Timeform Weekend Review: A cold coming

Weekend Review / Timeform / 12 January 2009 / Leave a Comment

Timeform reflect on a weekend when conditions wreaked havoc with the racing programme yet again.

At a time when top jumps action should be dominating the weekend programme, all of the originally-scheduled National Hunt meetings in Britain this past weekend fell victim to the cold snap.

Thankfully foresight had led the BHA to plan an additional fixture at Ayr, and on Saturday the West of Scotland venue staged the first jumps card to be held in Britain since the 2nd of January.

Two Class 2 handicaps created the centrepiece of the card, one hurdle and one chase, with the former won by Harmony Brig who was returning to hurdles for the first time since placing in a Grade 2 novices' event at the 2006 Grand National meeting. Harmony Brig was one of the first off the bridle despite first-time cheekpieces, but jockey Brian Harding persevered and having made a mistake two out Harmony Brig rallied on the run-in to beat Theatre Belle by a short head.

In the following chase it was Keith Reveley's Jass who landed the spoils from Gypsy George, showing improved jumping and a willing attitude to hold off that rival from the last. He has shown his form just twice from eight starts over fences (the other occasion came over the same course and distance, incidentally), and although Jass shaped here as if there could be more to come, his inconsistency makes placing faith in such progress a less attractive proposition.

Lingfield staged a couple of smart events on their seven-race card, starting with a conditions stakes over six furlongs notable for the antics of market leaders Aeroplane and Bonus, or more specifically their respective jockeys Hayley Turner and Eddie Ahern who allowed too much rope to leaders Turn On The Style and Contest, the latter going clear in the straight to score by a length and a quarter.

The next race was a handicap over ten furlongs won by Lady Jane Digby, who was belatedly showing why she was so highly tried as a two-year-old when beating a Baylini by over a length, with favourite Philatelist back in fourth. Mark Johnston's filly was winning for the first time since her debut in August 2007, and now useful she could well continue to feature strongly in similar events through the winter, still very much unexposed at the trip.

Sunday's highlight came from Ireland, where the fiercely-competitive Pierse Hurdle was the main event. Won by 50/1-shot Penny's Bill, the race was overshadowed by controversy in some quarters with the withdrawal of top weight Newmill on the day causing an 8-lb rise in the weights, allowing the winner into the handicap proper.

To make matters worse, runner-up was the well-backed favourite Psycho, who under the original weights would have been on 6-lb better terms with Penny's Bill for the head that separated them. It was an unfortunate subtext to what should have been a fairytale story for trainer Elizabeth Doyle, for whom Penny's Bill represented just a twenty-fifth career winner.

Elsewhere on the card, Schindler's Hunt came back to his very best to win the Leopardstown Handicap Chase and record his first win beyond two miles and a furlong, though quotes of as low as 14/1 for the Ryanair Chase may well be a shade enthusiastic.

With Carlisle lost, Great Leighs carried the torch for British racing on Sunday. It was Jamie Spencer who grabbed the headlines, scoring a treble which included an emotional success on Dishdasha, who had been due to be led up by 15-year-old Jamie Yeats before he was tragically killed last week.

Dishdasha looked well-treated on the hurdles form he had shown since last seen on the Flat over a year ago and Spencer rode him with confidence, coming through to lead in the final furlong despite having been forced wide off the home turn. Dishdasha would definitely remain of interest if turned out quickly under a penalty, and at the time of writing he already holds two such entries later this week.