Racecards
18:35 Newton Abbot
Lord Mildmay Memorial Handicap Chase (Class B) (Class B)
- 11 Runners
- Distance: 2m 5f 110y
- Going: Good to Soft
- Form B14F-21
- Age 8
- Weight 11-12
- Trainer P & M Bowen
- Jockey S Durack
chased leader, jumped left 1st, led 10th, clear 4 out, unchallenged
- Form U1-2632
- Age 8
- Weight 11-8
- Trainer M C Pipe
- Jockey J M Maguire
held up towards rear, ridden and headway approaching 10th, blundered 11th, stayed on same pace 2 out
- Form 112F/1U
- Age 10
- Weight 11-2
prominent, ridden and headway 11th, chased winner 3 out, stayed on well from 2 out
- Form 5F0-414
- Age 10
- Weight 11-2
- Trainer M C Pipe
- Jockey T J Malone
held up in touch, headway 12th, chased winner 4 out, weaken 3 out
- Form F4-1110
- Age 7
- Weight 10-13
- Trainer M C Pipe
- Jockey Timmy Murphy
held up towards rear, ridden and headway 10th, mistake 11th, stayed on from 3 out (nearest finish)
- Form 34/4226
- Age 9
- Weight 10-10
- Trainer M C Pipe
- Jockey T Scudamore
prominent, ridden after 9th and lost touch, tailed off when pulled up before 4 out
- Form 4211-P5
- Age 6
- Weight 10-2
- Trainer Miss V Williams
- Jockey J Tizzard
tracked leader, mistake 6th, ridden 11th, stayed on from 4 out
Saffron Sun
41- Form 31P4-11
- Age 9
- Weight 10-1
- Trainer J Frost
- Jockey Jimmy McCarthy
held up towards rear, ridden after 9th, soon weakened
- Form 030-U34
- Age 11
- Weight 10-0
- Trainer Nick Williams
- Jockey C Llewellyn
always behind, no impression
Wuxi Venture
35- Form 546U-13
- Age 9
- Weight 10-0
held up towards rear, ridden and headway 11th, weaken approaching 2 out
In depth
Verdict
A decent contest here with some good money up for grabs and plenty of interest as a result, and we will take Saffron Sun to complete a hat-trick, with Take The Stand and Wuxi Venture perhaps the ones to complete the frame. Saffron Sun comes into the race with two confidence boosting wins over three miles and then two-and-a-half at Exeter and Stratford, and although he needs a career best effort to win this, he has more ticks in the right boxes than the rest of them. For example, trip and ground will both suit him, he jumps well and is generally very consistent and so with the others all having more doubts about them, he can overcome his mark to score. At the other end of the weights, Take The Stand has to concede all around but can still run a big race. Peter Bowen's charge is another who has to run a p.b. to land this, and although he did run well over course and distance on his penultimate start, his most recent run suggests that this trip is not really far enough for him and with doubts about him with cut he is overlooked this time. Richard Fahey's yard are flying at the moment and he doesn't send many down here, so it could pay to take note with Wuxi Venture. Admittedly the gelding is out of the handicap, but trip and ground will suit him and he could make the frame at a price. There are others who you could make a case for, but with doubts over the ground for the likes of Grimes and Gladiateur IV and the trip for Tango Royal, we are happy to stick with Saffron Sun to take the feature.