Timeform Daily: The Peterborough Chase (Grade 2), Huntingdon, 1.40

Race of the Day Preview / Timeform / 10 December 2008 / Leave a Comment

Timeform take a close look at this competitive mid-week race.

After the embarrassment of a two-runner affair last year, the Peterborough Chase regains a more competitive look this term following the move to a midweek slot, with 11 standing their ground at the overnight stage.

Top on Timeform ratings is the grey Monet's Garden, a dual Grade 1 winner in 2006/7 who is a specialist at around this two-and-a-half mile trip. He was only at his best sporadically last year, both times when facing outstanding chaser Kauto Star, beating the then Gold Cup holder in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree last October. He made his seasonal reappearance in the same race this year, finishing seventh behind Knowhere. Monet's Garden would take all the beating if showing his best form, though that is a big if given his recent runs.

Mister McGoldrick caused one of the upsets of the season in March when easily winning the Racing Post Plate at the Cheltenham Festival at 66/1. Like Monet's Garden he also made his seasonal bow in the Old Roan Chase, finishing a more encouraging fifth, however he ran as if all was not well in the Paddy Power Gold Cup on his latest start. Now rising twelve, it would be hard to see Mister McGoldrick bettering his form from Cheltenham, though in all likelihood a repeat of it would most likely go very close to taking this race.

It has already been an eventful season for Peter Bowen's Snoopy Loopy. After winning two valuable events in the summer, he has finished third in the Old Roan Chase, Charlie Hall and Hennessy in the last six weeks, whilst also landing a 33/1 shock in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock in that time. This trip is most likely short of Snoopy Loopy's optimum, but he has already shown how tough he is and should give his running once again. Usually in cheekpieces, he tries blinkers for the first time here.

Second and last in this contest last season, Natal has since shown himself to be a smart two-mile chaser, finishing second in the Kerrygold Champion Chase at the Punchestown Festival before putting up a lifetime best when third in the Haldon Gold Cup on his reappearance. His stamina is proven by virtue of a win in a quite valuable handicap at Newbury in March (Nacarat and Mister McGoldrick were also in the field), and should he reproduce his best form here Natal should go very close.

The 2006 World Hurdle and 2007 Arkle winner, My Way de Solzen had a season to forget in 2007/8, when he often shaped as though amiss and failed to come anywhere near to reaching his ambitious targets (pulled up early when third favourite for the King George). His very best form exceeds anything that his opponents have to offer, but My Way de Solzen has a lot of questions to answer.

For the first time since 2005, the race has an Irish representative in One Cool Cookie. He has shown himself to be in top form already this season, finishing second to Glenfinn Captain in the Clonmel Oil Chase on his latest start. He carries a penalty as a result of a Grade 3 win at Down Royal last November, and as a result One Cool Cookie will most likely have to improve to win this.

Mahogany Blaze was fourth in Saturday's Tingle Creek Chase, though made a terrible blunder down the back straight which caused him to be virtually pulled up. It is a surprise to see him turned out again so quickly. Ungaro was a Grade 1 winner as a novice, but his best form of late has come over three miles or more. Lord Henry is enthusiastic enough at two miles and it is likely that jockey Richard Johnson will have his work cut out to get his mount to settle over this longer trip.

Nacarat looked progressive early last season, though patchy form since and the fact that he has plenty of improvement to find makes him hard to make a case for. Mont Misere has won twenty-one times in France, though even the pick of that form is far removed from what will be required of Paul Murphy's twelve-year-old gelding here.