I wasn't overly impressed with the quality on display at Cheltenham's November Meeting – save the Novice Chases – and I didn't see much over the three days that would instil fear into the hearts of Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliot.
Indeed, Elliot won the Juvenile Hurdle with a slow old boat – Duffle Coat – who merely stayed on up the hill when the home challenge had cried enough to win a poor renewal of the Grade 2 contest. There is likely to be a decent British juvenile warming up at Seven Barrows or Ditcheat, but if we saw a Cheltenham Festival winner last weekend was it at Fontwell Park? All tips and tricks on all racing around the UK head over to horse-betting.pro.
Nassalam did not jump particularly well early on but his hurdling improved as the race developed and he glided through the heavy ground as if it were good to soft. Gary Moore's juvenile won by no less than 59L at Fontwell where he did jump slightly out to his left. That may be significant going forward given I have always thought stablemate Goshen is slightly better going right-handed although that would not have stopped him in the Triumph Hurdle back in March.
It is possible – nee likely – that Nassalam will need soft ground to be seen at his best and it is probable that he will get further going forward, but visually it was a stunning performance. The winning time was slightly slower than that achieved by Adicci – carried 6lbs more – earlier in the day in the Salmon Spray Hurdle, but he was heavily eased with his race safely in the bag and his next start is eagerly awaited. Nassalam is currently 25/1 across the board for the Triumph Hurdle and I will be staggered if he could not beat Duffle Coat who is 16s. I would imagine the Grade 1 at Chepstow over Christmas is likely to be the next start for the three-year-old. Could he possibly exorcise Goshen's Cheltenham demons for the Moore family?
I am often baffled when I see a horse continue to race left-handed – or vice-versa – when it is obvious he needs to go the other way round, and similarly with trainers who run horses at tracks which are unlikely to suit.
One such horse was Checkitout who I am convinced will make up into a decent novice/handicap chaser despite coming down four out at Ludlow last time.
The fence at the top of the home straight at the Shropshire track used to be called Tricky Trevor – it still might – by the jockeys and it claimed four victims in the two chases at the last meeting, but I still feel that it was a poor piece of placement by connections on a course I felt was too tight for the gelding.
I feel that on a more galloping track Checkitout will leave his current chase mark of 123 well behind. The stable have done well with progressive novices in the Scottish Grand National in the past and, if the gelding progresses as I feel he ought, perhaps he too could be heading north come the spring.
The third horse I want to highlight going forward is Killer Clown who, at the time of writing is entered in a 2m 4f handicap chase at Kempton. Ben Jones was knocked out of the saddle at the second on his chase debut at Uttoxeter before running out of petrol over 3m at Exeter last time.
I was impressed with the gelding's jumping at Exeter and I will be disappointed if he is still rated 124 come the end of the season. Decent ground and trips short of three miles look his optimum conditions.
