John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Friday.
Three points of interest
Good day in store for Hobbs & White
Philip Hobbs has trained twenty winners at the Cheltenham Festival but the stable had just the one runner at the meeting last week when Thomas Mor finished down the field in the Pertemps Final. However, Hobbs and Johnson White have been among the winners elsewhere in recent weeks, with doubles at Wincanton and Taunton earlier in the month and a winner at Exeter on Tuesday. Their successes seem to be coming in twos at the moment, though, because the stable had another double at Newbury’s last meeting three weeks ago and has prospects of repeating that feat, with Michael Nolan in the saddle again on the pair in question, there on Friday.
Manuelito bumped into a thriving rival in King of The Lake at Exeter a fortnight ago on just his second start for the yard and earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag for that effort as he finished a long way clear of the rest. He looks to have excellent claims of going one better from just a 3 lb higher mark in the two-mile handicap hurdle (15:00).
Later on the card Murphy’s Milan looks sure to appreciate the step up in trip for his handicap debut over three miles (16:37). Carrying the colours made famous by Grand National winner West Tip, Murphy’s Milan has shown promise in all three of his starts, shaping like a stayer when third in a bumper at Exeter and then finishing fourth in a couple of maiden hurdles at Chepstow in the autumn. As well as heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, Murphy’s Milan has the ‘p’ symbol indicating further improvement to come.
The stable isn’t known for its big-money purchases but wide-margin Irish point winner Starzand topped the Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale when former stable jockey Richard Johnson struck the winning bid of £230,000 on behalf of owner Dave Lewis’s Gwent Holdings. Described by Johnson as a ‘proper long-term three-mile chaser’, he’s interesting nonetheless on his debut in the bumper at Ffos Las (16:50).
Sayer can land ‘Sea Pigeon’ again
The ‘Go North’ weekend begins at Musselburgh on Friday and among four handicap hurdles on the card which serve as finals in the series, each of them worth more than £15,000 to the winner, is the Sea Pigeon over two miles and a furlong (17:00). The last two winners of this contest are in the field again and a bold showing from both veteran Mack The Man at the head of the weights, successful twelve months ago, and Cuban Cigar, the 2023 winner who has dipped to his lowest mark for a while, cannot be ruled out.
However, the first two runnings of the race were both won by Cumbria trainer Dianne Sayer and she looks to have a good chance of landing it again, this time with the consistent Heart Above near the foot of the weights. He progressed well in the autumn, winning a novices’ handicap at Perth in September and a qualifier for this series at Musselburgh in November.
After quite a busy spell, Heart Above shaped encouragingly returning from a break in a conditional jockeys’ race back at Musselburgh last month when third to King Ulanda, rallying well on the flat after getting shuffled back approaching the straight. That should have served to sharpen him up nicely and he can make a bold bid for this bigger prize.
Currawood represents top Irish two-year-old form at Dundalk
It’s finals day at Dundalk too with the culmination of their Friday night Winter Series but away from the handicaps much the most interesting horse on the card is Currawood in the median auction maiden over seven furlongs (17:45). This represents a drop in class for Paddy Twomey’s colt who holds an Irish 2000 Guineas entry and was mixing it with some of the best Irish two-year-olds last season.
Currawood was placed in all three of his starts, beginning with the Curragh maiden which City of Troy had won the year before. That was again a very hot maiden, with no fewer than five of the field ending the season with Timeform ratings of at least 100. Currawood shaped promisingly in third, and while winner Hazdann wasn’t seen out again, runner-up Green Impact went on to Group 2 success on Irish Champions Weekend.
Things got no easier for Currawood on his next start as, later in the summer, in another maiden at the Curragh, he bumped into none other than current 2000 Guineas/Derby favourite The Lion In Winter who ran out an impressive winner in beating him just over two lengths after Currawood had cut out the running. That made him the clear form pick for his final start at Naas in September dropped to six furlongs but there too he found a Ballydoyle rival too good, finishing a half-length second to the useful Antelope Canyon.
Fitted with cheekpieces for his reappearance, Currawood looks to have been found a good opportunity to register a deserved success on his first start of the year. While Joseph O’Brien fields a potentially interesting newcomer in Glenroyal, this trip looks plenty sharp enough for him on pedigree.
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