The Flat season is all but ended and now the racing public can turn their attention to the jumps season. Wetherby racecourse in West Yorkshire hosts two National Hunt graded races on Saturday – the Gr2 bet365 Hurdle (16h00) and the Gr2 bet365 Charlie Hall Chase (16h35), both run over 3 miles. Track conditions are likely to remain good to soft, good in places.
Wetherby Racecourse – the place to be this Saturday! (Pic – Wetherby Racecourse and Conference Centre Facebook)
The Gr2 Hurdle sees the JP McManus owned Sporting John priced up 7/4 favourite in a field of six. The Phillip Hobbs trained seven-year-old is a Group 1 winner, successful in the Sicily Isles Chase at Sandown last season. He is the joint highest rated runner in the field and loves soft ground. He may well outclass his rivals on his reappearance with his record fresh another positive.
However, last year’s heroine Indefatigable and Proschema (who finished just under three-lengths behind) are back and both have had the benefit of a recent run. Paul Webber’s mare Indefatigable carries bottom weight, loves the soft underfoot conditions and looks the value at around 7/2.
Thirty-five minutes later, six chasers contest the Charlie Hall. The top two in the market Ahoy Senor and Bravesmansgame look set to fight out Saturday’s contest with Eldorado Allen taken to complete the placings.
At the weights Bravemansgame and Ahoy Senor have an advantage over their rivals, and these two lightly raced seven-year-olds are still very much on the improve. The pair have clashed three times before with the score in favour of Ahoy Senor, who has beaten Bravemansgame twice compared to the latter’s sole victory over his rival in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase last year.
The duo makes their first appearances since Ahoy Senor was a dominant winner of the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree in April, with Bravemansgame fourth on that occasion.
Paul Nicholls was on record stating his horses were not on song last April and Bravemansgame is now turned out by the champion trainer currently enjoying a 33% winning strike rate. With underfoot conditions to his liking, Bravemansgame is selected to equal the rivalry with Ahoy Senor at two all come Saturday afternoon.
