POINT-TO-POINT 2013-14: A DREAM(Y) DOUBLE

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY UNITED HUNTS CLUB

Cottenham (RH 9F, 19J)

Sun, 1 Dec 2013 (Good to firm (officially Good))

Bright sunshine.  Reasonably pleasant temperatures.  A covering of grass rarely surpassed in recent years here.  All in all, Cottenham struck a welcoming and optimistic first note of the new season, with the broader concerns of the smallest national programme of fixtures for three decades and the ailing financial health of several of those meetings that remain easy to put to one side for this afternoon at least.

Even during and immediately after its resurgent 2012-13 season, in which a 39% rise in average race turnout (to 8.92) took it back to the top of the Area-by-Area averages list, East Anglia had trials of its own to contend with.  The future of racing at Marks Tey is now at least (seemingly) tentatively assured at the time of writing this piece, with an especially convened executive assuming both responsibility for race meetings from the landowning East Essex hunt (who no longer wish to hold a meeting) and for framing a Club meeting to ensure that two fixtures – this new one plus the surviving Essex Farmers & Union event - continue to be held over Marks Tey's challenging old line.

A large contributory factor to East Anglia's revived 2012-13 average was Pointing connections’ falling back in love with Cottenham, the runner count over its three meetings over 100 higher than the season before and the per-race average for these alone standing at 10.8 horses.  Representing an increase of three runners on the corresponding fixture in 2012, a turnout of 55 across six races this time around does little to suggest that the tide is set to turn back against this venue once again – especially with the goodwill engendered by the provision of a surface which a number of riders were moved to praise (Ben Rivett called the grass covering “amazing for the track” on Jumping For Fun subsequently).

Times were quick, but that was not the consequence of lightning fast ground – rather, the inner rails were brought in as far as anyone present could quite remember them.

RACE ONE: PPORA CLUB MEMBERS CONDITIONS

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The day’s biggest field of 15 was wrought from an initial entry of just 19, the first indication that the participation rate on the day was going to hold up pleasingly well.  What also held up in this particular contest was the gallop – strong from flagfall and too much for most participants to cope with.

Not so the John Ferguson-trained DREAMY GEORGE, never allowed by James Ferguson to sit too far off the early pace, but at the same kept a sensible distance away from its worst excesses until sent to collect the eventual runner-up between three and two out.  The Goldmark gelding did need keeping up to his work close home, but even on three shoes (having lost one very early on) was easily good enough to carve out a 3l victory that confirmed no lasting physical or psychological damage from his floundering in the Fakenham mud on his hunter chase debut when last seen. 

Presumably a return to Rules racing will be on the agenda in the fullness of time, and he’s worth another look in the professional sphere (hunter chases or, given his connections, maybe even novice chases) with another year under his belt – rising eight, he’s time enough to improve.

GALBALLY KING, a runner-up in the Paul Rackham last May and likewise the Grant’s Cherry Brandy the year before, had See You Jack to contend with as a rival pace influence early on.  That he was able to renew his challenge up the straight suggests that initial skirmish didn’t soften him up too much, but at the same time the winner never looked like coming back to him in time.  Perfectly able to triumph around more testing tracks than this under similarly assertive tactics, being three times a winner around Horseheath, an opening or two shouldn’t be too hard to find this winter.

Rival pacesetter SEE YOU JACK, a winner at Black Forest Lodge on day one of the season all of four years earlier, jumped off more contentedly here than had been the case on his most recent Rules starts.  He finished closer than seemed likely when losing his pitch at around halfway, consenting to run on again under Bridget Andrews from three out, and whilst still one with his own ideas about the game there may be a similar event in him around a longer track if he deigns to put it all in from start to finish.

TOWERING RUN ran in snatches before pulling up in this event in 2012, and whilst getting round this time wasn’t travelling especially well from halfway (pushed along jumping the tenth).  The evidence of the previous couple of seasons suggests March onwards is the time to consider him for win purposes.

POSH TRIP had racked up the form figures PFP on his three previous seasonal reappearances and has never won before his third start back, so a well-held fifth here was probably as good as could have been hoped for.

SPARE CHANGE is a safe conveyance for Lucy Wheeler but little else, and his record between the flags in this country now stands at 0-20.

ARTLESS, trained on the Flat by Cottenham’s starter Sir Mark Prescott before a fitful hurdling campaign with Howard Johnson, was never a factor on her first outing in almost exactly five years.

COURT RED HANDED, driven and outpaced from the final Cattleyard Fence onwards, looked booked for fourth when dislodging Max Kendrick at the last.  A soft-ground winner at Marks Tey in March, stamina tests of that magnitude are closer to his optimum requirement than Cottenham on top of the ground.

HAND ACT OR PART didn’t shine in a Restricted here last Christmas, and he wasn’t given a hard time on this occasion either once his chance had demonstrably passed.  He has never won earlier in a season than April, but showed at North Carlton last February that a winter victory ought not prove beyond him.

KEENAN’S FUTURE is a regular fixture in the better hunter chases but was virtually anonymous here.

LANG SHINING, capable but rarely willing in Flat races on Jersey over the past two summers, was still bang there when falling at the twelfth – far too early for his stamina around even a sharp three miles to be proven.

OR SING ABOUT proved in no mood to cooperate under Tara Rait-Rattray, his demolition of the wing of the open ditch on the first circuit necessitating that fence’s omission second time round.

RACE TWO: MENS OPEN

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A quick-fire double for John and James Ferguson, and something of a procession for EARTH DREAM, who barely had to turn a hair in taking his course record to four wins from six visits. 

Unseen since pulling up in the Cheltenham Foxhunter (prior to failing the vet for the Aintree equivalent), and yet to be returned to Ditcheat for Megan Nicholls to ride as originally intended, the Old Vic 10-year-old needed to do little more than hack round behind long-time pacesetter Share Option for the first two and a quarter miles before being sent on five out.  The jumping was accurate and the dispatch of three rivals as contemptibly easy as would be hoped for from a horse with 18lb in hand on Pointer ratings alone, though in and of itself the victory taught us nothing new.  Eligibility for a return to Cheltenham is already assured by dint of three Open wins, though it would be nice to see him take in a few more hunter chases than previously this time around. 

L’ELDORADO actually covets more or less the same early-mid 120s rating under Rules at present as Earth Dream, but Antonia Bealby’s dual Towcester winner had never been tried beyond an extended 2m4f in the professional arena and posted three consecutive  poor efforts when last seen earlier in 2013 (albeit all in class 2 or 3 company).  The manner of his 20l second here concerned more than the margin of defeat, containing as it did a couple of sizeable errors and a fairly lazy response to driving from the final back straight onwards, and the fact that two of his four Rules wins came after breaks makes it harder to mitigate on the grounds of his especially needing the outing.

SHARE OPTION does have winning British form over three miles, albeit in selling hurdle company and from over four years ago.  All-the-way tactics have rarely, if ever, been tried out with him in the past, though in such a small field something had to make the running here and he duly started to pay for it from the fifteenth.  He may prove better under a conservative ride, but he doesn’t yet appear a winner in waiting.

RANDJO, the one unpenalised runner in the race, was beaten over 30l but finished with running in him under Tobias Lawes.  Trips of 2m4f-plus invariably found him out under Rules (winless beyond 2m2f), so there’s no guarantee he’ll fare a lot better under more assertive handling.

RACE THREE: LADIES OPEN

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Another victory for Angela Rucker in a race she’s farmed in recent years, and a successful defence for last year’s victor SAGALYRIQUE, but the head margin of victory was far less than it would have been without what appeared to be premature easing close home on the part of the rider (to the audible alarm of those on at 9/4 and 5/2 in the stands). 

The Sagacity gelding’s performances started to trail off a little in the second half of last season, although admittedly set against better rivals than hitherto (of the likes of Palypso De Creek, Shernally and It Was Me) and on tracks perhaps longer than ideal.  A still nine-year-old who jumps as tidily as he does, who recorded most of his better Rules efforts over sub-3m trips and who handles sound surfaces with aplomb could be more profitably aimed at 2m4f hunter chases around the Ludlows of this world – it remains to be seen whether such targets are considered this term after two years spent exclusively between the flags.

ROSSMORE LAD had made every yard in a 3m Uttoxeter novices’ handicap chase back in June when last seen (final start for Charlie Longsdon), so was never going to be taken out of his comfort zone in being asked to cut out the pace from flagfall here.  The ultimate margin of victory flatters him slightly given the winning rider’s late coasting, but this still rates a very pleasing introduction (under 1lb overweight) to Pointing around a track whose clockwise orientation didn’t appear to suit, judged on some occasional shifts to the left.

Hunted with the Vine & Craven by Richard Bandey and successful around galloping tracks under Rules when successful at all, it wouldn’t take much of a leap of imagination to see Rossmore Lad run a big race at his home hunt’s Barbury fixture in mid-February.

Like Rossmore Lad, NOWURHURLIN signed off under Rules with a novices’ handicap chase victory in the spring (for Donald McCain), albeit over the stretch 2m1f at Bangor rather than anywhere near the full Pointing trip.  Ridden to stay the trip, the six-year-old finished well enough without exactly burning up the straight, and more evidence is needed before extoling his virtues as one to last out over three miles. 

Sinnington handler Sarah Stilgoe has sent Pointers hunter chasing in the recent past, enjoying victory with Locksmith at Southwell two and a half years ago, so a switch to 2m4f events in that sphere with Nowurhurlin in the fullness of time wouldn’t surprise.

STRATHCAL didn’t always convince over even the minimum trip over hurdles and fences and remains winless beyond 1m4f in any mode of racing.  It’s highly unlikely that a couple of early errors under first-timer Jade Pringle were the difference between taking a greater hand in matters and not.

Commentator Steve Payne spotted flaws in START ROYAL’s jumping very early on in the piece, and matters didn’t improve for the 13-time Point winner as the race wore on.  Impervious to Gina Andrews’ sustained urgings up the final back straight, something needs to come to light for this most disappointing effort – nothing about track, ground or grade looked against him.

A C&D Restricted second behind Divine Intavention in 2010 represents the only occasion on which BLEUVITO has shown much form at all on any of his National Hunt or Pointing seasonal returns, and a faltering effort from three out here looked very much that of a horse again needing the first run back.  Awarded the Dodson & Horrell PPORA Club Members Novice Riders’ Final at Tabley in May following the disqualification of the original winning rider, there’ll be something else to take with him around a right-handed track again this winter as and when the mood takes him.

PEPLUM, reliant on rider enterprise and receipt of a stone when recording his sole Pointing success at Parham in April, fared no better in this contest than he had in the Men’s equivalent (28l third) in 2012.

RACE FOUR: RESTRICTED

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Seven of the nine originally entered for this contest turned out on the day, but hardly anything bar the winner ever featured as MOSCOW BLAZE’s kick for home with fully a circuit to go proved exactly the right tactic. 

Less aggressive rides at this course’s first two meetings in 2012-13 had garnered Page Fuller’s mount a pair of place finishes, but a subsequent Maiden victory around the far more exacting Didmarton, in which he led or disputed the lead throughout, suggested that the seven-year-old could prosper more over the full Pointing trip when taking races by the scruff from an early stage.  Dangers were non-existent once Tiermore Lass had been shaken off approaching the eleventh, and barring a minor peck three out the jumping was as accurate and fast as produced by any competitor on the day – not a given for a horse whose mid- to late-season campaign last term was not without its share of mishaps. 

Assuming this evidently improved round of jumping can be sustained from here on, and others don’t goad him into doing too much too early on in a race, there are stronger grounds for optimism in him ascending the grades now than previously.

A C&D second to Forest Walker last Christmas was as good as it got for GUILTY AS CHARGED last term, and as on that occasion there was just too little left to offer late on in terms of changes of gear to worry an albeit irresistible winner.  He’s starting to look a bit exposed at this level now, but the ability to find a small Restricted definitely lurks – perhaps a return to Whitfield, the only other course at which he’s either won or placed, is worth a try.

A HEART BEATS ON stood only two outings for Ed De Giles in the two and a half years following his Irish Maiden Point win (at the fourth time of asking, on good ground), but this first outing since March and debut for David Phelan wasn’t a bad effort by any means and there’s still relatively little mileage on the clock for a gelding rising eight.  Like the runner-up a little shy of tactical pace where it mattered, a routine South East Restricted over a longer track than this may well be within compass.

FREE RUN had the notional race-fitness edge on all of these, having last been seen scoring between the flags in Ireland only 63 days earlier (good to firm).  Things seemed to happen a mite quickly for him all the way round, however, and a tardy leap five out left him with too much ground to recover.  He’s worth another chance around something more galloping.

TIERMORE LASS needed a poor-looking four-runner Mares’ Maiden at Whitfield in June to get off the mark in Points (effectively a match after 2m), and a retreating effort from just after halfway here confirms she’s going to struggle to follow up, for all that having sustained rivalry for the early lead this time around wouldn’t have been what she wanted.

WILA is a better horse than a completion rate in Points of just 25% before this race would necessarily suggest, with a fall five out at Kingston Blount on her final 2013 outing abruptly ending what had the makings of being a good attempt to follow up her previous Higham victory.  On that basis a fading effort and eventual unseating this time may be regarded a disappointment, but then she hardly shone on her Pointing debut here last February either, and may just not like the place.  She’s better than this.

RACE FIVE: 3m OPEN MAIDEN

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Mission accomplished for Alan, Lawney and Joe Hill, as EARL GREZ’s long sequence of podium finishes in Points – augmented by a third in the Cuckoo at Fontwell in May – was finally halted by a comfortable victory gained in the returning tongue-tie (used once under Rules in summer 2012).  Never headed once sent to the front after the first ditch, the Turgeon eight-year-old really didn’t need the gift of Grey Bobby being carried wide by the eventual fifth turning for home in order to prevail – that incident merely confirmed the inevitable. 

Joe Hill suggested on Twitter subsequently that today was Earl Grez’s Gold Cup, and that there may not be exponential improvement to follow.  All that said, actually being able to hold on for a first score in any mode of racing for the first time at the 22^nd attempt, and to do so as comfortably as this, will have done wonders for the gelding’s confidence, and his generally proficient jumping will always be something he has over at least some of his rivals now upped to Restricted class.

GREY BOBBY, like the winner last seen at Kingston Blount’s mid-May Kimblewick fixture, still had stamina doubts over the full trip entering this race, and whilst Cottenham wouldn’t rate foremost among the venues in which to prove a horse genuinely stays three miles, his staying-on second did answer those questions up to a point.  Done few favours by the fading Oscar Rainbow turning in, he’s value for a closer finish than he eventually managed and isn’t for ignoring just yet.

SITTING BACK, 0-26 in a variety of disciplines in Ireland previously (some in the care of Arthur Moore), fared best of the Worsley sibling-ridden, Georgina Howell-trained representatives on this British debut.  It’s something to build on at a moderate level, and some easier ground than this wouldn’t necessarily inconvenience judged on the pick of some admittedly ordinary previous form.

INTENTANDPURPOSES, representing the same connections that ran through the grades with Lough Inch last term (starting with the short Maiden on this card), was given time enough by Sam Davies-Thomas to recover from a sizeable blunder six fences in without ever again looking a major threat.  Absent for 13 months before this, he’s in good hands to leave this effort well behind if cutting out the stopping errors.

OSCAR RAINBOW, twice placed off low-70s marks in sub-3m handicap hurdles earlier in the year, didn’t see out this trip but still probably achieved more than when hammered in a Maisemore Park Maiden in between those efforts over timber.  He won’t be easy to win with in Points, with the time to take in a short Maiden all but up for him.

RACE SIX: 2m4f OPEN MAIDEN

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You’d have got short odds on there being recourse to fence omission  at some point in proceedings on such a bright, sunny winter’s afternoon, and the first two fences in the home straight were duly bypassed in this short Maiden, leaving 12 fences to jump.  What obstacles were taken presented this field of ten with a number of difficulties, however, and only half completed. 

The first two were already well clear of what remained turning into the back straight for the final time, although it wasn’t until the final fence in the contest (usually two out) that Gina Andrews asked her father Simon’s CAN MESTRET to kick on.  Third in a big-field Cork bumper when last seen in May, and with a very much Flat-oriented damside, the decent burst of speed that settled the contest up the straight probably ought not to have surprised too much, and the Millenary six-year-old may well prove best kept to the faster tracks in the locality as he progresses.

For the record, Can Mestret was giving the rider her first ever opening-day victory at the start of her sixth full season in the sport.

WARWICKSHIRE, sporting the Mid Div And Creep colours carried to victory by So Oscar in a Towcester bumper just seven days earlier, consistently outjumped all of his rivals throughout - the winner included.  A combination of running a shade keenly early on – understandable, following a near 15-month absence - and the comparative lack of tactical pace compared to Can Mestret eventually conspired to find him out, but this definitely rates his most satisfactory performance since placing twice in Irish bumpers for Keiran Purcell in summer 2011.  Fast ground suited him well in his previous Rules incarnation, and evidently still does.

PYRO’s optimum racing style in Irish Points (placed twice) had been to try to boss things from the front, and although staying on appreciably up the home straight it couldn’t be claimed that the more patient tactics deployed on this British debut (and first try of any ground quicker than yielding) served him that much better. 

OUR CRUSADE’s three placed bumper efforts in the spring and summer were much of a muchness, but the maiden hurdle eighth that followed them was a litany of errors.  A steady fourth here ought to provide a confidence fillip, without necessarily extoling his virtues as a likely next-time winner.

AFRICAN SWAN, daughter of 16-time Point winner Coolvawn Lady but offloaded by David Brace (who also bred her) midway through last season, unseated five out (usual six out) before any serious questions had been asked.  A possible first win had gone begging on her first start for Lynn Redman at Kingston Blount in May; and whilst the ability to win an ordinary short Maiden is seemingly there, jumping errors continue to temper confidence in her converting a chance.

KEEFFES WELL received virtually all of the allowances available, but an error at the one fence jumped in the straight cost Freddie Mitchell an iron and the four-year-old gelding all momentum and hope.  He still looked a bit weak in his bumper and maiden hurdle outings for Eugene O’Sullivan previously, and the jury is still out as to how much he’s developed in the six months since last seen after this.

The North Staffordshire-hunted raiders progressed no further than the second fence, with SHAQ unseating Nick Carter and BUNCRANAGH, the first runner of another big season for Joseph O’Shea, regrettably breaking down irreparably.

The corresponding race on this card 12 months earlier had seen rider Patrick Smith fined £90 for a breach of Regulation 127 (to all intents and purposes, schooling in public), and the performance of the Ben Brackenbury-ridden BALLY MARLOW, pulled up early on the final circuit, similarly piqued the officials’ attention on this occasion. 

Connections reasoned that the Presenting five-year-old, beaten 46l in another C&D Maiden last Christmas, is accustomed to running better left-handed (as evidenced by a Woodford second in April), and that opportunities to do so at this time of year are limited.  Stewards out in the country confirmed that Bally Marlow had hung left repeatedly on his way round, and no action was ultimately taken beyond noting Brackenbury and trainer Simon Gilmore’s comments.  Bally Marlow holds an entry around the more conducive terrain of Barbury this coming weekend.