Horse Watch: Top performances from Thurles, Ascot, and Lingfield

General / Andy Richmond / 24 January 2008 / Leave a Comment

Andy Richmond picks out four of the best from the last week's action...

One to watch for Cheltenham...
POMME TIEPY: Thurles last Thursday witnessed a very striking performance from Pomme Tiepy. A recent addition to the considerable talent residing at the County Carlow yard of Willie Mullins, this five-year-old ex-French mare has now won two from two since moving to Ireland. She completely outclassed the opposition here - held up through the early stages, she easily moved up, jumping well to take up the running at the third last and galloped clear from that point on. The bare form is probably only fair but it was the potential she showed that made me pop this one in the notebook. She looks effective at this trip of 2½ miles and a step either way in trip but especially up would not be a hindrance and she is worth a try in better company. Judging by two entries in decent novices chases in the future - trainer Willie Mullins is thinking along the same lines and if she were to run well there I could see her appearing in the Sun Alliance at Cheltenham as a lively outsider.

One to watch on the all-weather...
BONUS: Saturday's card at Lingfield included a gem of a sprint which featured a staggering nine course and distance winners amongst the 11 runners. The winner - Come Out Fighting - got his own way out in front and it was our featured runner, Bonus who endured a troubled passage to lose his 100% record. Jockey Hayley Turner drew some criticism for the ride on the Betfair Forum but this was a typical Lingfield sprint and I felt that Turner did little wrong here. The gaps just did not come at the right time on a horse that will always be best held up off a decent pace to exploit his obvious turn of foot. Bonus has taken on a new lease of life since joining Gerard Butler and racing on the Polytrack surface - those two instances producing a 5-10 record for Bonus who will collect more prizes over strongly run six and seven furlong events on the surface, he's defending unbeaten records at both Kempton and Wolverhampton all-weather tracks at the moment.

Chaser to watch...
REGAL HEIGHTS: The burgeoning stable of Donald McCain Jnr has a potentially useful chaser on its hands here, as Regal Heights (under top weight) ran out a very easy winner of a decent handicap chase at Ascot. A patient Graham Lee (the North's answer to Timmy Murphy) gave him time to find his stride and he came readily to the fore five out and moved clear with Lee making no more than a token effort - he was allowed to coast home on the run-in. Hopefully this doesn't flatter him and he can make a move up in grade now as befits a horse who can win a handicap off a mark of 140 by 15 lengths. It must be said that he did have his favoured soft ground here and this seven-year-old gelding always operates better with some cut, this was his first win over further than an extended 2 miles but he looked to stay the trip well and particular attention should be paid to his record when he returned to the track with 28 days or less which now reads 6-11. He is well worth a step up to minor graded company now, although his trainer showed his ambition by giving him a Ryanair Chase entry at the Festival.

Hurdler to watch...
EARTH CRYSTAL: Unusually weak in the market for a Nicky Henderson runner in the novice hurdling sphere, Earth Crystal made an eye-catching debut in the last at Ascot. In a race restricted to horses not to have run on the flat, the field contained a fair few with bumper and point-to-point form - Earth Crystal being one of those having been twice placed in Irish points. He looked the stable second-string on jockey bookings but, under a patient ride, travelled well enough if looking a little inexperienced. However, everything clicked into place in the home straight where he exhibited a very willing attitude and maintained a strong gallop and a decent display of pace on soft ground. Admittedly he was receiving 10lbs from the winner but there was a lot to like about this one's attitude and he'll win more races especially with more distance to cover, three miles and soft ground would show him in an excellent light.