'He's classy and tries his heart out' - can Hang In There give lumps of weight away in Uttoxeter's Summer Cup?

Hang In There (right) is the class angle in the Summer Cup at Uttoxeter Credit: Getty Images

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You might be surprised at the quality attracted by the Summer Cup, highlight of Uttoxeter's Premier raceday, until you read the small print.

In this field of 14, many are the good summer handicap chasers you would expect to see. Even so, only one is rated higher than 140 and two above 134.

The presence of Hang In There means more than half the field will race from out of the weights. Six are wrong to the tune of between 6lb and 9lb. That need not rule them out, though, especially those whose connections have taken evasive action and put claimers on board.

Imperial Alex is one of those and he is the most progressive in the field, having taken off since returning from a break. He is on a four-timer and, although still a novice, is more experienced over fences than jockey Cameron Iles.

That somewhat undersells Iles, who is a promising young rider, as a 25 per cent strike-rate over hurdles (14-55) attests. He has had only one ride over fences, but it was a winning one at this course on Imperial Alex's stablemate Nocte Volatus. To say that horse has been tricky to win with would be a gross understatement.

Twig won this race last year and Ben Pauling has a similar sort this year in Mole Court. He is 5-7 over fences, the defeats coming on his debut and on soft ground at Cheltenham. He was poor over hurdles last time, although it being a clear bridging run to this race invites some sort of forgiveness.

Twig went on to finish second at the Cheltenham Festival. Hope for another like him to emerge from this Summer Cup rests on the progressive novices like Mole Court and Imperial Alex.

If Hang In There wins, a possibility given the form he is in and how he has pushed so many out of the weights, at least we could say with confidence that it is the performance of the jumps season so far.
Race analysis by Keith Melrose

What they say

Emma Lavelle, trainer of Hang In There
The fact the handicapper put him up five pounds for just getting beat at Perth seems ridiculous to me because it skews the weights for everyone else through the summer, and he's not getting any better at the age of ten. He wants good ground, is used to carrying big weights and is loving his racing, but is three and a quarter miles a question mark? It has to be but he's classy, tries his heart out and will give it his best shot.

Oliver Greenall, joint-trainer of Go On Chez
It didn't quite work out at Stratford last time. He made a bad mistake down the back when he looked to be travelling well and could never quite get back on terms. It's hard to know if he's well handicapped, but he likes good ground and I think running off a light weight will suit him really well.

Brendan Powell, rider of Investment Manager
He won nicely at Newton Abbot last time and felt in really good order. This is far more competitive but he's a big horse running with no weight. Pretty much any ground suits him and I'd like to think he shouldn't be far away.

Sarah Humphrey, trainer of Milan Bridge
He's at his best going left-handed and running on better ground. He's 8lb out of the handicap but he's nice and fresh and will run a nice race. He's got his confidence and can hopefully continue to improve.

Gary Hanmer, trainer of Flaming Ambition and Monte Igueldo
It's a pain being out of the handicap but Flaming Ambition has won around Uttoxeter before and is ready to make the step up. Ideally, he'd like some rain and I wouldn't want to risk him on ground that was too lively. Monte Igueldo has had his issues in the past and is proving a little disappointing. We're trying him over an extended trip but the jury is out.
Reporting by Lewis Porteous

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