fan base continues to grow.
Recently-retired jockey Wayne Hutchinson was in the studio with me on Monday and when Mick Fitzgerald asked him how he would try to beat Paisley Park if he were riding in the race, he said he’d come with one late run to try and catch him out. It’ll be fascinating to see how the jockey’s in opposition try and turn over this hurdling legend.
What else catches your eye over the weekend?
There are a host of horses I’m looking forward to seeing in action. On Friday there are two Grade 2 contests, the first the Sky Bet Supreme Trial Novices’ Hurdle at Ascot.
Nicky Richards has his team in red hot form, having won four races at Carlisle on Sunday and has won with five of his last six runners. He wouldn’t be sending Ribble Valley down south if he didn’t expect to win and he’s 6/4 favourite with the sponsors to do so.
McFabulous might be an interesting opponent if trainer Paul Nicholls has straightened his jumping out after an unsatisfactory hurdles debut at Chepstow last month. He’s 7/1 with Sky Bet and more was definitely expected of him last time out behind Silver Hallmark, who is held in high regard by trainer Fergal O’Brien.
The Nicky Henderson-trained Angels' Breath was very impressive on his chase debut at Ascot in November and he will be well fancied to win the Grade 2 novices’ chase on the same card.
The Sky Sports Racing cameras will be at the track on both Friday and Saturday and aside from the Marsh Hurdle on Saturday, I’m looking forward to seeing Belami Des Pictons in the Silver Cup Handicap Chase (3.00).
Trainer Venetia Williams has hit top form recently and is operating at an impressive strike rate, which is a stat I always take into account when selecting horses.
This horse is 4/1 favourite with Sky Bet to win, but deservedly so after an eye-catching reappearance in Cheltenham’s BetVictor Handicap Chase behind Happy Diva last month. He lost his place early on after being hampered and stayed on steadily.
That should have helped put him spot on for this. The race has worked out well with third arthog winning the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup on Saturday and the fifth Magic Saint winning a decent race at Newbury two weeks ago.
