Sky Sports Racing’s Elliot David has picked out two winners in each of his first two columns and returns with five to keep onside at Plumpton and Wolverhampton on Monday.
AH WHISHT
1.50 Plumpton
It’s all about Goodwin at Plumpton on Monday, as the owners of Chris Gordon’s novice hurdler sponsor the card. The owners have an enviable 33 per cent strike rate with runners under rules in Britain, notably with Betfair Hurdle winner Aucunrisque.
Having sent some useful performers in Smurphy Enki and Unanswered Prayers to win recent renewals of this contest, Gordon relies on the appropriately named Goodwin Racing, who landed a first hurdle win at the second attempt on February 26 over a shorter trip at Fontwell.
In opposition, the Venetia Williams-trained Hermes Du Gouet got off the mark in tough ground conditions at Exeter on January 10, but the 14-day stable form of 0-17 has to raise concerns about how they’re running currently. His previous hurdle efforts at Chepstow and Leicester weren’t of the same level and you couldn’t be confident he’ll replicate the Exeter effort.
Instead, it’s Tom Symonds’ mare AH WHISHT that looks to be a key challenger having impressed many in a 13-length hurdle debut victory on February 9.
The Necarne point-to-point winner, who cost a princely £145,000, comes from a family of both quality and stamina. Her dam Listening has produced five winners from five foals including three-mile winner Hear No Evil and Nicky Henderson’s useful Attacca.
I’d say connections will by eyeing some black type for their valuable mare at some stage and she’d certainly have to win this to continue on that path.
THE STREET
3.35 Plumpton
In last-time-out winners Midnightreflection and Gerico Ville you’ve got a pair worthy of fighting out favouritism for this handicap hurdle contest. Ben Case’s eight-year-old mare Midnightreflection has made use of a drop in class to record second and first-place finishes on her last two starts, but off a mark of 124 remains 5lb below her career-high winning mark of 129.
Having been ridden by Harry Bannister at Doncaster on February 22, for which she was penalised 4lb, she’ll have 7lb claimed off her back courtesy of Charlie Case but there would have to be some concerns over her stamina on the forecast soft ground over this three-mile-and-one-furlong trip. When encountering soft ground over three miles or further, she’s been beaten 15, 44 and 27 lengths.
My speculative interest lies with Emma Lavelle’s returning seven-year-old THE STREET, who is on a bit of a retrieval mission after falling and pulling up when last seen in November and December. The two falls came in his two starts over fences and the chasing experiment was swiftly abandoned. I can forgive a pulled-up effort at Fontwell off the back of that and, following a break, he could return freshened up and nicely handicapped off 117.
Emma Lavelle’s The Street won at Chepstow in February 2022
HAALAND
6.00 Wolverhampton
I can’t understand the forecast 4/1 price of Gay Kelleway’s HAALAND, with this contest being dramatically easier than the handicap he contested over course and distance on January 30. In Tabaretta (90) and Mighty River (87), he just bumped into horses in a slightly different league on that occasion but pulled seven lengths clear of Andrew Balding’s Logistical in fourth in a run that didn’t disgrace him.
I thought that run was another step forward on his two victories off lesser marks and he faces nothing of the quality of that pair here. In fact, Balding’s Logistical gives us a good comparable form line here having been beaten a length by Charlie Johnston’s Timewave on January 17. That race saw the Johnston three-year-old gifted an easy time of it on the front end, something he doesn’t look guaranteed here, and his price looks skinny by contrast in these conditions.
The race won by Stan Moore’s Mirabello Bay on March 8 looked to fall apart, with the front quartet going too fast and setting it up for horses ridden off that pace. While the leading quartet finished fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, it was Moore’s charge that came through from the rear late on. Ultimately I think the result flattered. In my view, this looks an excellent bit of placing from Kelleway and Haaland can score his third victory of 2023.
SAVANNAH SMILES
6.30 Wolverhampton
This looks a wide-open contest, as you’d probably expect for a three-year-old basement level handicap. With her stable in decent form, Tom Ward’s SAVANNAH SMILES makes each-way appeal now back down in trip having not run her race over seven furlongs when last seen.
Third of three on debut, we now know she likely stood no chance that day at Bath as May Hill Stakes winner Polly Pott came home victorious. Her Southwell run on January 23 is by far a ‘career best’ so far, beaten just over a length by Karl Burke’s Shine Honey Shine with subsequent winners in McLean House and Wreck It Ryley in behind.
Stepped up to seven furlongs at Southwell on February 21, she took what looked to be too keen a hold and ran a muddling race. It’s not the first time she’s done so and it may be that she needs to be delivered late. From a wide draw in 10, Sean Levey is likely to have to opt for a hold-up ride but with pace on offer from the likes of low-drawn pair Sajwaan and She’s A Rocket, she looks set to get a good pull into this contest.
GASTRONOMY
7.00 Wolverhampton
It may be a tough ask for Roger Varian’s four-year-old to win this on his first start since August returning from a gelding operation, but I think he’s got to be one for your tracker for the 2023 Flat season.
Taking a good step forward from what was just an “okay” debut, he finished fourth over 10 furlongs at Nottingham in a strong looking novice contest. He just looked a little outpaced that day on rattling quick ground similar to that he encountered on debut and he may well appreciate a switch to the Tapeta here
By Ulysses out of Cantal, who herself was a half-sister to two Group Three winners, he’s a half-brother to two smart horses in Perfection and Molatham. His dam is by Pivotal, a cross we’ve seen be hugely successful when paired with Ulysses in his young stallion career. From 14 Pivotal mares, Ulysses has sired six individual winners including Holloway Boy (Group placed two-year-old) in addition to Listed-placed maiden Gwan So.
As mentioned, it’s entirely possible he’ll need this run and the drop back to the extended mile here isn’t necessarily to suit, but with the handicapper allotting a mark after this run I’ll be keeping him in mind for the 2023 turf season ahead.
