John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Wednesday.
Three points of interest
Double Rush stands out at weights on handicap debut
Newmarket’s card opens with a six-furlong contest for three-year-olds (13:50) where Charlie Hills’ Double Rush looks potentially very well treated indeed for his handicap debut from a BHA mark of 85. Double Rush contested three novices last year and shaped well in his first two races when making the frame at Windsor and Haydock. He fared less well on his final two-year-old start in heavy ground at Nottingham when his stable was struggling for winners, but he was much improved when making a successful reappearance at Wolverhampton late last month.
Sent off odds on, Double Rush proved a different proposition on the all-weather, showing considerable improvement as he made all to win by four lengths, with a couple of fillies who had shown fair form filling the places. Timeform credited Double Rush with a useful effort, his rating of 99 being the highest for a maiden winner on the all-weather this year which was fully backed up by his timefigure for the race.
The BHA handicapper put Double Rush up 8 lb for that win, but that still looks to have underestimated what he achieved at Wolverhampton and on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings he’s fully 8 lb clear here, though he’ll have to back up that effort in a competitive event back on turf. It’s worth noting his trainer won this race in 2015 and has saddled the runner-up in two of the last three years.
Wimbledon Hawkeye can book 2000 Guineas place in Craven
This year’s Craven Stakes (15:35) looks a strong trial for the 2000 Guineas over the same course and distance in just over two weeks’ time, with nine colts bidding to put themselves in line to become the first since Haafhd in 2004 to win both races.
Juddmonte have already unveiled a couple of Guineas candidates in the last week, Cosmic Year and Jonquil, and have another leading candidate here in Field of Gold who won the Solario Stakes at Sandown last year before improving again when fourth behind Camille Pissarro in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp. Others who did well abroad in the autumn were Aomori City for Charlie Appleby (winner of three of the last six Cravens), who finished well for a close third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, and New Century, a Grade 1 winner in Canada before finishing just behind Aomori City at Del Mar, trained by Andrew Balding who won Saturday’s Greenham with Jonquil.
Aomori City’s stablemate Opera Ballo has looked an exciting prospect in winning both his starts at Kempton this year (races won by last year’s 2000 Guineas winner Notable Speech for the same connections) but heading the Timeform ratings is Wimbledon Hawkeye for ‘Hot Trainer’ James Owen. Wimbledon Hawkeye was successful twice last season, including when providing his trainer with a first Group success in the Royal Lodge Stakes over the Craven course and distance which he took convincingly. He also came up against the winter Guineas favourite The Lion In Winter in the Acomb Stakes at York and shaped as if still in form on much more testing going when third to Hotazhell in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster.
Capable of better still this year, Wimbledon Hawkeye could make his current odds of 25/1 for the 2000 Guineas look big if making a successful return here and booking his place in the classic which his sire Kameko won five years ago.
Change of leader in trainers’ championship at Cheltenham?
Dan Skelton notched a treble at Ayr last Friday, along with a couple of more winners since, to maintain his long-standing lead in the trainers’ championship but his advantage has been all but whittled away by Willie Mullins. Besides saddling the first two in the Scottish Grand National, Mullins also had another winner and two more seconds at Ayr on Saturday which has cut Skelton’s lead in the championship to less than £10,000.
Cheltenham’s Wednesday card could therefore prove pivotal, with Mullins doubly represented in a couple of races and therefore having the potential to edge ahead with little more than a week of the British jumps season remaining. The opening novice hurdle (13:30) is worth £10,892 and Mullins’ pair here are the last-time-out winners Dr Eggman and Toad Hall. The latter looks open to further improvement after comfortably opening his account in a maiden at Downpatrick recently but preference is for Danny Mullins’ mount Dr Eggman who had useful form in bumpers but took a while to gain a first win over hurdles before finally doing so at Limerick last time. A reliable sort, he heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings and can follow up here.
The most valuable event on the card is the Silver Trophy Handicap Chase (14:40), a Grade 2 contest worth £39,865 to the winner. Skelton has two runners himself here, with one of his recent Ayr winners Riskintheground looking his main hope under a penalty at the foot of the weights. But the Mullins pair again look like having a big say, with O’Moore Park having obvious claims after finishing third off the same mark in the novices’ handicap at the Festival five weeks ago. However, Danny Mullins could be on the right one again as he’s the regular partner of Classic Getaway who has been contesting graded events this season and was back to his best when winning the Red Mills Chase at Gowran last time. He’s on a good mark back in a handicap and heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
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