Juliette's Weekly Frolic
Unless he sticks to the condition events, the financial prospects for the two-mile chaser are not exactly rosy. Sandown Park recognised the need for a valuable handicap at the minimum distance when they advised Benson and Hedges to reduce their December 'chase from 21 to 2 miles, but that was a couple of years ago and we have had to wait until this Saturday for another of comparable value and status tobe added to the calendar. Ascot has the Blue Circle Cement people to thank for transforming their old Mar Lodge Handicap into this glittering £4,000 prize and Royal Relief has the orignal entry of Pendil to thank for his slipping in with only 11.9. An enticing weight for the Cheltenham Two-Mile Champion, racing at his proper distance, but price-wise it would be far more fun to go along. with Shawnigan. The boundless faith of his trainer saw the horse take on Pendil in the 'King George,' to the amusement of many who thought he .might just as well have stayed at home. A prominent display — despite swallowing his tongue three from home — produced many red faces then, and my only regret is that, with 10 stone to carry, he won't be 100-1 this time round.
Zarib and Salviati, fourth and seventh respectively in last year's Teal and Green Hurdle, now have 22Ib more on their backs and face a strong challenge from both the younger generation, Firefright and Silver Delight, and their contemporary Windrush. Before Christmas, Josh Gifford's horse finished a good third in he competitive SGB Hurdle, despite being held up in his work, went on to beat Chapman's Peak and Coral Diver at Cheltenham and meets his rivals here on considerably better terms than in various previous encounters this season.
With the recent abandonment of the 'Mandarin ' and ' Whitbread' chases, trainers of superfit horses have had to decide between waiting a couple of weeks for an equally profitable venture or cutting their losses and striking now. Arctic Bow follows the latter course, seeking lesser spoils in Friday's Thunder and Lightning 'Chase. The conditions here penalise winners of £1,000 'chases with the result that the novice Magellan is compelled to share topweight with the Massey Ferguson winner. Sonny Somers receives 31b from this pair, but even the Winter magic will be pushed to cancel out the 30 lengths that separated them at Cheltenham.
Of the large number of top-class flat horses that have taken to timber' this year, the majority have failed to live up to their advance publicity and Peacock, winner of a £10,000 handicap at Longchamp, is no exception. However, his Boxing Day fiasco can be put down to a slow start and if he's got over his stage fright, the last race on Friday will be the time to prove it.
Assets: £81.10. Outlay: £2 to win Shawnigan. Arctic Bow, Windrush and Peacock; £2 ew double Windrush and Peacock.
Five to follow, assets: £13.52.
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