Timeform Horses In Focus: Tatenen and Hora

General / Timeform / 28 October 2008 / Leave a Comment

Two impressive Aintree performers go under the Timeform microscope.

As the emphasis swings onto the National Hunt season, Aintree played host to their first couple of meetings of 2008/9 this past weekend and a number of those successful look worth following over the next few months. We've highlighted two here who we think will be winning again.

Paul Nicholls has got his string in scintillating form at present and looks to have an early contender for the Arkle Chasein the shape of Tatenen whose performance in the listed 2m novice' chase on Saturday was breathtaking. While prices of [7.0] for the race might be an overreaction given the level of competition he faced he didn't put a foot wrong after going right at the first, jumping with assurance and in control fully three out having led from the sixth, 11 lengths the winning margin from The Duke's Speech. An above-average juvenile hurdler when trained in France, Tatenen also created a good impression when runner-up to Franchoek at Chepstow on the first of two starts in graded hurdle races last winter and is a most exciting chasing prospect.

Hora took her record over hurdles to three wins from three when taking the concluding contest on Saturday, a handicap for novices' over 3m. Nicky Henderson's charge relished the step up in trip and produced further improvement, still going strongly as her rivals were hard at it turning in, and powering away after taking over before the last, still running left as she crossed the line 12 lengths in front of Patton. While the four-year-old will be ineligible for novices from next month she should win more handicaps before the season is out and we've still probably not seen the best of her.