Handicapper's Corner: Vintage crop of novice chasers?

Handicappers' Corner / Phil Turner / 16 November 2011 / Leave a Comment

Grands Crus gets his chasing career off to the perfect start.

"It could be argued, therefore, that the omens weren’t great for Grands Crus ahead of his chasing debut at Cheltenham on Friday but, happily, he bucked that recent trend with a scintillating display..."

"Great players don't always make great managers" is one of those rare footballing clichés which actually holds some water. Similarly, the long history of National Hunt racing reveals that surprisingly few top hurdlers go on to be anything like the same force over fences, writes Timeform Jumps Handicapper Phil Turner.

Indeed, since Timeform's Chasers & Hurdlers series began in 1975/6, only a small number of jumpers have proved themselves genuine top-notchers over both hurdles and fences, among them Barnbrook Again, Bula, Captain Christy, Celtic Shot, Dawn Run, Dorans Pride, Moscow Flyer and Night Nurse. There is a much longer list of top-class hurdlers who've tried and failed to reach the same heights over fences, however, including a high-profile trio of stayers during the past decade, namely Iris's Gift, Limestone Lad and Punchestowns. It could be argued, therefore, that the omens weren't great for Grands Crus ahead of his chasing debut at Cheltenham on Friday but, happily, he bucked that recent trend with a scintillating display, producing a performance which suggests he'll take a very high rank in his new career. His wide-margin defeat of Champion Court (139) earned him a rating of 149P, which reads very well against recent winners of this traditionally strong novice chase - only Denman (who ran to 153 when winning the 2006 renewal) has bettered the figure Grands Crus posted, which is an impressive statistic when one considers that the likes of Imperial Commander, Weird Al and Time For Rupert have also won the race during the intervening years.

Although Grands Crus is the highest-rated hurdler to be sent chasing this season, Peddlers Cross wasn't far behind him in that sphere and also made a highly satisfactory start over fences at Bangor last week. Admittedly his intial rating of 127P, strictly speaking, leaves him with a fair bit to find with some of the other leading novices seen out so far this autumn, but that's only because he wasn't at all extended to see off two inferior rivals and it's worth stressing that his sure-footed display was as good as round of jumping you'll likely to see from a chasing debutant.

Al Ferof sidestepped a meeting with Peddlers Cross in favour of Sunday's Grade 2 November Novices' Chase at Cheltenham, the cited reason being that Ruby Walsh was still suspended for the Bangor race. The grey duly became his yard's eighth winner of the race, his smooth seven-length defeat of Astracad (137) earning him a rating of 147p, which is another very significant figure for a first-time-out chaser - his winning time compared favourably with that posted by Gauvain over the same trip thirty-five minutes later. Walsh enjoyed something of a steering job aboard Al Ferof, but he needed to be at his determined best to claim Saturday's novice chase at the Open meeting on Join Together (133p), who came out on top in a four-way finish against Teaforthree (132), Restless Harry (131p) and Viking Blond (134). Restless Harry, of course, was mixing it with the likes of Big Buck's and Grands Crus in top staying hurdles last season, but he's well worth another chance to translate that sort of form another time, simply shaping as if Saturday's run came plenty soon after his reappearance win at Wetherby.

Silviniaco Conti certainly benefited from his initial try over fences, building significantly on that chasing debut form to run out a wide-margin winner of the Grade 2 Rising Stars Novice at Wincanton earlier this month, posting a rating of 145p. His old rivals Menorah (142p) and Cue Card (140p) are also worth a mention too, even though they've both been let down by their jumping so far over fences, the latter gelding unseating at Cheltenham on Friday (when he was vying for favouritism with Grands Crus).

There is far more to the Open meeting than its novice events, of course, and it could boast an especially strong roster of valuable handicaps this time around. Great Endeavour (155) confirmed himself a well-treated sort with his clear-cut win in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, and it'll be the longer trip rather than a 4 lb penalty which could stand in his way of completing a famous double in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury later this month - a feat achieved by the same connections' Celestial Gold back in 2004/5. The two-mile handicap chase won by Tanks For That (147) twenty-four hours earlier, if anything, could prove to be even stronger form, with the likes of Havingotascoobydo (133p), Crack Away Jack (140+) and Rileyev (122+) all shaping as if ahead of their BHA marks for differing reasons in finishing close up.

The listed staying hurdle won by Dorset Square (134) on Saturday also has a strong look to it, with the third Oscargo (129p) and fifth My Shamwari (134) both appealing as well-handicapped sorts worth following close to hand. The main hurdle of the meeting is the Greatwood Handicap on Sunday, which attracted its usual highly-competitive field. Brampour (158) became the first four-year-old to win it since Detroit City in 2006/7 and is clearly a much-improved performer this time around, though the chances are he'll have to go into a higher grade now and the run of the race in such contests may not suit him so well as large-field handicaps.

The other hurdlers to report from the Open meeting are Hinterland (137p) and Fingal Bay (145p), who are Timeform's highest-rated juvenile and older novice hurdler at this relatively early stage of the season.

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Timeform enjoyed a fantastic Open meeting at Cheltenham with eight top-rated winners, including big handicap scorers Swing Bill, Decoy, Great Endeavour, Dorset Square and Rangitoto. What's more, those lucky enough to back the first-named in running may well have done so at a whopping [300.0].