13:10 Wetherby 13 Jan 2024
William Hill Towton Novices' Chase
Grade 2 | GBB Race | Class 1 | 5YO plus
Winner £22,780 - 4 ran
chased leaders on inside, not fluent 11th, went 2nd next, switched left 4 out, led 3 out, headed and pecked slightly 2 out, led again last, driven out
hung right throughout, led, ran very wide bend after 7th, reminder before next, ran slightly wide bend after 12th, ridden before 4 out, headed 3 out, led again 2 out, headed last, held flat, kept on
pressed leader until 12th, not fluent 3 out, weakened 2 out
raced in last, mistake 11th, pushed along after 12th, ridden before 4 out, soon beaten, weakening when not fluent 3 out
Betting returns
| Type | Winnings |
|---|---|
| Betfair SP | £2.44 |
| CSF | £3.66 (3, 6) |
| Win | £2.25 (3) |
| Swinger | £3.10 (3, 6) |
| Exacta | £3.10 (3, 6) |
| Trifecta | £6.80 (3, 6, 5) |
Expert Analysis
Not the easiest of races to assess, but it was run in a good time for soft/heavy conditions and looks to represent very useful novice form from the first and second, the winner’s final-4f finishing speed coming out at 103.4%.
COLONEL HARRY (c148 here and previously) went one better than he had behind Le Patron at Sandown, not having to improve on that form but nonetheless paying a bit of a compliment to that rival. He travelled well in second/third until nosing ahead 3 out, making a mistake and headed at the next then asserting more clearly under pressure. This was the furthest he had gone since his debut, and he looked as if he will stay a bit further still.
TRELAWNE (c146 here and previously) is an able individual and seemed to run to form but was unsatisfactory in other ways, chivvied along in the lead at various stages but lugging right on occasions and veering so on the bend after the stand, back in the lead soon after and even coming again after being headed 3 out, finally shifting back the other way late on. He is good enough to win at quite a high level at 20f/24f but needs treating with some caution after this wayward display.
THE KING OF RYHOPE (c126 here, 135 previously) was not good enough against 2 very useful novices but raced competitively for a long way, left behind from the third-last.
CHASING FIRE (c115 here, 136 previously) had a bit on his plate but ran poorly even so, always in fourth and weakening from before 4 out.
