Can Gintime give red-hot Nicky Richards another winner? Analysis and key quotes for Hexham mares' handicap hurdle

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Nicky Richards has won with his last eight runners, so it’s natural that many will focus on Greystoke representative Gintime.

The six-year-old, a 42-length winner of a Sedgefield maiden hurdle on Boxing Day, takes a big step down in grade after tackling a Class 2 novice handicap hurdle at Kelso last time.

She performed well that day, finishing fifth behind Queenie St Clair, and, with her stable in such rude health, could take plenty of beating off a 1lb lower mark.

Out On Her Own also takes the eye towards the foot of the weights. Dianne Sayer’s runner was an excellent second at Carlisle to Different Drum, where she looked the winner for much of the home straight.

This Class 4 is unlikely to take too much winning, and she’s a major player.

Rose’s Dart didn’t achieve a great deal in her first two handicap hurdles, but showed improvement to score at Market Rasen last month. Whether she can build on that performance at this very different track is open to conjecture.

She’s Notjoeking, one of two course-and-distance winners in the field, never looked like troubling the judge at Ayr last time, but wasn’t beaten far at the finish behind two well-handicapped performers in Platin Moon and Nakassama. She has a chance.

Dee’s Getaway, a last-time-out winner at Hexham, needs more off a 6lb higher mark.
Analysis by Richard Birch

Ground and weather

The going on Sunday was officially described as good to soft, good in places, but that is expected to turn to good, good to soft in places.

Clerk of the course James Armstrong said on Sunday: "We're good to soft, good in places, but I suspect we'll see that drying back to good, good to soft. There's a strong, drying wind today, and the showers are due towards the tail end of tomorrow, so there's a chance we might not cop anything during racing."

What they say

Nicky Richards, trainer of Gintime 
She seems grand and in good order. She ran a fine race at Kelso and hopefully she'll do the same again here.

Michael Scudamore, joint-trainer of She's Notjoeking
She's been good. Regarding her last run, I think ultimately she found things happening a bit too quickly for her, but she had good form before that. A stiff track like Hexham should really suit her, so we're looking forward to it.

Stuart Coltherd, trainer of My My My Delilah
She seems in good form. As long as there's not too much rain, I'm hoping she'll run a big race. We're back to two miles with her and the handicapper has been kind to us and dropped her a few pounds. She's got a chance.

1. At the start of a big week for Charlie Appleby, the Godolphin trainer doesn't have to worry about stable form. He's had five winners from his last ten runners and he'd be operating at a better than 50 per cent strike-rate if Notable Speech had got a clear run at Keeneland on Friday. Appleby's only runner today is Crimson Rose (1.52 Leicester), a three-year-old filly who hasn't been seen since winning a Newmarket maiden in July. The trainer's comments didn't signal great expectations but he's already had a dozen winners with her age group in Britain this year and jockey Connor Planas is four from nine for the yard.

2. Aged just nine and still rated 140, Nassalam drops into hunter chases on Hexham's card (5.00). It seems a great opportunity for him to get involved in a finish for the first time since his astonishing success in the 2023 Welsh National. He beat 19 rivals by 34 lengths that day but got fired up the weights and struggled thereafter, being pulled up in most of his subsequent starts. Nassalam has changed stables, joining Tom Ellis, and now faces seven rivals, the best of which are rated 18lb below him.

3. Based on racecourse performance, there would be no grounds for supporting Master Of Entropy in a mile maiden stakes at Newcastle this evening (7.30), considering he faded into last at Haydock in September, his only previous outing. But it's interesting that the colt was backed from 6-1 to 11-4 for that debut and perhaps we'll see the reason for that tonight if the switch to an all-weather circuit is a help. He had wind surgery soon after that first race. Trainers John and Sean Quinn have been among the winners.

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