chased winner, ridden after 8th, beaten when mistake 3 out
held up, headway approaching 8th, soon ridden, weakened
soon well behind, tailed off from 5th
made all, ridden approaching 3 out, eased close home
in touch, lost place 5th, ridden and headway next, one pace from 3 out
chased leaders, hit 4th, weakened approaching 6th, tailed off when pulled up before 8th
This is almost a spill-over from the first race and is unlikely to provide the strongest betting heat of the day, but The Hearty Joker has shaped as if running back to full fitness in his last two starts and can account for Tudor King and Straight Talker if he negotiates a clear passage. The last mentioned is of obvious interest, being a lightly raced type form the Martin Pipe yard. However, his Irish form was nothing out of the ordinary and he will need to have undergone extensive schooling in the 17 days since he last ran to have eradicated the sloppy jumping he displayed at Plumpton. The betting market will give us plenty of clues in this area. Tudor King showed great resilience when winning at Plumpton on Monday and should again run his race. However, it remains to be seen how he will handle making such a quick reappearance after a hard race and he may be there for the taking near the finish. This is where we expect The Hearty Joker will be seen at his best in the race, as a severe test of stamina will play to his strengths today. Brendan Powell has forced three quick runs into the gelding within the last month, so with his constitution already proven, The Hearty Joker can be played to good effect here.
