An excellent card at Wincanton this afternoon is blessed with big fields and competitive races, but perhaps the most intriguing race of the afternoon with an eye to the future is the novice chase up at Catterick Bridge, where the high-class hurdler One Track Mind will make a second attempt to get his chasing career up and running.
One Track Mind’s first attempt to jump fences in public was perhaps the most underwhelming debut of the season so far. He was sent off favourite at 15-8 having taken a Grade One at the Punchestown Festival in April on his previous start, but made a hash of the first, barely jumped a fence with any fluency afterwards and started to tail himself off from early on the final circuit. He eventually crossed the line nearly 100 lengths behind the winner, Clan Des Obeaux.
One Track Mind need only improve a little on his hurdling form from last season to be a live contender for the World Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, but Warren Greatrex and his owner Andy Weller seem eager to move on to chasing and so the six-year-old will head to Catterick today for the Beginners’ Chase.
It would, of course, be ridiculous to write off such a classy hurdler after one unfortunate run over fences, but at the same time, punters need to ask themselves whether they really fancy backing One Track Mind at 2-1 when there is an opponent that has already shown quite useful form over fences lining up against him.
Vintage Clouds (1.20) is the horse in question, and while he has yet to register a win over fences, he has twice finished second behind novices that may well be heading to the west country in March. Briery Belle, who beat Vintage Clouds first time up at Carlisle in early November, has also franked that form since by winning in Listed company at Warwick, and Vintage Clouds makes far more appeal at 7-4 than One Track Mind at 2-1.
The handicap hurdle at 3.10 is the contest at Wincanton which will catch the eye of many punters, and while there are 18 runners to consider, it is possible to whittle the field down to a few likely contenders fairly quickly.
Staunton is an interesting runner with the champion jockey Richard Johnson booked to ride for his mother Susan, and he showed improved form on his seasonal debut to finish third off today’s mark of 74 in a conditionals’ race at Ludlow. He does not appear to have quite as much potential over hurdles as Amantius (3.10), however, who was well backed when he registered his first success over timber at Leicester last time out. He won with something in hand there and must go well today off a 6lb higher mark.
Royal Salute (1.40) and Barney Dwan (2.10) are others to consider on the same card, while at Southwell, Clubland (12.30) is an interesting runner in the sprint handicap now that he returns to his best surface. He has won five times on the Fibresand, most recently over today’s six-furlong trip from a mark of 80, and has an obvious chance as he returns for the first time since March with his rating down to 68.
