Andrew Asquith has looked through the entries this weekend and has selected two best at Kelso on Saturday.
Weekend View: Saturday March 1
1pt win Castle Carrock in the 2.55 Kelso at 8/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair, William Hill)
2pts win Tellherthename in the 3.30 Kelso at 6/1 (General)
The Cheltenham Festival is just around the corner and there are several horses in the bet365 Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso on Saturday who connections will be hoping can be successful and have a chance of landing a £100,000 bonus by following up in any race at the Festival.
Emmet Mullins landed the bonus with The Shunter in 2021, who went on to win the Plate at Cheltenham, and he will attempt to repeat the feat with Vischio, who is the ante-post favourite for the Morebattle.
She arrives in a rich vein of form, too, having won her last two starts, and she was very impressive at Leopardstown earlier this month. However, she hasn’t always been the most straightforward type – she still had the Timeform squiggle when winning last time which has since been removed – and I think there are more interesting, potentially better handicapped sorts among the entries.
The horse that leaps off the page for me is TELLHERTHENAME, who looked very promising at times as a novice last season. He was a £200,000 purchase after winning his sole start in points and was beaten only a nose by Jango Baie on his Rules debut in a novice hurdle at Ascot, attracting support that day and the pair pulled well clear of the remainder.
That form obviously worked out very well, with Jango Baie going on to win the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle on his next start, a race in which Tellherthename failed to fire on unsuitable heavy ground (he reportedly also suffered a physical issue).
Tellherthename had opened his account prior to that, though, when landing the odds in style at Huntingdon from no other than Lucky Place, who has been a revelation this season. Admittedly, two miles on a sound surface would have likely been too sharp for Lucky Place, given he has thrived since moving up in trip this season – he’s around 8/1 for the Stayers’ Hurdle – but that race also produced plenty of next-time-out winners, while jockey Kielan Woods also hailed Tellherthename ‘the best I’ve ever ridden’ after that Huntingdon success.
As mentioned, Tellherthename was unable to build on that in Grade 1 company at Aintree, but he completed a simple task back at Huntingdon next time, and started 14/1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on his final start last season.
Again, he failed to fire on ground Timeform described as heavy, beating just one rival home. However, he does appear to be a much better horse when the mud isn't flying, and I wouldn’t be too quick to crab his efforts at the top level last season given the circumstances they came in.
Tellherthename joined Jonjo & A.J. O’Neill ahead of this season and I think it says plenty of the regard in which he’s held that they started him off in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle won by Sir Gino.
The winner was in a league of his own that day, but I didn’t think Tellherthename ran badly at all, travelling well within himself and keeping on from the third-last when the pace lifted. He has still only had six career starts, but three of those have come in Grade 1 company, and I get the feeling this may have been a long-term plan with the healthy bonus option in place – he’s entered in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Tellherthename was very well supported in the ante-post market a few weeks ago for a handicap only to not be declared. Reading between the lines, you get the impression that connections feel they have a well treated horse ahead of his handicap debut, his form also stacks up and, with the forecast ground set to be in his favour, I'm expecting a big run from Tellherthename at Kelso on Saturday.
Staying at Kelso, Alan King could send a strong team North on Saturday, and I think CASTLE CARROCK is very interesting and overpriced in the Grade 2 bet365 Premier Novices’ Hurdle.
He looked a good prospect when winning a bumper at Ayr on his sole start for Nicky Richards in November. Now, that wasn’t a strong race, but Castle Carrock could hardly have created a better impression, leading over a circuit out, and quickening clear in grand style in the closing stages while showing signs of greenness.
Castle Carrock was purchased for £100,000 afterwards and sent to Alan King and he could have hardly made a better impression on his hurdling debut at Sandown last month. He started second favourite to a 9/2-on shot that day and he put that rival in his place in decisive fashion, his jumping novicey at times, but travelling powerfully into contention and never really looking like being beat once entering the straight.
He was given a confident ride, tracking the short-priced favourite before being produced with his challenge at the final flight. The most impressive part of his performance was the gap he put between himself and the runner-up in the final 100 yards, readily pulling over three lengths clear without being given a hard time – the timefigure he recorded also gives the form substance.
Castle Carrock again displayed signs of inexperience when first coming under pressure, but his reaction when finding full stride was impressive, and he’s a horse who is sure capable of even better. He’s an 8/1 chance for this step up in grade, but that looks too big to me, even with a Willie Mullins-trained horse among the entries. There should be any amount of improvement in him and he is ready to make his mark at this level for me.
Preview posted at 1420 GMT on 25/02/2025
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