Timeform Weekend Preview: Cumani bids to ease the pain of narrow defeats

Weekend Preview / Editor / 07 November 2008 / Leave a Comment

Timeform look ahead to the highlights of this weekend's racing programme including the final meeting of the Flat season which will decide the hotly contested Champion Apprentice honours.

This weekend sees the curtain come down on the Flat turf season, with almost all of the the answers to the year's main questions settled. One such exception may be the race for Champion Apprentice, with William Buick and David Probert tied on fifty winners apiece. A suspension for Buick means that Probert will secure the title should he win on any of his four rides at Wolverhampton on Friday evening, or on one of his two mounts at Doncaster- Cornus and Common Diva.

At Doncaster, the feature is the November Handicap, where Luca Cumani will be looking to ease to pain of a second successive narrow defeat in the Melbourne Cup when saddling Presvis. The son of Sakhee remains unexposed after just four starts in handicaps and has been saved for this race since winning the valuable John Smith's Stakes at Newbury, after which he initially entered the reckoning for the Cambridgeshire. This will be his first attempt at twelve furlongs, but he shapes as though the trip will pose no problems.

His main rival in the market is Electrolyser, who is both less exposed (having had just four outings to date) and proven at the distance. There are also two listed events on the card, the second of which- the Wentworth Stakes- sees the highly progressive Judge 'N Jury bid for a four-timer and his sixth win in eight starts.

Although the jumps action is slightly quieter this weekend than it has been of late, there is still high-quality fare at Wincanton on Saturday. The highlight is the Badger Ales Trophy, won last year by Abragante. The bold, front-running Island Flyer showed progressive form last spring and is sure to attract support, whilst Leading Attraction makes his handicap bow from the all-powerful Nicholls yard.

The Elite Hurdle (a limited handicap) sees Champion Hurdler Katchit bid to make amends for his lacklustre reappearance. He will have to give upwards of 14 lbs to his rivals, including Blythe Knight, whom he defeated by five lengths at level weights in the Kingwell Hurdle here last February.

The Grade 2 Rising Stars Novices Chase completes the feature races, with Breedsbreeze, Ring The Boss and Sir Harry Ormesher among the six lining up for the hottest race of it's type so far this season.

Sandown and Kelso also provide National Hunt cards, with the former course playing host to the chasing debut of useful hurdler Planet of Sound as well as the second hurdles start for Indian Groom, who beat Black Jacari at Market Rasen on his debut.

The pick of Sunday's racing is from overseas, with Navan staging three Graded events. The Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle is arguably the strongest of those, featuring World Hurdle third Kazal alongside dual Champion Hurdler Hardy Eustace and Aitmatov amongst others. There are also no less than three Group 1 contests at Auteuil in France, with the Prix La Haye Jousselin the most prestigious.