'He's almost a good thing' - key quotes and analysis for feature Newcastle handicap

Asgard’s Captain, one of three course-and-distance winners in the field, has won five of his last eight starts.

Officially rated 46 last June when dead-heating with Barrolo at Ripon, Dylan Cunha's four-year-old now competes off a career-high 79 and there will surely come a point soon – if it hasn’t already been reached – when the handicapper finally has his measure.

Judged on the manner of his last two wins at Wolverhampton and Newcastle, though, many punters will believe he remains capable of at least another success in this rich vein of form. 

The David O’Meara-trained Westernesse retains handicapping scope off 79 as he returns from a 283-day absence. Still relatively lightly raced, he won off 3lb lower over a mile at Pontefract last May and remains unexposed at 1m2f.

The market is likely to provide the best guide to the chance of Soowaih, who makes his first appearance for Jim Goldie after being sold out of Roger Varian’s stable.

Winner of a Newcastle novice event over a mile in October, the four-year-old was gelded over the winter and seems sure to appreciate this step up in trip judged on his breeding. He is closely related to Mobbhij, winner of a handicap over 2m½f at Newcastle in 2017.

Course specialist Cusack, a winner six times at the track since March 2022, looks high in the weights now, but can never be ruled out.
Race analysis by Richard Birch

What they say

Dylan Cunha, trainer of Asgard's Captain
He's probably our best runner for the next week and he's improving. I'll be disappointed if he doesn't win as he's been working well and the handicapper is probably catching him, but he's not there yet. He's had two runs at Newcastle and has been first and second, when he was unlucky with a horse flying past him. He's almost a good thing, but you never know with horses.

Chris Dixon, part-owner of Westernesse
He’s returning from a while off, so should be a bit sharper for the run, but we’re happy with him and he’s ready to start, with Dave’s [O'Meara] horses in great form.

Paul Midgley, trainer of Paris Lights
It's not bad prize-money, which is why it's a decent race, and he's done nothing wrong in his Flat runs for me, but I was impatient when he ran over hurdles on horrible ground, and that wasn't a great idea. This is probably his ideal trip and I expect him to run well.

Jim Goldie, trainer of Soowaih
He's potentially a nice horse and has a good pedigree, but this is his first run for us and he'd be 85 to 90 per cent ready to do himself justice. I was keen to get him started on the all-weather because his form on it is quite good and he's had a wind op in the past; so I want him fully fit before he runs on turf, and I don't want to do that on bad ground necessarily. This will be a good blowout for him, but he's won at the course and, if runs a big race, great, but we're mainly after a nice start.

Harriet Bethell, trainer of Bearwith
I think he's pretty straight with regards to fitness and we've done exactly the same as we did before he won over this course and distance on his comeback last year. We've done that with this race in mind and he hosed up when he was last seen at Beverley.
Reporting by James Burn

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