Master Dee the one to watch as racing returns to Warwick
RACING returns to Warwick on Tuesday after the course’s summer break and Master Dee is fancied to make the step up from novice company in the feature £12,000 Asset Finance Brokers Handicap Chase, writes David Hucker.
Racing from a handicap mark of 130, Master Dee battled on well to beat I’dliketheoption in a novice handicap at Newton Abbot last time out and has just 2lbs more to carry here. Despite carrying top-weight, Pair OfJacks, who has plenty of experience, is also in with a good chance. He was winning his third chase when scoring at Cartmel in July and will be ridden by regular partner Brian Hughes.
The ultra-consistent Bleu Et Noir, who missed a race at Plumpton on Sunday, should go well in the opening Arkle Finance Novices´ Hurdle over two miles for trainer Tim Vaughan, whose string is in red-hot form with eight winners in the last fortnight. George Blackwell, who has ridden three winners over jumps, will claim 10lbs off the weight of Bleu Et Noir, but he will still carry more than his rivals, including Tahira, who went down in a photo finish behind No Win No Fee at Stratford in July.
Dan Skelton has chosen Focaccia from his three entries and this hurdles debutant will need to step up on his last run in March when tailed off at Southwell on soft ground. Gloucester trainer Sophie Leech, who along with her husband Christian worked at the course before taking up training, runs all three of her entries, although it is difficult to see any of them featuring in the finish.
The Rathbone Investment Management Handicap Chase over two and a half miles sees a number of runners who have been active during the summer jumping campaign, including Whos De Baby and Badgers Retreat. Another who is race-fit is Highbury High, who won off a rating of 96 at Wincanton in May and should go close from the same mark here for the Neil Mulholland stable.
For ‘N’ Against has won two chases this season, but returns to the smaller obstacles for the Ken Muir Memorial Handicap Hurdle in which he will carry top-weight. His last hurdles win came from a handicap mark of 109, but he has to race from a rating of 120 this time.
Beneficial Joe got his head in front at the eighth attempt at Worcester, but has gone up in the weights as a result, and the veteran Sinbad The Sailor, who was beaten just a nose on the Flat at Doncaster during the summer, is taken to come out on top.
Vexillum has gone off the boil since winning impressively at Fontwell, but will be receiving weight from all the other runners in the John Allen Memorial Interactive Novices´ Limited Handicap Chase (The John Allen Memorial Race). Three pounds above him in the handicap is dual winner No Ceiling, trained by Ian Williams near Alvechurch, but he will need to show improvement to land the hat-trick.
The vote goes to A Little Magic, who makes his chasing debut for trainer Jonjo O’Neill and jockey Aidan Coleman after running in a couple of hot hurdles at Stratford, following which his handicap mark has been dropped 5lbs.
The curtain comes down on the afternoon’s racing with the Rathbone Investment Management Mares’ Handicap Hurdle in which Troubled Soul, wearing a hood for the first time, makes her debut for the Fergal O’Brien stable after moving from Ireland.
The rain over Sunday night and Monday will have helped the cause of the consistent Loves Destination, who could be in the grip of the handicapper after winning three times last season, but whose weight is reduced by the 3lb claim of the in-form Alan Johns.
