Racecards
14:10 Newcastle
Westminster Hawthornes Re-hab Centre 'Ekbalco' Handicap Hurdle (Class C) (Class C)
- 10 Runners
- Distance: 3m
- Going: Good, Good to Firm in places
- Form 50P201
- Age 8
- Weight 11-10
- Trainer Miss Lucinda V Russell
- Jockey M H Naughton
held up, some headway halfway, ridden and weakened from 8th, tailed off from next, pulled up before 2 out
- Form 523-111
- Age 4
- Weight 11-7
held up in touch, headway to lead after 4 out, ridden next, under pressure after last, headed post
- Form U-43C20
- Age 9
- Weight 11-7
- Trainer Mrs M Reveley
- Jockey A Dempsey
tracked leaders, ridden approaching 3 out, kept on same pace from next
- Form 402FP0
- Age 9
- Weight 11-5
- Trainer Mrs K Walton
- Jockey Ashley Dempsey
held up, effort approaching 3 out, no impression from next
- Form 2210-1P
- Age 8
- Weight 11-0
- Trainer Mrs K Walton
- Jockey R McGrath
tracked leaders, pushed along approaching 7th, went 2nd after 4 out, soon ridden, all out to lead post
- Form 634/151
- Age 7
- Weight 11-0
- Trainer James Moffatt
- Jockey Jim Crowley
held up in rear, headway approaching 3 out, ridden approaching 2 out, soon weakened
- Form 2420-30
- Age 4
- Weight 10-9
- Trainer Ian Williams
- Jockey Reserve
in touch, pushed along 7th, weakened next, tailed off when pulled up before 3 out
Hayaain
22- Form 0/0252-2
- Age 10
- Weight 10-8
- Trainer N W Alexander
- Jockey G Lee
with leader, ridden approaching 4 out, soon weakened, behind when pulled up before 2 out
- Form 146245
- Age 9
- Weight 10-5
always behind, tailed off from 3 out
In depth
Verdict
Great As Gold, Plutocrat, Robbo and Lantern Leader look the main protagonists in this handicap hurdle and we will give the vote to Great As Gold The selection is a course and distance winner and is in a rich vein of form at present. He is steadily rising in the weights but the style of his latest win when he defeated Montemoss at Wetherby suggests that there is still more to come from him and he will be hard to beat. Plutocrat represents the main danger as this gelding from the Lenny Lungo yard clearly needed the run when well beaten behind Romil Star at Sedgefield last month. He is capable of much better than that and he could go close now following that pipe opener. Robbo is certainly capable of winning this, but this Mary Reveley gelding is impossible to predict and he could just as easily be tailed-off at the halfway stage as running out the winner, so he is opposed for that reason. Lantern Leader won well last time out but is only small and he doesn't look one who has a great deal of scope for improvement. Wildfield Rufo would have chances on his best form but he was disappointing last time out, so in a race full of imponderables, we will stick with the reliable and in-form Great As Gold.