Today's jump racing card at Kempton takes us a bit closer to start of the season proper, with the return of reigning champion hurdler Katchit as the focal point.
Katchit was the first five-year-old since See You Then to win the Champion and trainer Alan King believes he's a better horse this season, so opposing him today is not something to be taken lightly. Katchit won on his reappearance last October, following the first six-month break of his career, so we can't pin too much on the hope that he'll be short of peak fitness.
Still, at 9-2, I like Snap Tie (4.35) to turn him over. Philip Hobbs's six-year-old may be a champion contender himself this season, having been third in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle last season, when conceding the 8lb weight-for-age allowance to runner-up Binocular.
He is progressive, unexposed, goes well fresh and likes fast ground, so it's hard to see a negative. Oddly, he has only ever jumped hurdles at Cheltenham, where he went for all four runs last season, and this is a very different track, but there's no obvious reason why he wouldn't cope with it.
Charlie Mann is in excellent form, with 22 winners from 88 runners since the new season started at the end of April. He's returned a level-stakes profit in each month since June and his Jazz Dance (4.00) should not be 100-30 for the two-mile handicap chase.
A useful handicapper over hurdles last season, this one has won his last three starts as a handicap chaser (one in April, two more on his latest two outings) without coming under pressure and can defy another 12lb rise today. He's ideally suited by a fast surface on a sharp, flat track.
Mann's form is not perhaps such a factor in this race — four of the others come from yards that are in form to some degree — but Jazz Dance has much better form claims than the favourite, Oumeyade, and Tramantano, who is also a short price. Oumeyade is shorter than he should be because he comes from the Paul Nicholls yard, but he is much more exposed than the selection. Tramantano goes well fresh but was beaten nine straight times over fences after his reappearance in a novice chase this time last year.
The other two cards are competitive but, personally, I find both Fontwell and Southwell's all-weather track to be extremely trappy and would counsel against any involvement there today.
3pm Bookies singing the blues
Just because most Paul Nicholls runners are overbet doesn't mean they can't still be value. I'msingingtheblues was just about the easiest 15-8 winner ever in the beginners chase at Kempton there, running away from what may have been a moderate field. He jumped fairly fluently without looking exactly a natural fencer and he may get in trouble on a more galloping track — his only sticky moment here came when he accelerated into the last and met it on the wrong stride.
Greenbridge and Cortinas ran well behind him without being put under any great pressure and both can win over fences.
4.05pm Oumeyade hoses up
Jazz Dance completely fails to give his running, leaving the favourite to coast home. Incredibly, Oumeyade was allowed an uncontested lead from the off and was cruising along with a four-length cushion after a couple of fences. Ruby Walsh dictated a tempo to suit himself and the pair were able to bound clear up the straight. All the other jockeys are at fault but especially Noel Fehily on Jazz Dance, who sat motionless in last place and found himself 20 lengths off the pace when the horse put in a single sticky jump on the far side.
4.40pm Snap Tie beats Katchit
An 11-4 winner for Talking Horses, despite a very worrying moment at the second-last, where Snap Tie landed awkwardly when making his challenge. Katchit had the run of the race but couldn't cope with the winner's pace close home, the pair finishing clear.
Katchit would be some way from peak fitness and, of course, Cheltenham is a very different test, so we can't draw many conclusions — except, obviously, that Snap Tie is a strong contender for top honours this season.
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