Friday, October 29, 2010

CALGARY BAY TO WETHERBY FOR THE bet365 CHARLIE HALL CHASE

The prestigious three-mile, one-furlong contest is the feature event at the two-day bet365 Charlie Hall Meeting, which begins today, Friday, October 29, and concludes with tomorrow’s fantastic seven-race card.

Calgary Bay (8/1 with bet365), a Grade Two winner as a novice and victorious under top-weight in a three-mile Doncaster handicap chase in December, pleased his trainer when fifth of 10 behind Midnight Chase in an extended three-mile handicap chase at Cheltenham on October 15. The seven-year-old again shouldered top-weight for that seasonal debut.

Knight revealed today: “Calgary Bay is very well. He probably needed the run last time at Cheltenham, so I was quite pleased with that. The good ground at Wetherby will suit him and I think he enjoys it when we send him up north.

“I know on his current handicap mark he is outclassed by one or two of the others but he likes a left-handed course and a fairly flat course, so we will just have to see how he is on the day.”

Calgary Bay runs off an official rating of 146 and is in receipt of 6lb from the Evan Williams-trained Deep Purple, who is the top-rated horse in the field on a figure of 160 and is currently the 7/2 co-favourite of three with bet365, along with the Paul Nicholls-trained The Tother One and The Queen’s Barbers Shop, trained by Nicky Henderson.

The race has once again attracted the Nigel Twiston Davies-trained Ollie Magern, who won the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase in 2005 and 2007. The 11-year-old, a close third last year and second in 2008, was last seen winning the Perth Gold Cup in May. He is contesting the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase for the fifth time.

Twiston-Davies told Attheraces today: “It is his time of year and I think he is more forward this time. He is as game as anything and this is his Gold Cup.”

Other classy contenders include last season’s Grade One totesport Bowl third Nacarat from the Tom George yard, as well as the George Charlton-trained Knockara Beau, and the eight-strong field is completed by the Martin Todhunter-trained That’s Rhythm.

Jonjo Sanderson, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course at Wetherby, commented: “We are extremely pleased with the quality of the declarations for the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase and the race should end up being another excellent renewal.

“Tickets for Saturday are still available and can be purchased on the day at the turnstiles or booked through on our website (www.wetherbyracing.co.uk) until midnight tonight.”

Supporting the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase on an enthralling card, is the £32,500 Grade Two John Smith’s Hurdle (2.50pm) over three miles and a furlong, which has attracted a field of eight, including the top-class Howard Johnson-trained Tidal Bay, as well as Fair Along, Duc De Regniere, Kayf Aramis and Blazing Bailey.

Also on Saturday’s tremendous seven-race card is the £30,000 bet365 Mares’ Hurdle (2.15pm) over an extended two miles and the nine declared runners include the Donald McCain-trained Alegralil, alongside Amber Brook from the Nigel Twiston-Davies yard and the Malcolm Jefferson-trained Issaquah.

Saturday’s racing at Wetherby commences at 1.40pm with the two-mile bet365.com Novices’ Chase when a field of six is set to include the promising Nicky Henderson-trained Osric.

The remaining races on the card are the extended two-mile Caroline Bailey Wins With Yorkshire Post Novices’ Hurdle (4pm), the extended two and a half-mile wetherbyracing.co.uk Novices’ Handicap Chase (4.35pm) and the concluding Wetherby Racecourse And Conference Centre Handicap Hurdle (5.10pm) over two and a half miles.

LATEST bet365 CHARLIE HALL CHASE BETTING
bet365: 7/2 Deep Purple, Barbers Shop, The Tother One, 5/1 Nacarat, 8/1 Calgary Bay, Knockara Beau, 12/1 Ollie Magern, 33/1 That’s Rhythm
Non-runner No Bet; each-way 1/4 odds 1,2,3

LATEST GOING

The going at Wetherby remains GOOD (Watered) with a GoingStick reading of 7.6.

ROYAL SHOWDOWN AT NEWMARKET’S FINAL RACEDAY OF 2010

The seven-furlong contest for two-year-old fillies was won in 2008 by subsequent dual Oaks winner Sariska.

Carousel is owned by the heir to the throne in partnership with his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and sports the Prince Of Wales’ scarlet silks with royal blue sleeves and black cap.

Unlike the Queen’s oft-sighted purple and gold-braided silks, complete with red sleeves and distinctively gold-tasselled black cap, Prince Charles’ colours were conspicuous by their absence from the racecourse for over 20 years before making a reappearance aboard Carousel’s half-sister Royal Superlative in July, 2008. Royal Superlative won a Chepstow mile maiden in June last year.

The Prince Of Wales’s previous foray into ownership coincided with his career as an amateur rider over jumps. In 1981, he was famously unseated twice in five days from his smart chaser Good Prospect in Sandown’s Grand Military Gold Cup and the Kim Muir at Cheltenham.

Both Carousel and Starlight Walk were bred by their respective owners at the Royal Studs, Sandringham, with the former being out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Supereva, purchased by John Warren for 110,000 guineas at Tattersalls in December, 2004, who was a wedding gift from the Queen to Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Starlight Walk is from a family the Queen has had notable success with, her dam, Tempting Prospect, being a winning half-sister to Her Majesty’s Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes winner Phantom Gold.

The bet365 EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes has attracted a field of 20 and Carousel, a Pivotal filly trained by Ralph Beckett, will look to build on a debut seventh at Salisbury on October 11.

The Queen’s Starlight Walk is a Galileo filly having her first outing under the care of trainer Roger Charlton.

The contest provides an intriguing curtain-raiser to Newmarket’s final raceday of 2010, which features an enthralling renewal of the £12,000 bet365 Zetland Conditions Stakes (3.45pm) over 10 furlongs, in which next year’s Investec Derby second favourite Picture Editor attempts to maintain his perfect record with a third career victory.

Saturday’s fantastic eight-race card also includes the £35,000 Listed bet365 Ben Marshall Stakes (2.35pm) over a mile, the £25,000 Listed Casino at bet365.com EBF Montrose Fillies’ Stakes (3.10pm), also over a mile, and the £35,000 Listed bet365 James Seymour Stakes (4.20pm) over 10 furlongs.

THE SAWYER TAKES AIM AT CHELTENHAM’S PADDY POWER GOLD CUP

The Sawyer will attempt to enhance his impressive record around Cheltenham in the £150,000 Grade Three Paddy Power Gold Cup (2.30pm) over an extended two and a half miles at The Open on Saturday, November 13.

From five starts at Cheltenham, Bob Buckler’s charge has won the last two renewals of the Grade Three Festival Trials Day Handicap Chase (2009 & 2010) over half a furlong further in late January, and also finished runner-up in the extended three-mile Irish Times Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase at The Open last year.

Following a gutsy pillar-to-post victory under Nathan Sweeney in this year’s Festival Trials Day Handicap Chase, The Sawyer was a close third behind the victorious Monet’s Garden and runner-up Albertas Run in the Grade One Ascot Chase in February.

Buckler revealed today: “The plan is to run The Sawyer in the Paddy Power Gold Cup as long as the ground is soft enough. If it is on the fast side, we won’t bother but if it is proper jumping ground, or nice and soft, that is where he will be going.

“I want to give him a run in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter (November 2) beforehand, just because it’s local. Twist Magic is in there, which will mess up the handicap, but we’ll see what else goes and if we can sharpen The Sawyer up for the Paddy Power Gold Cup by giving him a race around there it won’t matter.

“He’s big and burly at the moment but he always is - he’s naturally a massive burly bull of a horse. He has a great record at Cheltenham and the plan definitely is to go there.”

The Sawyer is currently a 33/1 shot with Paddy Power for the Paddy Power Gold Cup. The sponsor makes the Nicky Henderson-trained Long Run the 4/1 favourite.

The superb 53-strong entry also includes last year’s winner Tranquil Sea from the Edward O’Grady yard, who became the first Irish-trained winner since Bright Highway in 1980.

O’Grady’s charge defeated the Paul Nicholls-trained Poquelin 12 months ago, and that rival went on to clinch the Grade Three December Gold Cup at The International at Cheltenham in December.

The lightly-raced but top-class Noland is another possible runner for the champion trainer, while O’Grady could also saddle last season’s Grade One The Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy third Osana and Catch Me, last seen finishing third to Pandorama in the Grade One Knight Frank Novices’ Chase at Leopardstown in December.

Henderson may also run Grade Two winners Riverside Theatre, Mad Max and Duc De Regniere, while another of note is the David Pipe-trained Great Endeavour, who landed the Grade Three Byrne Group Plate at The Festival from the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Sunnyhillboy. Ian Williams could saddle the high-class Weird Al.

The Open at Cheltenham consists of three thrilling days of top-quality Jump racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 12-14, and the Paddy Power Gold Cup is the premier prize at the meeting which kicks off the main part of the Jump season.

PADDY POWER GOLD CUP - Paddy Power latest prices:
4/1 Long Run, 5/1 Great Endeavour, 6/1 Sunnyhillboy, 10/1 Mad Max, 12/1 Tranquil Sea, Catch Me, 14/1 Osana, Poquelin, 16/1 Dave's Dream, Noble Alan, Tchito Polos, 20/1 According To Pete, Chaninbar, Edgbriar, Riverside Theatre, The Package, 25/1 Can't Buy Time, Duc De Regniere, Gansey, I'msingingtheblues, Noland, Prince De Beauchene, See U Bob, Tatenen, Weird Al, 33/1 Fiendish Flame, Finger Onthe Pulse, Five Dream, Forzy Origny, Free World, From Dawn To Dusk, Gwanako, Hills Of Aran, ll Duce, Little Josh, Massini's Maguire, Scotsirish, The Sawyer, 40/1 Dancing Tornado, Door Boy; Fisher Bridge, Panjo Bere, Passato, Pickamus, Pigeon Island, You're The Top, 50/1 Awesome George, Gonebeyondrecall, Nozic, Private Be, Rory Boy, Working Title, 66/1 Just Smudge
Each way 1/4 odds, 1-2-3-4

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