Weekend Racing Review - Top Two Mile Chasers

It was a weekend where 2 mile chasers were the focus, with top class action from Sandown and Cork. Both tracks had 2 good quality chases ran over the same distance, which I have attempted to review below, using time comparisons between each obstacle. I've also looked at the action over hurdles at Sandown, where there was some fairly interesting performances and easy successes.

Sandown - Saturday 6th December - Chases

The Grade 1 Henry VIII novice chase won by Lulamba was notable for how ridiculously quick the early pace was. Nico de Boinville definitely made the right decision by dropping in the winner. The pace did slow slightly, but the early fractions were the main reason why Lulamba was around 20 lengths quicker than Tingle Creek winner Il Etait Temps overall. Of course, this is significant but Lulamba is slightly flattered by this comparison. The Tingle Creek pace was much steadier up to 4 out and was slower than optimal. It is also worth noting that it rained during the 2 races, slowing conditions to a small extent. Despite this, it was a brilliant performance from Lulamba. It is hypothetical of course, but he would be a deserved favourite for the Champion Chase, should he line up in the race. At this stage, it also looks very possible that the Arkle will end up being a stronger race than the Champion Chase. Of the other runners in both races, I would be much more interested in Be Aware and Lump Sum than Jonbon and L'Eau Du Sud, acknowledging that the former had a tougher race, which may take a bit of getting over.

Cork - Sunday 7th December - Chases

There were only 2 chases on the card at Cork on Sunday, both ran over 2 miles. The comparison above (as always) is adjusted for the different weights carried. Majborough was the hot favourite for the Hilly Way chase, but, as was the case in the Arkle earlier this year, jumping errors cost him victory. He reminds me a bit of El Fabiolo, although that horse was at least able to not lose much time when ploughing through a fence. There is no doubting his potential though, and he could easily bounce back next time.

Of the 2 race winners, Kala Conti looks of most interest going forward. Despite Kargese disappointing, it was a very strong performance from the mare. They went a bit slower than the Hilly Way in the middle stages of the race, but the finishing effort was a good bit quicker and her overall time can be upgraded a small amount. The fact that the favourite flopped also means that Kala Conti might go under the radar a bit next time. Found A Fifty is generally a reliable yardstick, and looks to have ran to a rating in the low 160s again.

Sandown - Saturday 6th December - Hurdles

In a bumper weekend for the Moore's at Sandown, the best of their 4 winners could easily end up being Hurricane Pat. His overall time compares very well with the rest of the card and the finishing effort was also the joint quickest across the 2 days. As mentioned earlier, it did rain during Go Dante's race, which would have slowed the ground for the last hurdle race of the day. Considering all this, it looks to be a performance worthy of a rating in the mid 140s, with scope for considerable improvement. It always seems a bit silly to think about novice hurdles at the festival at this time of the year, given we probably have not even heard of the favourite which will almost certainly emerge from the Mullins yard, but the 25/1 for the Supreme looks tempting. When compared with the 5/1 available about the current favourite Mydaddypaddy, it looks even more generous.

Sandown - Friday 5th December - Hurdles

Friday's hurdle action saw the return of the much hyped No Drama This End, who produced another performance befitting of his name. They went very slowly in the first half mile of the race, with the final 2 miles being run much more evenly. Time comparisons with 110 rated winner Across Earth look decent, but nothing special at this stage, particularly given his reputation. He did it with considerable ease, but much bigger challenges lie ahead. It was a smart finishing effort from Mactoad in the Juvenile Hurdle, matching that of Hurricane Pat from 2 out to the line the following day. They went very slowly in the early and middle stages of that race, but it was impressive how he was able to quicken on the bridle.