The turf
Eleven to watch
Robin Oakley
Readers of this column were advised on 19 October to back Gay Kelleway's sprinter Astrac next time out over six fur- longs, after his fast-finishing fourth in the Coral Sprint at York. Astrac duly obliged at Nottingham on 31 October, driven clear of his field by Kieren Fallon at the useful price of 8-1. Last Saturday, Astrac ran again in Doncaster's Wentworth Stakes and, despite the presence of two Saeed bin Suroor horses, he looked worth one more go at the weights. So it proved. Again rid- den by Kieren Fallon he squeezed through between the two Godolphin horses in the final furlong to win once more at 8-1. A switch of stables from Epsom to Dorset and Gay Kelleway's proven touch have clearly revived this former Wokingharn winner. He should win some more big sprints next season.
But now for the winter game. In the hope that others, too, have some winnings to play up and to mark the first anniversary of this column, here are my eleven to watch now the jumping season has really got into its stride. (I know that ten is the more'normal number, but I wanted to offer you a Second Eleven too and who ever heard of a Second Ten?) Two are automatic choices. At the Courage Racehorse Owners lunch last week, the owner Andrew Wates said that Grand National winner Rough Quest was in fine fettle and would be aimed at the King George VI on Boxing Day and the Gold Cup, in which he finished second last year. (Interestingly, he did not list the Grand National.) Champion Hurdle win- ner Collier Bay, who also won his only two other starts last year must also be a sure bet for further successes. After the tragedy of his stable fire, his popular trainer Jim Old deserves some good luck.
Looking for a new hurdling star to give him a run this year I would go for Jenny Pitman's Indcfcnce, who beat the useful Kimanicky conclusively at Cheltenham last spring. Progressive second season chasers who have shown they can go a bit are among the mot profitable types to follow and I fancy Mrs Pitman's Nathen Lad to run up a sequence of chasing victories. He could prove Gold Cup material.
Gordon Richards's eight-year-old Addington Boy was another brilliant novice last season. He'll do well in staying chasers as will Tim Forster's eight-year-old grey Maamur, who won three times last season. And I was enormously impressed with Richards's The Grey Monk, unbeaten in six starts as a novice last year.
Paul Nicholls's stable are sweet on See More Business. The former point to point- er scored three times over hurdles last sea- son and opened his new season's account with a win over fences at Chepstow on Sat- urday. Tony McCoy, who rode for just about every top trainer last season, has made him his pick for the season. And I believe Charlie Brooks to have something special at Uplands in the handicap chaser Suny Bay. His only defeat in three races last season came when he slipped up on the flat at Sandown and unluckily had his jaw broken by a following horse.
No sensible tipster could leave out the David Nicholson or Martin Pipe stables from a list like this and I will go for Nichol- son's Banjo, who had been brought along tenderly by Pipe before his owner took him away a few weeks ago and for the good- looking Cyborgo who won the Stayers' Hurdle for Pipe in a thrilling race with Mysilv at the Cheltenham Festival and who now goes novice chasing.
The above named should take a number of this season's top races between them. But, coming from such well-known stables, few will do so at fancy prices. That, then, is the reasoning behind my Second Eleven, selected largely from talented but less fash- ionable stables. I fancied and tipped Tom Tate's Lo Stregone for last year's National but he had to be withdrawn with a fever on the eve of the race. Watch him for long dis- tance chases. The same applies to Hugo de Bromhead's Bishop's Hall, trained in Ire- land, who spent part of last season with Robert Alner and might do so again. And Philip Hobb's Greenhil Tare Away has the look of a National horse about him too.
Andy Turnell's Old Bridge will win some decent chases. So will two consistent per- formers trained by former jockeys, Simon Earle's Dextra Dove and Graham McCourt's Sister Stephanie. Over hurdles I like Micky Hammond's four-year-old Marchant Ming and his six-year-old Outset. James Fanshawe's The Toiseach, whom I saw win a hotly contested hurdle at New- bury last spring in his only race yet over hurdles at 33-1, could possibly be a top- rater.
Alan Jarvis's Monicasman, a soft-ground specialist, looked a very useful hurdler but had his season ruined when forced out in the Sun Alliance last year. He could go novice chasing. And, finally, Linda Rus- sell's Movac, my favourite kind of second season chaser, looks the sort to put togeth- er a sequence of wins around 2m4f.
Good luck to them all in a season which promises some really exciting jumping. One big omission from my First Eleven is any horse from the combined stable now run by Oliver and Simon Sherwood, which seems stuffed with talent. One of the key ques- tions this season will be whether Sher- wood's former top hurdler Large Action has retained his speed when he comes back from injury. The other returning walking wounded to keep an eye open for are Tim Forster's chasers Martha's Son and River Mandate and David Nicholson's exciting hurdler Relkeel. All are in the very highest class, but should be watched, not backed, first time out.
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