A FRESH pair of legs is never a
bad thing at this late stage of
the National Hunt campaign
and Jontys'lass (2.30) fits neatly
into that category at Newcastle.
Andy Crook's Middleham
raider has only seen a racetrack
once so far this season,
finishing mid-pack in red-hot
Sandown contest 33 days ago.
Winless throughout 2007,
Jontys'lass has slipped to a
mark which makes her a
potentially attractive each-way
bet in the Saltwell Signs Mares'
Only Handicap Hurdle.
advertisement
Sure to be a whole heap fitter
for her pipe-opener down south,
Crook's daughter of Tamure
should appreciate the drop in
class for the Tyneside two-anda-
half-miler.
Sloppy jumper Ocarina (3.05)
has tossed away two possible
victories, firstly at Market
Rasen in December when
unseating his rider two out
when in second spot.
The error-prone six-year-old
gelding then compounded the
misery for connections on a trip
to Ayr by hitting the deck three
fences from the jamstick.
On that occasion Ocarina was
upsides and moving equally as
well as the eventual winner,
Almure du Lia, which made it
an even more bitter pill to
swallow.
Of course investing on such
horses is always a worrying
process, but steeple-chasing is
in any case a major risk
business and he might be worth
one more chance.
Sue Smith's stable is going
great guns, which in itself is a
strong pointer to the prospects
of Mill Side (4.15) in the St
James Place Novices' Hurdle.
At eight years of age Millside
was making a belated career
debut in January, nonetheless
that didn't stop him running a
blinder to nab third-place
money.
Even better news for
supporters of Millside revolves
around the fact that the run
was at today's venue, meaning
he won't need a map and
compass to find his way round.
Richard Guest's yard went
ominously quiet soon after
Christmas, but those two
months in the doldrums now
appear to be over.
Red Scally (4.50) was one of
his inmates to redress the
balance, scooting home at
Fakenham a fortnight ago with
plenty of fuel left in the tank.
Although that was a
Beginners' Chase, whereas he
now tackles a handicap, it
doesn't mean to say Red Scally
won't follow-up in the hands of
Paddy Aspell.
Finally we try our luck at
Wolverhampton where Optical
Illusion (7.20) looks different
gear to his rivals in the sevenfurlong
Handicap.
A superbly-bred son of
Theatrical, he's never actually
delivered for either of his
previous trainers, Ed Dunlop or
Ian Semple.
Whilst disappointing, every
cloud possesses a silver lining
and Optical Illusion's rating has
plunged 18lbs, which in my
book is penalty kick stuff for
new handler, Linda Perratt.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
