SOVEREIGN HANDICAP HURDLE
Friday 17th January, 3:35pm
Kabral Du Mathan @ 6/4
Navajo Indy @ 5/2
Secret Squirrel @ 7/2
Hansard @ 11/1
Wreckless Eric @ 12/1
view odds
*prices correct at time of writing.
THE RACE
Those of us of a certain vintage have been overdosing on nostalgia about the return of jump racing to Windsor, and there is considerable anticipation ahead of the £1.2million, three-day Berkshire Winter Million (shared with Ascot) which opens at the Thames-side track with the £110,000 Fitzdares Sovereign Handicap Hurdle (3-35) its competitive highlight.
THE MARKET
Kabral Du Mathan was only beaten a short-head by Fiercely Proud at Ascot just before Christmas. He put up a real fight in the closing stages and, having only had four races, there is a decent chance of further improvement.
Secret Squirrel looked held in third when falling at the last in that Ascot race but, with a significant pull at the weights with Kabral Du Mathan, should be competitive again.
Navajo Indy is more mature and relaxed this season says trainer Tom Symonds, something which is certainly showing in his performances with wins at Bangor and Newbury.
Beat The Bat should have been sharpened up by his first run in almost a year when runner-up in a decent race Haydock in November. His form stacks up well.
Harry Derham runs three. Top weight and Champion Hurdle entry Brentford Hope is marginally the pick reverting to handicaps over Court In The Act, an easy Market Rasen winner, but facing far tougher opposition here.
Wreckless Eric, successful in good style at Cheltenham in November, looked slightly unlucky back there a month later when chasing home a rival which had been allowed to slip the field in front.
Trainer Dan Skelton is mustard in these valuable handicap hurdles so Knickerbockerglory will be on many shortlists after he easily beat Nemean Lion at Sandown. The worry, however, is that he has struggled to match his comeback run in the last two years.
Cracking Rhapsody steps up in class after winning well at Kelso; all of Tour Ovalie’s wins have come in mares’ hurdles.
THE WINNER
I think that Navajo Indy looks like a horse on a roll that’s still at the right end of the handicap – what do you reckon?
CORN’S QUARTET
Regular readers will be aware of this column’s admiration for Lowry’s Bar. He has won again since narrowly beating Stormy Flight, and Jeremy Scott’s runner looks well handicapped on that run (4-08).
Lucinda Russell is sending some of her best horses from Scotland for the Windsor/Fitzdares prizemoney. The whisper is the stable holds unbeaten novice hurdler Derryhassen Paddy (12.40) in particularly high regard.
Four-time champion jump jockey Richard Johnson is enjoying a terrific season with the horses which run in the colours of his racing club. His chaser Imperial Saint has won three times and Party Vibes, whose jumping has impressed, can build on her recent Exeter victory (2-25).
At Market Rasen it looks like the Veterans Handicap Chase will finally be run (2-35) after previous attempts at Sandown and Warwick were foiled by the weather. I’ve long fancied Sam Brown and see no reason to desert the young-at-heart 13-year-old.
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