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Weights & Measures | Chatham Street Lad up to 151 after Caspian Caviar romp
The revised BHA ratings from Cheltenham's December meeting, as well as one significant Irish mark, are focused upon in Ben Linfoot's latest Weights & Measures.
Chatham endgame a conundrum
Chatham Street Lad ⬆ 14lb to 151 (Irish mark)
What is CHATHAM STREET LAD? Are you a believer?
After bolting up in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup by 15 lengths, off a British mark of 141, his Cheltenham Festival target could conceivably be anything from these seven; the Sporting Life Arkle, the Marsh Chase, the RSA Chase, the Ryanair, the Grand Annual, the Brown Advisory Plate or the Ultima.
Up now to an Irish mark of 151, you could probably add a few pounds and more to that if he were entered in a British handicap, but Grade One novice company could be the most attractive pull. He’s a best of 16s for the Marsh and the RSA Chase; 10/1 (with Sky Bet and Hills) to win any race at the Cheltenham Festival.
Trainer Mick Winters, all clean from rolling about in the Cheltenham mud, is non-committal on his spring destination for obvious reasons. But he will work back from the Festival in March.
“It wasn’t just him winning,” he said on Tuesday. “It was the way that he did it.
“The dream seems to be alive for us. It’s exciting for everybody, when you see your horse floating down the hill at Cheltenham like that, it’s brilliant.
“We’re probably going to give Christmas a miss, give him a break. Let the rest of them compete then. I’ll probably get one more run into him before Cheltenham.
“Now we’re rated over 150 we’re probably going to have to jump into things. He is still a novice, but I wouldn’t want to run into Gordon Elliott’s Envoi Allen or anything like that, so we’ll see. The lads like going through the form and coming up with plans, so we’ll come up with something.”
Soft ground looks a prerequisite for him judging by both Saturday and his overall profile. But, after just seven chase starts, to win a Cheltenham handicap like that puts him firmly in the could-be-anything category. And, when you consider he is still a novice, he’s bang up there with the best we have seen on these shores over the intermediate trip this season.
The route might not be so fascinating – one run then Cheltenham – but the destination will be.
Fisher on the up with Ryanair in his sights
Mister Fisher ⬆ 7lb to 162
When Nicky Henderson gets an inbetweener he tends to get the best out of them.
I’m thinking the likes of Oscar Whisky, who won 10 races over trips around 2m4f over both hurdles and fences, and Riverside Theatre, who won successive Betfair Ascot Chases, a Ryanair and a Peterborough Chase amongst 11 career victories.
Henderson tried stretching the stamina of both to three miles to no avail, but by and large they were campaigned over the correct trip and he reaped the rewards at the highest level.
MISTER FISHER, an impressive winner of the re-routed Peterborough Chase at Cheltenham on Friday, looks cut from the same cloth, an out-and-out two-and-a-half-miler, which helps with his Festival target in mind.
It will be the Ryanair Chase for him, a race so often a second preference for many horses at this stage, and that swells his antepost appeal. Also, this was further evidence that he handles soft ground perfectly well.
Up to a rating of 162, he’s improving and nudging towards Grade One class. Beaten in both of his starts at the top level so far, the Betfair Ascot Chase in February might well be a good opportunity for him. It’s 11 races since he went right-handed - but he is two from two going clockwise - and that race often cuts up.
Looking further ahead, to the Ryanair, he’ll be seven in the new year and younger legs could be the undoing of the division standard-bearer Min, who will be 10 come January.
There are others on the up in the class, like Imperial Aura, and we should mention Samcro, as well, who beat Mister Fisher in last season’s Marsh Chase.
But Mister Fisher is improving, he has an obvious target, he has course form and he looks versatile on the ground. There are plenty of positives for him with his Ryanair Chase odds in mind (a best of 20s at bet365 and 16s generally).
Sky-high rise for the Pirate
Sky Pirate ⬆ 10lb to 144
There will be a high pile of crestfallen punters at the bottom of the SKY PIRATE cliff.
He lined up for his 11th chase at Cheltenham on Saturday, with five second places to his name, but no wins, having traded at odds-on (1.3, 1.05, 1.94, 1.11, 1.56, 1.58, 1.15, 1.36 and 1.73) in-running on Betfair on NINE occasions in his career without claiming victory.
It seems the key to him was the trip. All those strong-travelling efforts over further hinted at many things and Jonjo O’Neill eventually came to the conclusion that he was worth trying over two miles for the first time in his career.
A near four-length victory on the bit at Cheltenham is some evidence that two miles is exactly what he wants. This was by far the best effort of his career and he deserves every one of the 10 pounds the handicapper has given him in response.
But, his new mark of 144 will ask some serious questions next time. He might not have won this so easily had Zanza stayed on his feet three out and with that in mind the race fell into his lap a bit.
For me, it was a case of even Sky Pirate couldn’t mess this one up. Perhaps he can reach a high rank in the two-mile chase division this season, but that new number of 144 looks tasty enough to me.
Two to follow: The Mighty Don & Umbrigado
The Mighty Don ↔ stays on 140
Umbrigado ⬇ 3lb to 139
Finally, two that are on the radar after the last week’s action.
THE MIGHTY DON remains on a mark of 140 after his running-on second to the-now 147-rated Happygolucky in the International Decorative Surfaces Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on Friday.
This was a good run as he finished well and while he never looked like adding to his sole win over fences, on what was his ninth go, he’s well prepared for staying handicap chases.
Rated 150 over hurdles at his best, remarkably he has yet to run in a handicap over fences but he’s racked up his experience and looks ready for the switch now.
UMBRIGADO was mentioned on these pages after his good second over hurdles on his seasonal reappearance at Haydock and I wouldn’t be too negative about his fencing debut at Uttoxeter last Tuesday.
He bumped into a hard-fit Dan Skelton-trained novice in Northofthewall, who had already had two runs over fences, and that experience showed as he made all for a convincing success.
David Pipe’s horse was eased late on once his chance had gone, but I thought he jumped well for a first go and I’m sure connections will be delighted that his fencing mark was immediately eased 3lb to 139.
His trainer might well get some more experience into him before taking the plunge in a novice handicap, but it’s well worth monitoring his entries and mark as we head into the new year.
This Week's BHA Major Amendments (December 15)
Adagio ⬆ 6lb to 136
Breffniboy ⬆ 6lb to 128
Bushypark ⬆ 4lb to 118
Come On Teddy ⬆ 7lb to 134
Eaton Hill ⬆ 3lb to 120
Happygolucky ⬆ 5lb to 147
Mister Fisher ⬆ 7lb to 162
Robin Gold ⬆ 6lb to 122
Rocky’s Treasure ⬆ 7lb to 145
Sky Pirate ⬆ 10lb to 144
Storm Control ⬆ 6lb to 142
Song For Someone ⬆ 2lb to 158
The Mighty Don ↔ stays on 140
The White Mouse ⬆ 6lb to 136
Umbrigado ⬇ 3lb to 139
Previous Weights & Measures
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