14:25 Newbury

Saturday 30 December 2017

All12:0512:4013:1513:5014:2515:0015:35

Betfred Mandarin Handicap Chase

Off time: 14:25 | Winning time: 7m 8.45s

Settings

Selected odds by:

Potters Legend^b²⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 0-0| J: L P Aspell| T: L Wadham| OR: 135

7/2

Drops in grade after finishing seventh to Total Recall in the 3m2f Ladbrokes Trophy, otherwise known as the Hennessy to traditionalists earlier this month. Still has the potential for further improvement in handicaps with blinkers retained.

Form: 244-747

Coologue⁶³

Age: 16| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: C E Longsdon| OR: 137

Form: P28P3-P

Daklondike^p,t²³

Age: 5| Weight: 0-0| J: T Scudamore| T: D Pipe| OR: 133

6/1

Fast improving youngster who recorded a second chasing success when scoring with a degree of comfort at Wincanton earlier this month (3m1f soft). Up 7lb in a stronger race, but is a stout stayer who wont bat an eyelid at the conditions.

Form: 64-4141

O Maonlai²⁸

Age: 17| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: T R George| OR: 135| C

Form: P1P45-P

Knockanrawley^p⁴⁵

Age: 9| Weight: 0-0| J: David Bass| T: K Bailey & M Nicholls| OR: 133| BF| CD

4/1

Has been a smashing servant to connections and regularly rocks up with immense credit in all of the strongest staying handicap chases. Won this race off a 3lb lower mark in 2014, and beaten just 4L by Mysteree in the 2017 Eider at Newcastle.

Form: 43/526-2

Grand Vision²⁵

Age: 11| Weight: 0-0| J: H Cobden| T: C L Tizzard| OR: 133

16/1

Ageing well, and despite being campaigned in Hunter Chases last season, had enough class to take the battle of the greys by 1¼L on his seasonal reappearance in a Lingfield veterans handicap (2m4f soft) earlier this month. Up 3lb.

Form: 4/3120-1

Ballymalin³⁵

Age: 15| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: N & W Twiston-Davies| OR: 135

Form: 375-13P

Shotgun Paddy^p²¹

Age: 10| Weight: 0-0| J: Nick Scholfield| T: Miss E C Lavelle| OR: 132

7/1

A classy performer in long distance staying chases when on-song, despite tending to give the fences a tickle or two on occasions. Finished 1½L behind Knockanrawley when third in the 2017 Eider Chase at Newcastle (4m1f).

Form: 733P-55

Scotchtown²¹

Age: 13| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: N & W Twiston-Davies| OR: 135

Form: 1227-42

Vieux Lille⁶⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 0-0| J: T J O'Brien| T: P Hobbs & J White| OR: 131| BF

6/1

Remains a maiden over fences after six starts, but was an 8L runner up to Yala Enki in the 2m7f Tommy Whittle Chase at Haydock in December 2016. Handles deep ground effectively, but tailed off on his seasonal reappearance.

Form: 4324P-6

Mustmeetalady¹⁴

Age: 15| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: J & A O'Neill| OR: 134

Form: 41-98U1

Wuff^p,t¹⁵

Age: 9| Weight: 0-0| J: Adrian Heskin| T: T R George| OR: 130

13/2

Back with this trainer after a brief foray to Ditcheat. Warmed up for this race with a pipe-opener at Bangor recently (second) and fully effective on deep ground at this track (2,5,2 here since March 2015), so must have a definite shout.

Form: 2/6515-2

Tanit River^t⁶³

Age: 7| Weight: 0-0| J: Alan Johns| T: Tim Vaughan| OR: 130

28/1

Hit hard by the handicapper after winning at Chepstow (3m soft) in January, and hasn't looked the same horse since as a result. Dropping slightly in the weights; but wasn't competitive at Cheltenham in October and a similar scenario looks likely.

Form: 516P-6P

Henllan Harri^b,t⁴⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 0-0| J: S Bowen| T: P & M Bowen| OR: 129| D

10/1

Victorious at odds of 40/1 in a 3m5f Grade 3 handicap chase at Sandown (good) in April (a race once known as the Whitbread). Shaped okay over hurdles at Worcester in October, but failed to fire back over fences at Wincanton latest.

Form: 231-43P

Federici^p²¹

Age: 8| Weight: 0-0| J: W T Kennedy| T: D McCain Jnr| OR: 129

8/1

Stays 3m4f and was last seen putting up a decent effort in the Becher Chase on heavy ground. Also declared to run at Haydock on Saturday with his trainer monitoring the inclement weather conditions.

Form: P55-514

Alfie Spinner²¹

Age: 20| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: Kerry Lee| OR: 133| C

Form: 1/149-P2

Back To The Thatch²⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 0-0| J: P J Brennan| T: H D Daly| OR: 120

10/1

No stranger to testing conditions, and was a winner over hurdles at Bangor this time last year (2m7f soft). Lacks much in the way of experience over fences, but is unexposed, and was a 3½L runner up at Haydock (2m7f heavy) recently.

Form: 1249-F2

Dawson City³⁵

Age: 16| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: P Gundry| OR: 131| D

Form: 5231P-4

Belmount²²

Age: 16| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: N & W Twiston-Davies| OR: 129| D

Form: 3416FP

Potters Cross²⁸

Age: 18| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: Miss R Curtis| OR: 129| CD

Form: PPP-55P

Russe Blanc³⁵

Age: 18| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: Kerry Lee| OR: 127| D

Form: 92P5-4U

Barton Gift²²

Age: 18| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: J L Spearing| OR: 124

Form: 161P-4P

No Buts²⁸

Age: 17| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: D G Bridgwater| OR: 124| C

Form: 1-P7247

Themanfrom Minella³⁴

Age: 16| Weight: 0-0| J: Unknown| T: B I Case| OR: 113

Form: PU2-PP2

Forecasts

Potters Legend (7/2), Knockanrawley (4/1), Daklondike (6/1), Vieux Lille (6/1), Wuff (13/2), Shotgun Paddy (7/1), Federici (8/1), Henllan Harri (10/1), Back To The Thatch (10/1), Grand Vision (16/1), Tanit River (28/1)

A smashing handicap chase for the stayers which for many is probably the best race on the card, despite effectively playing second fiddle to the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle. Daklondike is very much the up and coming young pretender in this division following his latest Wincanton success (and his earlier Wetherby romp), but he meets some hardy old-stagers in this contest. Wuff doesn't win all that often, but he's not one that deserves a bad press, and he tends to produce his best efforts at this track so should be thereabouts. However, with conditions very testing preference is for those real long distance staying chasers. Shotgun Paddy fits that profile, and is regularly competitive in the Eider Chase up at Newcastle (4m1f), but his old foe KNOCKANRAWLEY won this very contest in 2014, and looked somewhat of an unlucky loser on his seasonal reappearance at Ayr in mid-November, so it is he who rates as the selection.