Andrew Asquith provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Tuesday.
Three points of interest
Owen sends just one runner to Sedgefield
James Owen has had only four runners at Sedgefield in his short training career so far, and his sole runner on Tuesday’s card, Charging Thunder, looks very interesting in the two and a half mile novices’ hurdle (14:10).
He was a fairy useful handicapper on the Flat for David O’Meara, and also landed a gamble on his debut for Owen in that sphere at Yarmouth in September, capitalising on a drop in grade to end a losing run stretching back to July 2022.
Charging Thunder also made a seamless transition to hurdles at Fakenham last month, too, left with a relatively simple task after his main market rival departed early, but still showing a good aptitude for this discipline.
Given how well he stayed on the Flat, this step up to two and a half miles may bring about further improvement, and it is worth noting that when James Owen and Harry Cobden team up together, they operate at a 29% strike rate.
Get Shirty faces easiest task in a long time
The David O’Meara-trained Get Shirty isn’t getting any younger, rising nine-years-old, but he is used to plying his trade in much more competitive company than he faces at Newcastle on Tuesday (14:40), and is worth backing to end a lengthy losing run.
His last win came in July 2022 when he ran out a comfortable winner of the Old Newton Cup at Haydock from a BHA mark of 105. He has run plenty of solid efforts since, in some high-end handicaps from a much higher mark than the one he finds himself on now.
Get Shirty ran one of his best races of the year when hitting the frame in a mile and a half handicap at this course a fortnight ago, taking a step back in the right direction after a nine-week break, but just ridden a little too patiently in a race run at just a modest gallop.
Get Shirty has been dropped another 1lb in the weights, allowing him to contest this 0-85 handicap, while the return to two miles should also be in his favour. He possesses a bit of class for this level and is expected to show that now – he’s 5lb clear on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
Fanshawe sends live hope to Redcar
James Fanshawe has had just two runners at Redcar so far this year, while he only had two runners at the track in 2023, too, so it is clearly a track he doesn’t visit that often in recent times.
He can boast a 20% strike rate at the track, though, and he sends Glastonbury on the 440-mile round trip from his Newmarket stables on Tuesday for the closing handicap over a mile (15:44).
Glastonbury didn’t show much in his first three starts, seemingly brought along with handicaps in mind, and he was much improved when opening his account on his second try in this sphere at Yarmouth three weeks ago.
There were a few potential catalysts behind his improvement, the fitting of first-time cheekpieces clearly having a positive effect, while he also relished the step up to a mile in soft ground on his turf debut.
Conditions will be similar at Redcar and he arrives totally unexposed on turf and at the trip. Glastonbury is just 3lb higher in the handicap, too, so he very much stands out in this field given his unexposed profile.
Tip of the Day
Another Investment – 16:25 Newcastle
Flags: Sectional, Top Rated
Another Investment has won for 18 months, but he has fallen down the weights as a result, and is just 1lb higher now than when winning a handicap at York in impressive fashion last summer.
He has shaped well in defeat back on the all-weather in two of his last three starts over seven furlongs at Southwell, really catching the eye with how well he travelled through his race last month.
Another Investment was no match for the much less-exposed winner, but he did very well to finish as close as he did coming from the rear of the field, and his performance can be marked up further when taking his closing sectional into account.
The return to six furlongs will be no problem, particularly at this course, which features a stiff finish, and he looks ready to resume winning ways.
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