Indefatigable can live up to her name in the Racing TV Mares' Hurdle at Kempton on Monday, according to David Clough.
David Clough's tips
CHELMSFORD: 4.15 Iris Bud, 4.45 Moselle Valley, 5.15 Swissal, 5.45 Rhubarb Bikini, 6.15 Pearl Beach, 6.45 Daysaq, 7.15 Smokey.
DUNDALK: 1.45 Cursory Exam, 2.20 Valderrama, 2.55 Linus Larrabee, 3.30 Emphatic, 4.00 Lady Ironside, 4.30 Dundory, 5.00 Blackstone Cliff, 5.30 Jackmel.
KEMPTON: 12.50 Captain Morgs, 1.25 Shishkin, 2.00 INDEFATIGABLE (NAP), 2.35 Lock’s Corner, 3.10 Morning Spirit, 3.45 Pisgah Pike.
LUDLOW: 12.25 Kakamora, 1.00 Mr Palmtree, 1.35 Shinobi, 2.10 Robinshill, 2.45 If Karl’s Berg Did, 3.20 Annsam, 3.55 Belatrix Lestrange.
MUSSELBURGH: 11.35 Headscarf Lil, 12.05 Gaelik Coast, 12.40 Sidi Ismael, 1.15 Mint Gold, 1.50 Vino’s Choice, 2.25 King’s Wharf, 3.00 Green Zone, 3.35 Pakie’s Dream.
DOUBLE: Indefatigable and Captain Morgs
Indefatigable can live up to her name in the Racing TV Mares’ Hurdle at Kempton.
Paul Webber’s Cheltenham Festival heroine returns over jumps for the first time since her last-ditch triumph in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle in March.
On the basis of that success, and several previous performances over shorter than these extended three miles, she can be expected to relish the extra distance in this Listed race.
Indefatigable, who retains her Cheltenham association with Rex Dingle, should be ready to run close to her best form after a highly-respectable return on the Flat – beaten a little more than 10 lengths at Listed level on Lingfield’s Polytrack at the end of last month.
Webber appears to have ensured a perfect preparation – and with more than a stone in hand of all her opponents, yet conceding a maximum 4lb, he has clearly picked out the right race too.
If she is therefore hard to oppose, the same applies yet more so to Shishkin in the preceding Racing TV Beginners’ Chase.
There will be scant financial reward for predicting a winning debut over fences for the Arkle favourite, who has assumed his position at the top of that ante-post market thanks to three successive victories for Nicky Henderson last season which culminated in Cheltenham glory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Subsequent glowing reports of the winning point-to-pointer’s schooling over fences have only added to the hype, and it will be a major shock if he does not consolidate his reputation here.
There should be slightly more juice – relatively speaking – in the price of Henderson’s Captain Morgs in the opening EBF Stallions “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.
The four-year-old has obvious credentials too, having won over course and distance on hurdles debut last month.
Captain Morgs was previously a neck runner-up on his first racecourse start in a Warwick bumper, albeit as a beaten favourite but behind a shock winner who has since run with credit in a Cheltenham Listed race.
The evidence available so far suggests he may well be up to defying the penalty, in what is a three-runner affair but in all reality a match with the Kim Bailey-trained Ajero.
Later on the card, Lock’s Corner has much in his favour in the racingtv.com Handicap Chase.
Jonjo O’Neill’s six-year-old could not add to his winning sequence of four last time when he had to settle for second in a valuable Cheltenham handicap – reverting to hurdles after promising successes on his first two chase starts.
Also a winning pointer at his sole attempt two years ago, Lock’s Corner is clearly adept over fences.
He evidently benefited from a wind operation in summer 2019, and there is no reason to believe his subsequent progress should be about to stall just yet.
Right-handed flat tracks have a Monday monopoly over jumps, with Ludlow and Musselburgh also serving up opportunities for the right horses.
Among them, Mr Palmtree can successfully play up his winnings from Huntingdon and Hereford – two more similar tracks – when he goes for the hat-trick in Ludlow’s Perrott Properties Novices’ Handicap Chase.
He has gone up 19lb in all for his trouble, so must shoulder top-weight, but he won with authority last time and will again have the advantage of Tabitha Worsley’s 5lb claim.
Gaelik Coast is another on a winning spree, and has top-weight as a result in the racingtv.com Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase at Musselburgh.
He got up only in the final stride on his chasing debut first time out this season at Fakenham last month.
But having proved sharp enough to win there over close to this minimum trip, there is every chance he can repeat the feat for Donald McCain and Brian Hughes.
Chelmsford provides the evening all-weather action, and the exotically-named Rhubarb Bikini can provide a profitable sunshine reminder in the CCR Supports Safer Gambling Week Handicap.
Archie Watson’s three-year-old has been on his own holidays since he was a beaten favourite in second at Lingfield in January.
His sabbatical began with a gelding operation, but he had already won and finished second in just three career starts and could well be returning on a useful mark.
The card closes with the chelmsfordcityracecourse.com Handicap, in which top-weight Smokey has obvious prospects of returning to winning ways with a fourth success in her last five starts.
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