7th November news

Heading across the border on a Thursday evening

Newcastle 7th November : 19:30pm 7f (0-60) handicap AW standard

See My Baby Jive has been placed on her last 3 starts, the last two of which were over course and distance. It's the most recent which has given us the notion that this 3 time winner over 6f was worth another opportunity at 7f.
On that last occasion she was beaten (by 5 lengths) by a big improver in The Caltonian, who followed up with a win next time out then another improved run when a narrow runner up in a Wolverhampton, after a 10lb rise.

If last time out winner Ratafia can carry forward his recent turf form improvement to the AW, he could prevail here.

Anyway, Jason Hart takes the ride for the boss.....good luck!

Grace

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A nice hurdling introduction for Both Barrels at Carlisle on Sunday

It was around the turn of the century that saw the last time a training operation based in the North regularly housed over 100 National Hunt horses.
The majority being carefully selected but expensive horses from the sales arena or Point to Point field.
And that Howard Johnston - Graham Wylie dynasty were not without success at the top level with Festival Grade 1 victories for Inglis Drever & Tidal Bay and even a Group 3 winner on the level at York.

The recent announcement of a new training partnership up at Arlary House where Michael Scudamore (and a fair number of horses) have moved northwards to join Lucinda Russell whist leaving a Southern satellite yard in the care of brother Tom threatens to match the power of that Johnston-Wylie combo.
140 horses have been installed at the yard this season on the back of a return last season of 71 winners at a rate of 18% with a couple of Grade 1s plus that National victory thrown in.
The yard have also been big spenders at NH Store and Point-to-Point Sales in recent years, providing a conveyer belt of expensive 4 and 5 yr olds to debut in Northern bumpers and novice hurdles.
Of course, the ultimate aim for such acquisitions is not to win a Hexham novice hurdle by 20 lengths. It is the big prizes at the Spring Festivals of Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown where connections want to compete and win for a number of seasons to come.

So where does that leave the well run, accomplished Northern yards who cannot match that spending power but have young horses striving to achieve NH Flat or novice success?
Well, it's very much a numbers game and much like the mid-2000s competing against expensively acquired horses plus their equivalent Southern raiders leaves fairly small pickings. Thank goodness for handicaps!

That said, The Hardest Geezer battled hard to come out on top from such a field in the last at Ayr on Saturday - he heads to the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale (Point to Pointers & HIT) a week on Friday - and Both Barrels faced a similar collection on his hurdling debut over 2m 4f at Carlisle on Sunday.
4th place and keeping on to be 10 lengths adrift of the winner with a Lucinda £115,000 ex winning Pointer a couple of lengths in front in 3rd place. We were delighted.
He was a bit novicey (i.e. he can be more fluent) at his hurdles but showed a good attitude in keeping on well to the line. He will improve for this and could be seen to best effect over 3 miles in time.

Oh, and it was good to see Craig Nichol looking very fit and back amongst the winners over the weekend with a double on Sunday following up his success for this stable on Saturday.

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