Racing,

When life gives you Mandarins…

MANDARIN CHASE
Saturday 30th December, 2:25pm


Surrey Quest  @ 5/1
Atlanta Brave @ 11/2
Laskalin @ 6/1
Fantastikas @ 6/1
view odds

*prices correct at time of writing. 


RACE
On the Saturday after Christmas, racing’s favourite citrus fruit morphs from the stocking-filling satsuma to the mandarin orange as the Mandarin Chase – actually named after the only British-trained winner of France’s Grand Steeple de Paris (1962) – takes centre-stage at Newbury alongside the Challow Hurdle. The three-and-a-quarter-mile Mandarin (2-25) looks as puzzling as ever.

MARKET
Surrey Quest made a great start to life with trainer Toby Lawes when bolting up at Huntingdon over two-and-a-half-furlongs shorter, and although hit with an eight-pound rise in weight level the six-year-old has been competitive from higher. He’s also undergone a breathing procedure.

Being prepared by winner-machine Venetia Williams is a plus in itself for Laskalin, last year’s third (five-and-a-half-lengths behind second-placed Shanty Alley), though he came into that race in better order, and some of his efforts since have been nothing to write home about. Shanty Alley opposes on the same terms and ran ok in his first race for nearly six months at Catterick.

Atlanta Brave produced a likeable performance when runner-up – behind another Williams winner – at Exeter on only his second chase start and despite a bad blunder at halfway; an extra quarter-mile here should be right up his street. The Fitzdares-sponsored Ben Pauling is due to have two in the line-up, of which Bowtogreatness is the likelier having gone well fresh before and run with credit at this sort of distance at Aintree in the spring.

Certainly Red put in his usual good shift, with a big weight, on heavy at Sandown last time. Yes Indeed hasn’t won for ages, but made an encouraging return at Carlisle before fading after a significant jumping error at Bangor. Striking A Pose kept on well over a bit shorter at Wincanton last time, and this tougher examination should suit. Jockey of the moment Gavin Sheehan is on an outsider, but that won’t worry him, and Docpickedme knows how to win. Fantastikas has been tumbling down the weights but is expected to run at Haydock.

CORNELIUS’ QUARTET
Still at Newbury, in the Challow Hurdle (3-00), Willmount is all the rage, however the form has been only partly advertised so those odds may be skinny enough, and maybe something like Johnnywho, really dazzling first time over hurdles at Carlisle, is a sensible alternative; earlier, there’s a red-hot introductory hurdle (12-40) in which the well-bred Secret Squirrel looks to build on a hurdles debut at Kempton that received strong reviews; at Haydock (1-25), Fortescue, which ran terrifically behind Nassalam in the trial-race for the Welsh Grand National, could easily pay that horse another compliment; a year on from his first winner, Harry Derham saddles a hatful of fancies at Taunton headed by the exciting Queen’s Gamble but also including Nordic River upped in distance (3-55).

THE WINNER
You can make a reasonable case for almost everyone in the Mandarin; hopefully it proves a good opportunity for Atlanta Brave.


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