John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Wednesday.
Half-brothers clash in hot-looking novice handicap at Newbury
There’s a rare meeting between a couple of siblings in Newbury’s novice handicap chase (13:15), with eight-year-old Kyntara heading the weights and conceding a stone to his five-year-old half-brother Kintail. Both race in the colours of Lady Dulverton, though for different stables, with Kyntara trained by Mel Rowley while Kintail is with Nicky Henderson.
Both are of interest, with former winning pointer Kyntara having the ‘large P’ on his Timeform rating indicating that he’s open to above-average improvement. On his only previous try over fences over two years ago when trained by Kim Bailey he finished a remote second at Hereford but if the improvement he showed for his current stable over hurdles last season is anything to go by, he could well be a different proposition now. Kyntara made into a useful staying hurdler last term, culminating in finishing second in the Pertemps Final at the Festival, and improved his Timeform rating by 24 lb during the campaign.
As the younger horse, Kintail is much more lightly raced, though he did win a bumper and a novice hurdle at Warwick last season. He shaped as if he’d be better for the run when last of three on his chasing debut at the same track last month when tending to spend a bit too much time in the air over his fences so he’s entitled to improve and for the first time steps up to a trip that clearly suits his half-brother very well. Kintail also heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings but in an intriguing contest the chasing debutants Wrappedupinmay and Mt Fugi Park, both winning pointers in Ireland, have plenty of potential over fences.
Aintree sale-topper makes Rules debut for Nicky Henderson
Nativehill isn’t the most expensive purchase from Irish points in Newbury’s novice hurdle (13:50) – that honour goes to £350,000 buy Buckna – but Nicky Henderson’s recruit did top the Aintree Sale when selling to owner Ronnie Bartlett for £260,000 at the Grand National meeting in April 2023. Bartlett was reinvesting his winnings from Banbridge’s success in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase earlier the same afternoon.
Nativehill was only added to the sale after winning on his second outing between the flags the previous weekend for Colin McKeever who had also been the original trainer of not only Banbridge, who has a top-class Timeform rating of 168, but also Bartlett’s most exciting current horse Ballyburn, who was comfortably last season's leading novice hurdler with a Timeform rating of 162.
It must be said that the horses that Nativehill beat in his point haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory since under Rules but he certainly has the right pedigree to go on to better things. By Ballyburn’s sire Flemensfirth, Nativehill is a half-brother to several winners, notably Bellshill, a Grade 1 bumper and novice hurdle winner who made into a top-class chaser for Willie Mullins, winning both the Irish Gold Cup and Punchestown Gold Cup. In his Sporting Life Stable Tour last month, Henderson reported that Nativehill ‘had a problem early last year which meant a year off which might not have been the worst thing as he has come back bigger and better.’
Besides Buckna, whose in-form trainer Warren Greatrex sponsors the race, Captain Bellamy for Paul Nicholls is another former Irish point winner who looks a danger, both having been runner-up on their respective hurdling debuts.
Appleby holds the aces in stamina test for two-year-olds
Kempton stages a unique contest on Wednesday evening, a maiden for two-year-olds over eleven furlongs (16:40) which makes it the longest race of the year for juveniles. It’s a relatively new addition to the calendar and was first run in 2021 when it was won by the Marco Botti newcomer Giavellotto, third in the following year’s St Leger and more recently successful in the Hong Kong Vase. The race was a novice contest on that occasion, though has since been restricted to maidens.
Charlie Appleby had the runner-up in 2021 and again last year but has two chances of going one better this time at a track where his all-time strike rate is 30% and where he has trained more winners than at any other venue away from Newmarket. Of the Godolphin pair, William Buick’s mount Aegean Prince has the advantage of a run under his belt. Sent off at even money for a novice at Chelmsford last month, he showed plenty to work when beaten less than a length into third in a steadily-run race and is likely to improve on that. By Dubawi, he’s the first foal out of the smart French filly Musis Amica who was runner-up in the Prix de Diane and Prix Vermeille.
Stablemate Tribal Act, ridden by James Doyle, has already been gelded but makes plenty of appeal on paper. There’s less stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree but he’s a son of Sea The Stars and a half-brother to three winners, including Marching Army, a smart handicapper for Saeed bin Suroor who was a dual winner over this same course and distance as a three-year-old.
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