Hermes Allen was a very easy winner of the Challow Novices’ Hurdle at a rain-lashed Newbury, to give Paul Nicholls a third successive victory in the Grade One feature.
Following on from Bravemansgame and Stage Star, Hermes Allen had to prove he could handle deep ground on this occasion. On paper at least, this year’s renewal looked as strong as any in recent memory – but Hermes Allen, who is co-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, proved in a different league to all of his rivals.
Musselburgh
12.15 Animore 12.45 Jem In Em 1.15 Parliament Hill 1.45 Massini Man 2.15 Russian Virtue 2.45 Moore Clouds 3.15 Florida Dreams
Chelmsford City
12.30 Gintini 1.00 Miss Sligo 1.30 Valkyrian 2.00 Triggered (nb) 2.30 Baccarat Baby 3.00 George Morland (nap) 3.30 Reset Button
Wolverhampton
5.00 Mafia Power 5.30 Al Khawaneej Storm 6.00 Raffles Rebel 6.30 My Boy Jack 7.00 Wakai Umi 7.30 Nacho 8.00 Alya’s Gold Award 8.30 Little Roman
Dan Skelton’s Vicki Vale tried to stretch the field and, turning for home, it looked as if she may have slipped them. But a confident Harry Cobden stuck to the inside and as soon as Vicki Vale began to tire, Hermes Allen (11-10 favourite) was quickly left in the lead. You Wear It Well fared best of the remainder with Jamie Snowden’s mare plugging on for second, but Cobden did not have to move a muscle on the impressive winner. He is now as short as 3-1 favourite for the Ballymore at Cheltenham with Coral.
Nicholls, winning the race for a fifth time in all – including with Denman in 2006 – was not at the course as he was celebrating his landlord Paul Barber’s 80th birthday. Speaking from Ditcheat he said: “I’m obviously thrilled with that. I was worried about the ground and the lads asked me what I wanted to do, and I just said we didn’t know that he didn’t go on it, so we had to kick on. As Harry said afterwards good horses go on any ground, he’s now won on quick ground and that ground. He’s not slow. He had been slow at home, but he’s waking up mentally and physically. He’s got it all really, he’s got everything you want in a good horse.
The Guardian’s racing correspondent, Greg Wood, has retained his title as the UK’s leading newspaper tipster with a second successive win in the Racing Post’s annual National Press Challenge.
Wood has now finished several lengths in front of the opposition in his first two years as our lead tipster. He moved to the top of the table in early September and maintained a clear lead for the final four months of the year.
Individual winners included two picks at 33-1, others at 22-1 and 18-1 and four more at 16-1. Overall, Wood’s selections in the contest, in which tipsters are ranked by the return from a £1 bet at starting price, showed a return of just under 90pc on turnover, 1.5pc ahead of his closest pursuer.
“I just kept saying we had to wait and now he’s maturing. Time never does these good horses any harm. I suspect we’ll go straight to Cheltenham now. There’s no real need to run him again, but the only option is the trial race in a month and then you have a nice gap until the Festival or you just go straight there. We’ll all have a chat. I don’t want to go to the well too often as he’ll have had a hard race on that ground today.”
Earlier, Grumpy Charley proved stamina is well and truly his forte with a doughty success in the Coral Racing Club Mandarin Handicap Chase, while Venetia Williams recorded winner No 17 for the season when Gamaret made a winning seasonal and chasing bow. PA
Stolen Silver can shine at Cheltenham
The Grade Two events on Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day card should offer some useful hints before the Festival meeting in March, but the handicap chase at 1.55 will be of more immediate concern for many punters, with 17 runners declared and the bookies betting 5-1 the field.
Several of the leading contenders contested the Paddy Power Gold Cup on the Old course in November, including the market leaders, Midnight River and Il Ridoto, who ran well to finish third and fourth, respectively.
Neither makes as much appeal at the likely odds, however, as Stolen Silver, who unseated his rider three out in the Paddy Power just as he seemed poised for a move towards the lead. Sam Thomas’s eight-year-old can race off the same mark on Sunday and produced arguably the standout piece of form in the race when coming home 11 lengths clear in a strong time over track and trip in April.
Cheltenham 1.20: Monmiral was no match for Jonbon on his chase debut in November but showed more than enough in finishing seven lengths behind the Arkle Trophy favourite to suggest he has a bright future over fences. His 14-length second behind Epatante in the Grade One Aintree Hurdle in April also implies this step up in trip will suit.
Musselburgh 1.35: Stuart Coltherd’s Cooper’s Cross was steadily progressive in his first season over fences and has continued his improvement this term. He was not beaten far in a stronger race than this at Aintree in early December and looks good for his second win of the season off a 1lb higher mark.
Cheltenham 2.30: A strong renewal of the Relkeel Hurdle, which gives I Like To Move It a chance to underline his improvement. Nigel Twiston-Davies’s front-running six-year-old was touched off in a strong renewal of the Betfair Hurdle in February before shrugging off a mark of 142 in the Greatwood Hurdle in November, and this move up to two-and-a-half miles could bring further improvement.
Cheltenham: 12.10 Future Investment, 12.45 Poppa Poutine, 1.20 Monmiral, 1.55 Stolen Silver (nap), 2.30 I Like To Move It, 3.05 Wilde About Oscar (nb), 3.40 Fiercely Proud
Exeter: 12.20 King Turgeon, 12.55 Annie Magic, 1.30 Hugos New Horse, 2.05 How Will I Know, 2.40 Southern Sam, 3.15 Imperial Joe, 3.50 Wrappedupinmay
Musselburgh: 12.25 Bringbackmemories, 1.00 Lastofthecosmics, 1.35 Cooper’s Cross, 2.10 Warriors Story, 2.45 Voix Du Reve, 3.20 Ilanz
Fakenham: 12.35 Lord Sparky, 1.10 Liverpool Knight, 1.45 Lincoln Lyn, 2.20 Hurricane Vichi, 2.55 Carrigdoun Boy, 3.30 Jessie Lightfoot
Catterick: 12.40 Park This One, 1.15 Just Jess, 1.50 Git Maker, 2.25 Legendary Day, 3.00 Skyhill, 3.35 Heritier
Southwell: 2.16 Queen Of Burgundy, 2.51 Chantreys, 3.26 Methinks, 3.56 Manaafith, 4.26 Sugar Hill Babe, 4.56 The Bell Conductor, 5.26 Dark Side Prince, 5.56 Rikona.
Musselburgh 2.45: Voix Du Reve is a capable handicapper and should appreciate the big drop in class after taking on Constitution Hill at Grade One level in November.
Cheltenham 3.05: Call Me Lord was denied victory by Dolphin Square in a strong race at Sandown last time when his rider mistook the winning post, but he is still up 2lb in the ratings and Wilde About Oscar, who was a short-head away in third, catches the eye at around 8-1 to get the better of the pair. GW
