Graignes bids to cap fabulous year with valuable success - analysis and key quotes for £80,000 Kempton final

This is a valuable handicap featuring a mixture of in-form, progressive performers and seemingly out-of-sorts runners who are well handicapped if regaining their sparkle.

Graignes, who has been in fabulous form all season, tops the first category and must surely go well even though he is 17lb higher than when qualifying for this final with a four-and-a-quarter-length destruction of Wild Hurricane in June.

The George Baker-trained seven-year-old followed up in comfortable fashion at Sandown and went on to record fine placed efforts at Goodwood, Wolverhampton and Southwell before being beaten less than five lengths in the Cambridgeshire.

Jack Sparowe and Wadacre Gomez, who were separated by a short head over course and distance in September, are also of interest based on recent exploits.

Jack Sparowe renews rivalry on 1lb better terms and should confirm the form as he did well to come from well off the pace that night. He has a nice racing weight of 8st 2lb.

Duke Of Oxford, who looked a highly promising three-year-old in the spring when successful at Chelmsford and Wolverhampton, has not been in the same form since, albeit he has been highly tried in races like the Group 3 Chester Vase.

Andaleep, another who hasn’t been at his best of late, has won nine of his 35 starts on turf but remains without a victory from 17 all-weather runs.

Max Mayhem has been given a break since trailing home 46 lengths behind Scampi in a Shergar Cup race at Ascot in August.
Race analysis by Richard Birch

What they say

Kevin Philippart de Foy, trainer of Max Mayhem
He's got some good form at Ascot earlier in the season and won at Kempton back in April. He's got the weight against him but we've been considering this race or the November Handicap for a while and we've decided on this.

George Baker, trainer of Graignes
I thought he ran a hell of a race in the Cambridgeshire but as it transpired he was drawn in the wrong place. He's got good form at Kempton and this has been the plan for a while. He's seven rising eight, so is unlikely to be improving, but he does seem to be in a happy place. After this he will head out to Bahrain for the winter.

Michael Bell, trainer of Maso Bastie and Duke Of Oxford
Duke Of Oxford ran very well on his penultimate start and if he reproduces that form he's got a good chance. I think he was ridden too close to the pace last time and we've learned that he needs to be switched off, so we'll ride him cold. We bought Maso Bastie 12 days ago at the horses-in-training sale and it made sense to have a dart at this before we give him a holiday. He's a bit of a character and we've put different headgear on, so hopefully he'll run his race.

John Butler, trainer of Jack Sparowe
He's got a good racing weight and a good draw, so we hope he'll take some of the prize-money home. It's a hot race but hopefully he's got an each-way chance.
Reporting by Lewis Porteous

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