'Stamina looks to be his forte' - trainer quotes and analysis for a hot-looking handicap hurdle at Warwick

Plenty of these have contested two of the richest staying handicap hurdles around recently.

Hyland and FlightDeck were last seen inCheltenham’s Pertemps Final, finishing 14th and 17th respectively, while Saint Davy and Glimpse Of Gala finished down the field (sixth and pulled up) in Uttoxeter’s similarly lucrative pot on Midlands National day. Of the two races, the form of the Uttoxeter contest is faring far better.

The Pertemps Final is yet to produce a subsequent winner, nor a horse to even make the frame (form figures of 5F0096PP). In contrast, there have been four winners from the Uttoxeter race and two who have finished second (10P1P1212780). This data bodes well for Saint Davy.

The Jonjo O’Neill-trained seven-year-old was ninth in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle at Aintree last year, but landed his first two handicap hurdles this term in good style before struggling in deep ground at Uttoxeter. It has been a light campaign for this classy sort, and he is better judged on his previous exploits on faster surfaces.

Glimpse Of Gala, a course-and-distance winner off 4lb higher who is tried in a first-time tongue-tie, can also be given a squeak for Charlie Longsdon. She goes on any ground.

There are other strong formlines in a hugely competitive race. The way the lightly raced Jupiter Allen ploughed through heavy going over 2m5½f at Exeter to defeat a subsequent winner last time would suggest he will handle this this 3m1f trip.

The equally unexposed Dan Skelton-trained Take No Chances, beaten a nose by recent Cheltenham scorer Zain Nights at Newbury last month, is certainly not handicapped out of things off 4lb higher.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

Going update

Watering has been taking place to maintain ground described as good, good to soft in places. Clerk of the course Nessie Chanter said on Wednesday: "We'll be applying a little bit of water from the finishing line up the hill to prevent that getting any quicker than it is, but I would imagine it would dry back to good by the morning. It's going to be overcast and dry, with highs of 10C."

Jupiter aiming to build on last-time-out Exeter win

Jupiter Allen has always been held in high regard and his connections are confident there is plenty of improvement to come now he’s running over a more suitable trip.

The five-year-old had largely disappointed since being pitched into a Grade 2 as a juvenile, but there were signs at Taunton on his penultimate start that he was finding form and he duly obliged when tackling the longest trip he’s faced at Exeter last month.

“He won over two mile five [furlongs] at Exeter and although he’s only five, stamina looks to be his forte,” said Chester Williams, assistant trainer to his mother Jane.

“I don’t think we realised just how stamina-laden he was, he just lacks that bit of speed, and it’s hard for four-year-olds in the autumn against older horses anyway, but he’s just starting to come of age now.

“We were obviously worried because he did lose his way, but his first few runs were good and he finally came back to show what we’d always thought about him last time.”

That victory came in heavy conditions in a race in which all but one of his six rivals was pulled up, but Williams doesn’t think he’ll have any issues coping with good ground.

“We were worried about running him that day on heavy and we nearly pulled him out,” Williams added. “He ran really well on a sound surface at Taunton the time before, it was just that the trip was too short on that occasion, but up in trip on good ground should be ideal.”

Williams isn’t ignoring the challenge facing Jupiter Allen, but feels that he warrants his place in the line-up, especially as the runner-up from Exeter won on his next start.

“This is a big step up in grade,” he said. “He ran in a 0-115 last time and now he’s taking on horses who ran at the Cheltenham Festival, but he’s earned it.

“The form from his last run has worked out well, while he beat the likes of Spirit D’Aunou [133-rated hurdler] as a juvenile. He’s 2lb well in and deserves to have a go.”

While hopeful of a good showing here, Williams thinks that we won't see the best of Jupiter Allen until he goes over a fence. “Long term, he’s a three-mile chaser,” he said. “He'll be a lovely staying chaser.”

What they say

Charlie Longsdon, trainer of Glimpse Of Gala
It’s been a tough season for her. She wasn’t right in the autumn, she was quite ill and has just been suffering as a consequence since. This is a slightly weaker race than she’s been running in and hopefully we can get back on track. The tongue-tie is just covering all bases, she hasn’t shown any inkling of a noise but I know some of her family have, so we've put it on.

Joe Tizzard, trainer of Ilovethenightlife
I think the handicapper has got a fairly good mark on her now. She’s back up to three miles and a furlong, but got the same trip well when winning at Plumpton in January. She should be competitive – it’s just been a difficult season for her. I can’t wait to go novice chasing with her next year.

Willy Twiston-Davies, assistant trainer of Equinos
The track and the trip should suit and if he’s in contention turning in he’ll have every chance, but it just depends what side of the bed he gets out of. We’ve swapped the cheekpieces for a visor, so we’re hoping it’ll make him a bit sharper.
Reporting by Harry Wilson

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