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What We Learned

Beaten at 2-5 - but here's why it's too early to write off Kargese for the Mares' Hurdle

Three key takeaways from this week's big-race action

Kargese made an underwhelming start to her season with an odds-on defeat in the BetMGM Mares' Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.

The Willie Mullins-trained mare had been one of last season’s leading juvenile hurdlers, winning two Grade 1s in Ireland and finding only Majborough and Sir Gino too strong at the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals. 

She was sent off 2-5 to make a successful reappearance and looked full of running turning for home, but didn’t pick up as expected under Paul Townend and had to settle for a three-quarter-length second behind Take No Chances.

However, the race did develop into something of a dash for home, with the Dan Skelton-trained mare getting first run on Kargese, who was coming back at the line.

Bookmakers responded by pushing Kargese out to as big as 8-1 for the Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, and that seems a slight overreaction.  

The Mares’ has been the long-term target for Kenny Alexander’s five-year-old and Mullins can be expected to have her cherry-ripe for that race, which has the potential to cut up should market principals Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth take in the Champion Hurdle instead.
Joe Eccles

Windsor winners can continue to reward backers

It was a good day to be a punter at Windsor on Friday as six out of seven favourites obliged, and three of them in particular look well handicapped and well placed to strike again.

Herakles Westwood increased his record over fences to 2-3 and the form of his only defeat was franked in no uncertain terms by In D’Or’s easy win at Ascot on Saturday. The Warren Greatrex-trained novice was awarded a Racing Post Rating of 131 for his victory at Newbury in December but was still running off an official mark of 124 at the weekend and he could have some big handicaps in his sights in the spring.

Panic Attack:
Panic Attack: made a mockery of her mark of 120Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Back up in trip and over fences for the first time in almost two years following a couple of hurdle runs over two miles, Panic Attack made a mockery of her 120 mark on her third start for Dan Skelton. Harry Skelton spent more time on the run-in looking through his legs to judge the gap to those behind than he did eyeing the winning line. She can make up for lost time in more mares' handicaps or Listed events.

In the last, Hasthing also looked as though he has plenty more to give after overcoming major trouble in running. He was hampered at the third-last and it looked as if his chance had gone turning into the home straight, only for the JP McManus runner to charge past his rivals and win going away. Whatever rise he gets may not be enough to stop him going in again. He looks a thorough stayer in the making, with the revamped National Hunt Chase appealing as a possible festival target.
Sam Hendry

Lucy Wadham could have smart novice on her hands

Lucy Wadham has not had as many runners this season as she has in the past, but it seems to be a case of quality over quantity and she took two runners to Ascot on Saturday and won with them both.

Her 2024-25 strike-rate increased to 21 per cent first when Terresita bagged more than £50,000 by readily seeing off Hitman in the 2m5f handicap chase, and then when Jax Junior confirmed himself a smart novice hurdler with a 17-length victory in the finale having barely left second gear.

After showing some smart form in bumpers, Jax Junior was a tailed-off seventh of eight finishers on his hurdles debut in November, but wind surgery appears to have made all the difference as he proved his ten-length victory at Doncaster in December to be no fluke.

This dismantling of some better-fancied rivals rated in the 120s was highly impressive and he would be well worthy of a shot at Graded company.
Sam Hendry


David Power Jockeys’ Cup standings (ITV races)

Harry Skelton 214 points
Sam Twiston-Davies 184
Nico de Boinville 178
Harry Cobden 178
Sean Bowen
140

British jump jockeys’ ­championship

Sean Bowen 121 wins
Harry Skelton 114
Sam Twiston-Davies 79
Harry Cobden 68
Gavin Sheehan 67

British jumps trainers’ ­championship

Dan Skelton £2,023,053
Paul Nicholls £1,360,763
Nicky Henderson £1,144,213
Nigel Twiston-Davies £974,475
Olly Murphy £918,644

Irish jump ­jockeys’ ­championship

Paul Townend 67 wins
Sam Ewing 52
Keith Donoghue 50
Darragh O’Keeffe 50
Danny Mullins 36

Irish jumps trainers’ ­championship 

Gordon Elliott €2,711,540
Willie Mullins €2,415,925
Gavin Cromwell €1,330,570
Henry de Bromhead €1,173,805
Joseph O’Brien €775,975


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Digital journalist

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