Ian Ogg presents the Timeform View of the key things to note on the racing front on Saturday.
Three points of interest
Challow grave?
Speaking in the aftermath of Potters Charm's victory in Boxing Day's Formby Novices' Hurdle assistant trainer Willie Twiston-Davies said: “I spoke to Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton and talked about how the Challow [Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury] can finish a horse for the season, so I thought by coming here we could drop him in trip and sharpen up his jumping."
Despite those words of caution, the Grade 1 Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle features highly-rated runners from the aforementioned yards in the shape of Regent's Stroll and The New Lion.
Nicholls is the race's leading trainer, saddling six winners including Denman, Bravemansgame, Stage Star and Hermes Allen and there will be some long faces at Ditcheat if Regent's Stroll doesn't go close to making it seven. An impressive winner of the valuable course bumper in March, Regent's Stroll changed hands for £660,000 at Goffs in the summer but remained in the yard with a high-profile syndicate signing the docket. Regent's Stroll returned to Newbury for his hurdling debut and duly won easily by nine and a half lengths, beating Good And Clever whose next run saw him finish a seven length third in the Formby Novices' Hurdle.
The New Lion is also unbeaten in three starts with Skelton describing him as a horse who 'seems to have it all' after his course and distance victory in a relatively valuable novices' hurdle. That form has yet to be tested but his debut hurdle win at Chepstow has been franked by the runner-up Belliano, a stablemate of Regent's Stroll.
Jonjo O'Neill, now training in partnership with son AJ, last won the Challow in 2012 with Taquin De Seuil; that was the stable's third victory in seven years following on from Backspin (2010) and Wichita Lineman (2006). They run Bill Joyce whose only defeat came in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival when he could only finish fifteenth at 7/1 having opened at 22/1.
Bill Joyce stepped up from his debut hurdling success at Carlisle to win the Grade 2 Winter Novices' Hurdle at Sandown, leading home runners trained by Nicholls and Skelton. Three recent Winter Hurdle winners have gone on to contest the Challow with Enrilo finishing a well beaten third behind Thyme Hill, Star Gate a 10 length second to Bravemansgame and Lossiemouth a well held fifth.
Nick another victory
Not many Newbury meetings go by without Nicky Henderson saddling a runner at his local track and although his two in the Play Coral 'Racing-Super-Series' For Free Mares' Handicap Hurdle are not among the stable's leading lights they are of interest given the yard's record in the race.
There have been five runnings of this two mile handicap and Henderson saddled a joint-favourite for the first of them but Sunrise Ruby could only finish fifth. Since then Henderson has only sent two to post and both obliged with Gran Luna taking the honours in 2021 and Spring Note last year.
Spring Note is back for more but has a 17 lb higher mark to contend with [raised 13 lbs for winning this race] after beating Brentford Hope in another course and distance handicap in March but she has struggled on her two subsequent outings. Freddie Gordon, successful on the stable's East India Express on Boxing Day, claims 5 lbs.
Nico De Boinville rides the relatively unexposed Break My Soul who was too keen for her own good when a beaten favourite in a relatively strong Ascot handicap having run a career best over that course and distance on her reappearance when splitting Our Champ and Secret Squirrel.
Spring Note is not the only former winner in this line-up with Panic Attack having her second start for Skelton after a long absence; she won this race as a four-year-old for 2020 for former handler David Pipe.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Away from the feature jumps action, The Ridler attempts to build on his recent resurgence in the Extra Winnings With BetUK Acca Club Handicap at Newcastle.
As well as bad jokes and Christmas hats, Christmas crackers often include a riddle but few would have had you scratching your head - or eliciting as many groans - as The Ridler whose sole success prior to his last time out course and distance victory was a startling performance in the 2022 renewal of the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The Ridler is not the first juvenile who failed to build on a good first season but his decline was marked with his official handicap mark slipping from 107 to 71. The Ridler was beaten a nose off that rating in August and again at Newcastle at the start of the month over six furlongs but he overcame a small rise and a drop in trip to double his career tally just under a fortnight ago.
Mondammej was a head back in second but was in top form having won his two previous starts and has since finished second again over six furlongs, a distance over which he has achieved only one of his eight career victories.
The form is solid but is this The Ridler's level or can he work his way back towards the heights he hit in his first season?
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