Racecards
15:10 Stratford
John Smith's Handicap Chase (For The J. H. Rowe Challenge Trophy) (Class 4)
- 8 Runners
- Distance: 2m 7f
- Going: Soft
- Surface: Turf
- £7,000 added
- Winner: £4,549
- 2nd: £1,336
- 3rd: £668
- 4th: £334
- Form 224/441-
- Age 7
- Weight 11-12
- Official Rating 120
- Trainer N & W Twiston-Davies
- Jockey Sam Twiston-Davies
held up, hampered 3rd, jumped right 6th, headway after next, mistakes 8th and 12th, not fluent 3 out, 3rd and ridden after next, no chance with winner when pressing for 2nd last
- Form 112226-
- Age 13
- Weight 11-10
- Official Rating 118
- Trainer T R George
- Jockey P J Brennan
led until 3rd, led 7th, headed 3 out, no chance with winner when lost 2 places last
- Form 34/3313-
- Age 8
- Weight 11-10
- Official Rating 118
in touch, mistake 2nd (water), lost place 5th, not fluent 7th, 5th and ridden after 2 out, no impression
- Form 71/6259-
- Age 10
- Weight 11-5
- Official Rating 113
- Trainer O Sherwood
- Jockey L P Aspell
tracked leader, led 3rd until 7th, hit 11th, weakened before 2 out, tailed off
- Form 71P-05P
- Age 9
- Weight 11-4
- Official Rating 112
- Trainer J & A O'Neill
- Jockey A P McCoy
soon tracking leaders, outpaced 11th, weakened before 3 out, tailed off
Thats Ben (IRE)
172- Form 2UPU3-1
- Age 8
- Weight 11-0
- Official Rating 108
- Trainer T R Gretton
- Jockey Felix de Giles
held up in rear, struggling 10th, behind 12th, soon pulled up
- Form PP-218P
- Age 6
- Weight 10-12
- Official Rating 106
- Trainer P Hobbs & J White
- Jockey T J O'Brien
chased leaders, lost place 3rd, headway after 5th, hit 12th, led 3 out, clear after next, eased flat
Cornish Ice
15- Form 3/3P79-4
- Age 9
- Weight 10-8
- Official Rating 102
tracked leaders on outside, lost place after 7th, mistake next, outpaced when mistake 3 out, stayed on from after 2 out to take 2nd last, no chance with winner
In depth
Verdict
Soft ground suits old-timer Desperate Dex and he won on his reappearance last season, though is 26lb higher today. Very Stylish is back on a winning mark and could figure if in the mood but Danandy has shown nothing over fences so far and Lough Coi was beaten a long way at Chepstow on Saturday and has found this longer trip beyond him in the past. Listen Boy is lightly-raced but has a bit to find on his form of last season to defy top weight here and more interesting is MILO MILAN. He thrives on soft ground so we'll take a chance that he's fit enough to do himself justice on his first run since February.
Formwatch
Listen Boy (IRE) 4-9fav (11-0) Chased leaders, went 2nd 6th, led 10th, ridden and joined last, stayed on well flat, won at Leicester 2m 7f nov chs (4) hvy in Dec beating Night Force (11-0) by 3/4l, 6 ran.
Desperate Dex (IRE) 6-1 (10-0) In touch, closed when slightly hampered after 10th, lost place from 16th, 6th of 9, 31l behind Michel Le Bon (11-7) at Newbury 3m 2f hcp chs 0-145 (2) gd in Mar.
Milo Milan (IRE) 2-1fav (11-5) Tracked leader, lost place when blundered 12th, 5th and outpaced when mistake 4 out, stayed on to take 3rd between last 2, no impression with front pair, 3rd of 6, 11l behind Storm Survivor (11-12) at Bangor 3m hcp chs 0-120 (4) sft in Feb.
Circus of Dreams 14-1 (11-4) Tracked leaders, challenged 5 out, weakening when hit 2 out, 9th of 12, 47l behind Monsieur Cadou (11-2) at Haydock 3m 4f hcp chs 0-130 (3) gs in Mar.
Very Stylish (IRE) 12-1 (11-12) Held up in rear, headway after 8th, lost place, ridden and not fluent 11th, pulled up before 13th, in a race won by To Live (11-2) at Stratford 2m 7f hcp chs 0-120 (4) gf in Jul, 9 ran.
Thats Ben (IRE) 10-1 (12-0) (tt) ap; led 11 til hdd last; rallied to ld final 50yds, won at Wheatland 3m ptp gf in May beating Fairymount (12-0) by 1l, 11 ran.
Danandy (IRE) 9-2 (10-13) Chased leaders, jumped big 1st, jumped left after, saddle slipped 7th, lost place and pulled up before next, in a race won by Western King (11-8) at Ludlow 3m hcp chs 0-120 (4) gd, 8 ran.
Cornish Ice 16-1 (11-7) Held up in touch, went 3rd 2 out, soon ridden, one pace, 4th of 5, 8l behind Susquehanna River (11-12) at Wetherby 3m 1f nov hcp chs 0-110 (4) gs.
Lough Coi (IRE) 8-1 (10-3) Held up in last pair, last and struggling 7th, soon lost touch, rallied to poor 4th flat, tailed off, 4th of 6, well behind Get It On (11-0) at Chepstow 2m 3f hcp chs 0-120 (4) sft.