MOREBATTLE HURDLE
Saturday 2nd March, 2:50pm
Under Control @ 3/1
Black Hawk Eagle @ 9/2
Skycutter @ 7/1
Salsada @ 9/1
view odds
*prices correct at time of writing.
RACE
Kelso’s £120,000 Morebattle Hurdle – named after a nearby village where, incidentally, there’s no record of any battle having taken place – has been staged in its current form, with a £100,000 bonus if the winner is subsequently successful at Cheltenham, since 2021 when The Shunter went on to do the double. The race (2-50) is Scotland’s premier hurdle with, as Kelso enjoys pointing out, an entry fee of £350 compared to £500 for the Festival’s County Hurdle which itself has a £20,000 smaller pot.
MARKET
Having disappointed first-time-out Under Control – the holder of three Cheltenham entries – underwent wind surgery, and that looked to have been a success when she split two talented Irish-trained opponents at Doncaster. Although on that and on a defeat of Iberico Lord last season she looks well-handicapped, the patchy form of the yard may be of slight concern.
In contrast, both Black Hawk Eagle’s trainer Kerry Lee and his jockey Richard Patrick have been enjoying a purple patch, as has this upwardly-mobile, Eagles syndicate-owned six-year-old, having landed in the winners’ enclosure at Wincanton and Hereford albeit at a lesser level.
Skycutter took a few quid out of the betting ring with a comfortable success at Carlisle – this is clearly harder. Salsada hasn’t been out since April, but she’s done okay off the back of an absence before. Last year’s winner Benson, from a stable that’s red-hot at the course, is top-weight, five pounds higher than in 2023, and it’s perhaps worth noting he won over further in January.
Bingoo has been excelling in examining situations and impressed with the manner in which he knuckled down at Aintree. Rewired relishes bouncing off good ground and has won three of his last four, really catching the eye at Taunton early last month. The five-year-old Cracking Rhapsody kept up his good run last time, over the course and distance when just getting up.
Anyharminasking looks a fair each-way shout back down in distance, and with some solid form with the progressive Nemean Lion. Little Mixup won pretty well at Thurles but the handicapper has taken no chances.
CORNELIUS’ QUARTET
Aye Right (3-25) is a local hero at Kelso – form figures at the track: 3-2-1-1-2-2-4-1-2-5-2 – and despite being eleven years old now has looked as sparky as ever in three races this season.
At Doncaster (2-35), Dan Skelton and team look to have found an interesting handicap opportunity for Nube Negra after a run in graded races going back to October 2019 and peppered with achievement, and they’re fitting cheekpieces.
Fifth-place in Doncaster’s Great Yorkshire Chase by course specialist Erne River (3-15) felt a tiny bit disappointing at the time but Forward Plan (a close 2nd) boosted the form in good style at Kempton and he wasn’t beaten far.
Paul Nicholls has won the Newbury feature (1-55) nine times, and dropping back a half-mile looks very likely to suit Kandoo Kid in a competitive staging
THE WINNER
Black Hawk Eagle and Anyharminasking for me.
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